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The Father of Traverse City - Perry Hannah

When you start talking to local historians and digging around in the archives in the Historical Society of Traverse City, you very quickly learn that of TC’s founding business owners and townspeople, there is one who earned the credit for laying the foundation of what Traverse City is today.

Perry Hannah was born near Erie, Pennsylvania on September 24, 1824. Although Hannah attended school only until he was 14, he gained enough knowledge working at two lumbering companies and a dry goods store by age 26 to become a business man himself. By 1850 he had partnered with A. Tracy Lay and James Morgan to start Hannah, Lay & Co., a lumber business in Chicago.

The new company did very well, as lumber was in high demand in those days. It was a matter of only a few years before they were looking for a place where they could produce their own lumber. They found it in Traverse City in 1851. They purchased 200 acres and the beginnings of a saw mill from Captain Boardman for $4500 (yes, the same Boardman for whom Boardman Lake, River and Road are named for).

Just two years into their project, they started a company store, measuring 12x16 feet. It had only basic necessities, enough for the 50 or so people who lived here at the time. The store, in addition to a new sawmill and boarding house were enough to encourage more and more lumbermen and their families to come to Traverse City. Gradually their company store grew to include a hardware, a grocery and even a furniture and clothing store by 1860. Within about 20 years, the store outgrew its space and Hannah decided to build a giant brick building on the corner of Front and Union Streets. That building has since seen many businesses come and go, but it has remained a Traverse City landmark.

The lumber business was certainly good to Perry Hannah. He did not keep all of his riches to himself, however. He also used them to help promote and to grow Traverse City from a tiny lumbering village to a prosperous and inviting town.

When Hannah decided to build the large brick building, he used a local brick maker who was barely able to stay in business. Once Markham Brick Co. received the contract to produce the bricks needed for the new mercantile store, he was in a much better standing. Around the same time, Hannah pushed for Traverse City to be the chosen site for a Michigan asylum. He gave that project to the little brick company, as well, who grew to be producing over four million bricks a year by 1900.

The Hannah & Lay Co. store was supplied almost entirely by Chicago in the mid-1850’s. To help local growers, Hannah changed the Boardman lumber mill into a flour mill, which used local grain. This was the second export Traverse City produced, lumber being the first.

When the mill was built Hannah used windows, doors and mouldings from Grelick Co., another new business that made enough money from that project and gained enough credibility that by 1900 it employed almost 10% of the work force in town.

As a man involved with politics, as well, Hannah had several opportunities to influence not only the asylum coming to Traverse city, but also the railroad. Since he actually lost the bid for the main railroad to come through Traverse City, Hannah started the Traverse City Railroad Company to create a spur for the nearest station in Walton. He paid for half of the cost, $20,000. Of course, the railroad was critical for the lumber business, but it was also very helpful in growing the town.

Not only did Hannah see the importance of the railroad and of supporting other businesses, he saw the opportunity for tourism. He lobbied for a new road to be built between Newaygo and Northport. Before the road was completed in 1863, the only way to get to Traverse City was by boat.

Hannah made sure the Traverse City Herald was distributed along the western coast, and then when people arrived in town, Hannah would often give distinguished visitors personal tours, as well as rides aboard his steamboat. Hannah, Lay & Co. bought the Campbell House and renovated it to make it larger. They changed the name to The Park Place Hotel, advertising to be the most luxurious in the north.

Perry Hannah undoubtedly was a very important man in the history of Traverse City. He brought commerce, encouraged enterprise and helped to build tourism and industry. Our town would certainly be a different place today if he had chosen another path.

There are many more things Perry Hannah did for the growth of Traverse City. You can learn more by reading Bob Wilson’s books, Grand Traverse Legends: Vol. 1-III (All of the information here was taken from Vol I.)