Located in, and surrounded by, Richland Township, in southeast Ogemaw County, the village of Prescott is in the Lower Peninsula of Michigan.
The village is situated along Greenwood Road (Harrison Street), which is intersected by Clark Road, Melcher Road (Sherman Street), and Sage Lake Road. Ryan Road forms its northern boundary.
Other cities and villages within twenty-five miles of Prescott include Whittemore, Turner, Twining, Omer, Sterling, Standish, West Branch, Au Gres, and Rose City, while the unincorporated communities of Skidway Lake and Elbow Lake are within ten miles.
Johnson Creek flows through the northern portion of the village.
The village is named for Charles H. Prescott, a lumberman and ordained Baptist minister, who had lived in Maine and Pennsylvania before coming to Michigan to harvest pine timber. In 1879, he became involved in the railroad business after purchasing the Lake Huron & Southwestern Railroad and renaming it the Tawas & Bay County Railroad.
Prescott brought the narrow-gauge railroad to the area to transport pine lumber to market. Originally known as Prescott's Camp Six, the settlement that grew up around his timber operations received a post office on October 27, 1882, at which time its name was shortened to Prescott. Mrs. Julia A. Davison was its first postmaster.
After the pine timber was depleted, Prescott converted his land in Ogemaw County for agricultural purposes, building what was the largest ranch in the state at the time, raising beef cattle, dairy cows, and horses.
Charles Prescott's son, George A. Prescott, grew to become a significant figure, serving as a state senator from 1895 to 1898, becoming Secretary of State under Governor Fred Warner in 1905. George's sons, George Prescott Jr. and Charles T. Prescott, also became involved in Michigan politics.
Even while representing different parts of the state, the Prescott family's connections with Prescott were sustained through the Prescott Ranch, which remained in the family until 1958.
By the late 1880s and early 1890s, the community included a hotel, general store, blacksmith shop, combination drug and grocery store, as well as a millinery, hardware store, meat market, saloon, livery stable, flour mill, and a planing mill, besides the sawmill and the Prescott family's ranching businesses.
For a time, Prescott and the surrounding township was known for its sheep, which supported a wool carding mill and a wool business within the village.
Prescott was incorporated as a village in 1947, and its population was 281 in 1950, the first year that it appeared on a census roll. Prescott was never a large town and, since its incorporation, its peak population was 332 in 1980, after which it has declined each decade.
Prescott is a quiet residential community of just over two hundred people today, its developed area largely south of Johnson Creek. There is a family medical practice, a physical therapy clinic, a pawnshop, a party store, a barber shop, a grocery market, a funeral home, and a cafe.
The Prescott post office is still in operation, and there is also a branch of the county library, a baseball diamond, and a park with playground equipment, picnic tables, and a pavilion, as well as three churches. In 1957, the Prescott and Whittemore school systems merged to create Whittemore-Prescott Area Schools, after which the Prescott school campuses were closed, with students bused to nearby Whittemore.
The focus of this portion of our guide is on the small village of Prescott, Michigan. Appropriate topics include websites representing the municipality or any other governmental body within the village, such as the Richland Township offices, as well as local businesses, services, industries, schools, churches, organizations, attractions, events, entertainment venues, and recreational opportunities.
Recommended Resources
Family-owned since 1897, the funeral home business has locations in Au Gres, Hale, Prescott, Tawas City, Twining, and Oscoda, with the Prescott, Michigan location being on East Harrison Street. The address is given, its location is shown on a map, and the telephone number is provided. Service options and pricing is provided, along with a guide to requesting service, an online planner, a pre-planning checklist, and an online resource. Payments may be made online.
https://www.bureshfuneralhomes.com/
Affiliated with the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod, the Prescott, Michigan congregation was founded in an old church building in 1969, beginning construction on its current building a couple of years later. Located on Henderson Lake Road, its address, telephone number, email address, and an online contact form are provided. Other resources include a photo gallery, statement of beliefs, history, and a calendar of upcoming programs and events. Age-specific ministries are highlighted.
https://faithlutheranprescott.org/
Headquartered in Rose City, Michigan, the district library has branches in Skidway Lake and Prescott, with the latter branch located on Washington Road. The address, telephone number, and email address are published on the site, which highlights upcoming book sales and other events, as well as announcements and information about sponsored activities and programs, resources for children, teens, and high schoolers, and research facilities, and online resources.
https://www.ogemawlibrary.net/
The outpatient physical therapy practice specializes in orthopedics, spine, and sports injuries, accepting patients of all ages, from pediatrics to geriatrics. Located on East Harrison Street in the village of Prescott, Michigan, its hours of operation, appointment policies, and contacts are posted on the site, and appointments may be scheduled online. PPT will provide in-home therapy for patients who are unable to get to the facility or may assist in arranging transportation.
https://prescottptclinic.com/
