In the early 1900's the block between Huron and Lorne was home to the Moore House, Barrett Block, Hill & Vance Feed & Flour, Moscows Confectionary, and the Town Hall Library and Fire Department on the corner of Lorne West.
There are only two buildings between Huron and Lorne, the Sinton Tavern on the corner of Huron and the Northern Credit Union. Everything else is long gone. Fires claimed the Barrett Block and the original Sinton Hotel.
John Hill and John Vance built the original building here and started a dry goods store in partnership sometime before 1912. Mr. Vance later died and Mr. Hill carried on the business by himself. He eventually sold the business to Elliot and White,adding a grocery section as well as the dry goods.
Jack and Lauris Marchand later purchased the building and started a bake shop business which they sold in 1973 to Karl Blij. It was called Jack's Bakery. Werner Zwirner purchased the business from Blijs and changed the name to "The Bake Shop".
A current view of the spot where the Barrett Block and Hill & Vance once stood. The cement pad in the middle of the photo is all that remains of what was once the Marchand's Bakery.
The west side of Main Street at the corner of Lorne Street West where the Town Offices, Library, Police station and Fire Hall were located. When the library was located in this building it was called the Mackinac Institute with only a few books for adult education and no children's books at all. Later it became a public library and members paid to fund the purchase of new books. This building burnt in 1963 after a fire was started below in the jail.
The vacant lot on the corner past Northern Credit Union is the site of the former Town Hall, Library, Fire Department and Jail. The Credit Union is located approximately where Moscow's Confectionary later McKiggans Ice Cream and Jack's Store once stood.
The concrete building now used as storage by Tulloch Surveying which is located across the corner, was the Fire Dept location that was rebuilt after the fire in 1963.
This chart shows the location and changes in the businesses located along this block.
