Relocation/Visitor Information

History of the Four Flags Area

More than three hundred years ago, the first European visitors arrived in this area – which had been home to the Potawatomi Indians for two thousand years. The Potawatomi wintered in the enclosed river valley and summered near the cool breezes of Lake Michigan. The early European explorers called this amazing river valley “Paradise on Earth.” The Four Flags Area is the oldest European settlement in lower Michigan and provides rich harvests of fruits, vegetables, fish and game – which continues to attract those interested in natural beauty and a slower-paced respite from the big city life.

A Tradition Rich in Agriculture
The sandy clay soil and cool temperate breezes from nearby Lake Michigan makes the Four Flags Area similar in climate to the great vineyards of France and Germany. This area is home to three award-winning wineries – Heart of Vineyard in Baroda, Tabor Hills Winery and Restaurant in Buchanan, and Lemon Creek Winery in Berrien Springs. All three offer winery tours, wine astings and breathtaking views of thousands of acres of vineyards. The ideal growing climate also aids area fruit and vegetable farmers, who harvest a rich bounty from spring to late fall. You can taste the freshness yourself at many local fruit stands and farm markets. There are also numerous U-Pick farms in the area at which you can gather your own apples, peaches, pumpkins, strawberries and cherries. Several of these U-Pick farms have added unique attractions for the whole family. In September and October, Sturdy Pumpkins and Haunted Acres in Sodus have costumed Halloween characters, hayrides and a wheelchair accessible haunted barn.

Antique hunters flock to Niles and surrounding towns to search for bygone items – from china and glassware to furniture and linens. Niles is home to a myriad of antique stores and malls, all close enough and large enough for you to plan a weekend of antiquing.

The Niles Train Depot, built in 1892, is listed on the State and Federal “Registries of Historic Places.” Featured in three movies, the Depot is open daily with eight passenger trains serving the Niles Amtrak station providing service between Chicago, Detroit and Toronto, Canada.

Museums
The Four Flags Area’s diverse heritage is reflected in the community’s museums, which make for both educational and fun family outings. The Fort St. Joseph Museum in Niles is housed in the carriage house of the historic Henry A. Chapin mansion and features a large display of Potawatomi and Plains Indian artifacts, French and English period firearms and 18th and 19th century cooking utensils. The museum commemorates the fort, a French military post built on the St. Joseph River in the late 1600s.

The Natural History Museum in Berrien Springs holds a large collection of native plants and animals, including the most complete mammoth skeleton found in the state. The 1839 Courthouse Museum in Berrien Springs is Michigan’s oldest courthouse and the state’s only surviving example of Greek Revival architecture.

A replica of an 1890s blacksmith shop and wagon maker’s shop are located behind the courthouse, along with an 1870s sheriff’s house, a two-cell jail and a fully-restored 1830s log house, the oldest surviving two-story log cabin in the state.

Pears Mill Museum in downtown Buchanan is a working flourmill with a giant waterwheel and leather belts used to drive the millstones. You can watch flour being milled there nearly every weekend during the summer.