The Old General Store – and More – in Burnips, Allegan County
Burnips is a community in Salem Township, in Allegan County. In fact, it was first known as Salem Center.
It began as an intersection settled by landowner James Burnip. He built the first general store in 1856 and soon began selling off parts of the land for others to build homes and/or business structures.
In 1868 a post office was established and the name "Burnip's Corners" was created. The village was now separated: at the intersection just south of Burnip's Corners, Salem Center became a separate community.
In 1915, “Corners” was dropped and the town would be forever known as ‘Burnips’.
The Little Rabbit River ran through this area and a sawmill and grist mill were constructed on the east side of the river.
Over time, Salem Center appears to have disintegrated, while Burnips still shows up on maps. There are some sites that say Salem Center was the original name of Burnips, but looking at Allegan County & Salem Township historical atlases, it shows that they were TWO separate communities, just a few hundred feet away from each other.
Burnips still has a few great old buildings still standing, among the nice handful of residential areas. Drive-thru someday and get some pics of that great old general store...
