Fallasburg Pioneer Village / Fallasburg Pioneer Village

Fallasburg was settled in 1837 by two brothers from Tompkins County, New York. In 1839 John Wesley Fallas purchased the northwest quarter of section 24 and laid plans for a village. His brother Silas S. also purchased land at that time. Other family members soon followed, making the long journey in covered wagons. John W. built a sawmill on the east bank of the Flat River in 1839. In it he established a chair factory that was a forerunner of the Kent County furniture industry. He soon added a gristmill. Fallasburg was a prosperous lumber town, boasting over one hundred inhabitants by 1850. At one time, it offered a hotel and an inn that served as a regular stop on the stagecoach route between Grand Rapids and Ionia. The town also had two general stores, two shoe and harness shops, a post office, a distillery, and several blacksmith shops. This structure, the Fallasburg School, was built in 1867. The focal point of the town, it was the site of town meetings, box socials, funerals, and church services.