Now that Lake Orion’s considered part of a broad metro region, many of the signs it was once a vacation haven for Detroiters back in the day have vanished.
But one of them was recently donated to the Orion Historical Society.
Literally.
The Henry family, village residents since 1967, gave the society a roughly eight-by-four foot sign that reads, ‘You are in Lake Orion. Boating. Bathing. Golf. Enjoy yourself.?
While no one knows for sure how old the sign is, or where it was originally located, Jim and Marge Henry, and son Matt, speculate it’s from the 1930s, when Lake Orion was a hot destination spot in the summer.
The origins of the sign are a mystery.
The Henrys found it when they moved from Royal Oak to Lake Orion.
According to Jim, the sign was discovered in a basement area of the garage, sifted out of construction materials when the family first moved in.
It was placed against the back wall of the garage for decades.
‘My mom used to run into it with her LTD,? son Matt said.
As time wore on, they began wondering where it came from. At this point, speculation still supersedes any hard evidence.
Their village home dates from 1927 and they are only the third owners. The first owners, Art Brooks and Earl Abbots, were art collectors. Marge Henry has a photo of the two men sitting in the decorous house in the 1930s. The family thinks the two somehow procured the sign and had it stored in the garage.
Brooks and Abbots resided at the house until 1963. The Henrys moved in four years later and found the sign.
Matt Henry eventually grew curious about the sign and had resident historian, Jim Ingram, who recently passed away, come and look at it.
According to Henry, Ingram found reference to the sign in a 1930s publication. In it, a reverend made reference to the ‘Enjoy yourself,? suggestion from the sign.
The reverend effectively said, ‘Enjoy yourself, but not too much.?
Matt Henry hung the sign at his own Lake Orion home, but, along with his parents, recently decided to make it a gift to the historical society.
‘We don’t own it,? Matt said. ‘I feel it belongs to Lake Orion more than us. To enjoy and research.?
Jim hopes it will be a welcome addition to any kind of museum the historical society could start.
Sara Van Portfliet accepted the sign on behalf of the society.
‘When you surround yourself with these types of things, you can really imagine what it was like around here,? she said. ‘It’s nice to see these scraps of evidence that reveal that old world.?
There are still two mysteries Van Portfliet helps the public can help solve: where the sign once made its proclamations, and where it will be displayed in the future. She is on the look out for anyone who has information about the sign, and said the society is open to suggestions about what to do with it now. Email them with your suggestions at info@orionhistoricalsociety.org.