Mikulich General Store
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Mikulich General Store | |
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 Interactive map | |
| Location | Jct. of Co. Rts. 1 and 44, Limestone Township, Traunik, Michigan |
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| Coordinates | 46°15′38″N 86°58′10″W / 46.26056°N 86.96944°W |
| Area | 2.6 acres (1.1 ha) |
| Built | 1922 |
| Built by | "Indian Bill" Copeland (or Coplin) |
| Architectural style | Vernacular, Commercial Block |
| NRHP reference No. | 93000428[1] |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | July 15, 1993 |
| Designated MSHS | October 23, 1987[2] |
The Mikulich General Store is a commercial building located at the junction of County Roads 1 and 44 in Limestone Township, Traunik, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1993[1] and designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1987.[2]
In the early 1900s, Traunik developed as the center of a large Slovenian community, who settled on land that at the time had been recently logged.[2] In 1922 William J. Kehoe, a logging camp operator and former teacher, purchased 2.6 acres in Traunik for $75.[3] Kehoe hired a local Native American carpenter known as "Wild Bill" Copeland (or Coplin) to build a store on the site;[3] construction took place in 1922–23.[2] However, soon after the store opened, a new school was built nearby, and Kehoe resumed his teaching career.[3] Kehoe sold the store to John Knaus Sr., who sold the store again in 1926 to Louis Mikulich Sr.[3] In 1927, Mikulich became postmaster of Traunik and remodelled the store and opened a post office there. The Mikulich family lived on the second floor, and the store soon became the social and economic center for the community.[2]
Lousi Mikulich operated the store until 1961, when his son, Louis Mikulich Jr., took it over.[2] Louis Mikulich Jr., operated both store and post office until 1987, when he sold it to Delayne (Dee) K. Morgan.[3] Dee and Bill Morgan spent five years rehabilitating the building, and opened "Morgan's Country Store and Museum" in 1992.[4] The store later changed hands again, opening as "Lily's of Traunik," a cafe and health food store, in 2008.[5] The store was sold again in 2010, and after extensive renovations and updating, reopened in September 2013 as the Mikulich General Store & Deli by David and Laura Coleman
