The Houghton Elevator was a

grain elevator A grain elevator is a facility designed to stockpile or store grain. In the grain trade, the term "grain elevator" also describes a tower containing a bucket elevator or a pneumatic conveyor, which scoops up grain from a lower level and deposits ...

located at 315 West Vienna Street in

Clio, Michigan Clio () is a city in Genesee County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The city is located entirely within Vienna Township, but is administratively autonomous. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 2,646. Along with the rest of Gen ...

. It was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 1982. The site is now home to Dotty's Feed and Pet Supply; the original elevator buildings are no longer extant.

History

In 1861, the

Pere Marquette Railroad The Pere Marquette Railway operated in the Great Lakes region of the United States and southern parts of Ontario in Canada. It had trackage in the states of Michigan, Ohio, Indiana and the Canadian province of Ontario. Its primary connections in ...

laid tracks through Clio. Putnam Mauk, realizing that the location was ripe for the transport of agricultural products from the surrounding area, constructed a grain elevator alongside the tracks soon after the railway was completed. Some time later, Mauk took on a partner, a Mr. Hammer. In 1880, Fred Mark purchased the elevator and enlarged it. Around 1900, longtime employee F. M. Houghton purchased the elevator and further enlarged it, creating a facility with a capacity of 40,000 bushels of grain. Houghton owned the elevator until his death in 1948, when it was passed on to his son Richard Houghton. Richard owned and operated the elevator until he retired and sold it in 1981. During the family's ownership, the elevator also handled large amounts of produce and locally produced building materials, such as bricks, mortar, and cement, as they were loaded onto freight cars through the elevator. After its sale, the elevator was used as a retail outlet.

Description

The Houghton Elevator was a wood~framed elevator consisting of a series of rectangular components joined in a linear configuration. Some of these components had gable roofs, and others with gambrel roofs. Many were clad with composition shingles, and others were clad with corrugated metal. On one side of the elevator was an open, roofed delivery area.

References

{{National Register of Historic Places in Michigan National Register of Historic Places in Genesee County, Michigan