The Story from Hell

George Reeves established a community here in 1838.  George also ran a whiskey still and got some of his neighbors in trouble.  Their wives would often exclaim “their husbands had gone to Hell” (referring to George’s still) where they would hang out and drink with George.  In 1841, the state of Michigan asked George what was going to be the name of his new town.  George exclaimed “Call it Hell, everyone else does”.  The name was accepted!   Excessive drinking was a growing concern during the early growth of the United States.  Often, people associated drinking of any alcohol with a devilish behavior.  The temperance movement became a prominent national movement by the end of the 19th century.  Later, prohibition became the law in the early 20th century in the United States.  By the way, it does get cold here in the winter and Hell does occasionally freeze over!