Ten Cent Horse Barn Museum in Ubly Could Close for Good

Ubly’s last-standing 10 cent horse barn museum could shutter due to declining interest and urgent repair needs.

Community Legacy at Risk as Last Historical Society Member Sounds Alarm

The future of the Ten Cent Horse Barn Museum, a historical structure once emblematic of Michigan’s rural ingenuity, now hangs in the balance as dwindling community support and deferred maintenance threaten its closure. The barn, built in the 1890s and converted into a museum in 2004 by the Ubly Area Historical Society, is managed today by a single remaining member: David McDonald, 85, of Bad Axe.

“This museum is the last of its kind in Michigan,” McDonald said in an interview with the Detroit Free Press. “Everyone says they love history, but no one wants to be part of keeping it alive.”

Michigan’s 10-Cent Barns: A Vanished Chapter in Rural Commerce

Once a familiar sight in Michigan’s farming towns, 10-cent horse barns, or liverys, served as early parking garages, offering stall space, water, and feed to horses while owners shopped in town. For a dime, farmers could hitch their team and walk into the village. In some places, additional services like wagon repair or buggy rental were offered.

The Ubly barn operated during this era, located in an alley off Garfield Street behind what is now Northstar Bank. Its use diminished by the 1920s as automobiles replaced horse-drawn travel. By the 1970s, the barn was used for storage, and in the 1990s, it was donated by owners Bruce and Lola Brown to the historical society. After a community-backed relocation effort in 2003, the building reopened as a museum.

Volunteer Decline Mirrors Broader Trend in Rural Museums

Across the U.S., small museums face similar challenges: declining membership, aging leadership, and few new volunteers. Ubly’s situation is stark. After years of volunteer attrition, only McDonald remains. A recent push to enlist help from village officials brought temporary administrative support, but not new volunteers. The museum was closed throughout 2024 and shows no signs of reopening this season.

Artifacts Inside Tell Stories Few Else Can

The museum’s exhibits feature blacksmith tools, local memorabilia, a family medical book, and a costume from the “Ubly Alabama Jubilee”—a community variety show featuring drag performances by male farmers. There’s also a framed diploma from Ubly Public Schools, and a solemn decorative wheat shaft honoring the dead, once a common practice in farm households.

A striking image captured recently shows McDonald’s reflection over a photo of Alfred Pagett, Ubly’s founder, symbolizing the fragile thread between past and present.

Lack of Development Leaves Museum Isolated and Forgotten

The relocated barn now sits near the Ubly Dragway, in an area once planned for municipal expansion that never materialized. McDonald admits that the location is far from ideal.

“We opened on Sundays, but the dragstrip noise made it hard to have a conversation,” he said. “It’s not just the lack of volunteers—it’s also being forgotten.”

Call to Action: Museum’s Survival Hinges on Local Involvement

Unless new members come forward, McDonald believes the Ubly Area Historical Society may soon dissolve. The barn could face permanent closure, with artifacts at risk of being lost, dispersed, or forgotten. “I can’t do this alone anymore,” he said.

Michigan’s Rural Museums Need Statewide Attention

Michigan’s Office of Cultural Affairs has recognized the importance of small heritage sites but allocates limited funds for operational support. As such, museums continue to fold, Michigan risks losing the very stories that set its rural communities apart.

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