“Aral: Saga of a Ghost Town”, Presented by Jerry Heiman – Video Replay
Share this Post
“Saga of a Ghost Town: Aral Lumber, Murder, and the House of David”
Presented by: Jerry Heiman
Video Replay Link:
https://youtu.be/1KeSmsO68H8
Aral, also known as Otter Creek, was founded in the 1870s as just another sawmill town along the north edge of Benzie County south of Empire. However, the tragic events that unfolded there in August 1889 assured that Aral would have a special place in the lore of Benzie. We will re-live the story of that day and learn about the main founders of the town, as well as the Israelites who kept it going into the early 1900s.
Presenter: Jerry Heiman
Heiman is a graduate of Albion College, the University of Michigan Dental School, and the University of Michigan Hospital Residency program. He served in the US Army Dental Corps from 1966-1969 and practiced Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery in Midland, Michigan from 1972-1998. He has been a Big Platte Lake property owner since 1977 and became a full-time Benzie County resident in 1998.
Jerry Heiman has been a member of the Benzie Area Historical Society’s board of directors since 2007. He is the former board president and sits on several committees. Heiman is a docent for museums and historical walking, bicycle, and bus tours. He also wrote articles for our newsletter and used to write a column for our local newspaper for over a decade, “One Hundred Years Ago. “
Heiman serves on the Platte Lake Improvement Association board of directors, on the advisory committees for Benzie EMS and Benzie Bus, and River Care Committee of Conservation Resource Alliance. He also delivers meals for Benzie Senior Resources.
This presentation is part of the Benzie Area Historical Society’s Benzonia Academy Lecture Series, held on the second Thursday of each month. Admission is by donation, and the recommended donation is $5.
To learn more about the March 13th lecture, visit the Benzie Area Historical Society’s website, benziemuseum.org, Instagram, or Facebook page; call the Museum at (231) 882-5539; or email info@benziemuseum.org.
