HISTORICAL PLACES OF INTEREST FOR THE MITCHELL FAMILIES 

A. Joseph and Diane DeFrance residence. 

B. First Barbershop of our grandfather Charlie Mitchell. It was located in the center of the groups of shops directly across from the park on Niles Avenue. 

C. Second Barbershop of our grandfather. It was called Mitchell & Sims Barber Shop. The shop is now called Permanent Makeup. It is across From the cemetery on Lakeshore Drive. 

D. There is an brick arbor on the bluff side across from the Hotel and the “Mitchell” brick is on the right side near the top of the walkway. As you begin to cross the river to enter into Benton Harbor the Building on your left is where Gary worked as a Deputy Sheriff. 

E. At the corner of Main and Pipestone Street in downtown Benton Harbor is a park called “The Dwight P. Mitchell Center Park” is named after our brother Pete. 

F. The large brick building on the corner was once the old Post Office. It is now housing offices of the City of Benton Harbor. The building is called “Don P. Mitchell Building” after our father Don P Mitchell, who retired after many years as a mail carrier and was well known in the area as a historian. 

G. Hull School is the grade school attended by Daddy and all of his brothers and sisters. It is also the school that all 8 of us attended.

H. Once you pass the l-94 Interchange on Crystal Avenue, this is the place where we all grew up, 278 N. Crystal. It is now vacant land. 

I. On the corner of Crystal and Napier is the cemetery that most of our relatives are buried there. To get to Mom’s and Dad’s turn Left and enter the cemetery and on your right hand side there is A plot with two hanging baskets. It sits on a hill and it is a beautiful place. 

J. On Niles Road is the Riverview Cemetery. Daddy’s mother Harriet Mitchell, her mother and father Emily and Thomas W Phillips and Other relatives who lived in Saint Joseph are buried. We have traced them coming to Saint Joseph in the early 1800’s. 

K. Right next door to the cemetery is Riverview Park. This is where the picnic will be held on Saturday beginning at 1:00 p.m. 

Hope you enjoyed your historical tour.