MyWilliamston.com | News, Opinions and more on Williamston, Michigan

Burn, baby burn! The yells of 1960s protestors? Feminists burning bras or men burning draft cards? Perhaps. But, in this case, it is the sound of Williamston history.

Fires were the bane of existence for many towns in the 19th Century. Take Chicago, for example, and Mrs. O’Leary’s cow. One night, her cow got rattled, knocked over the kerosene lamp and the entire town then went up in flames — or so the story goes. During that same time, thousands of acres in Michigan’s Thumb area were hit by raging wildfires, and much of the timber that was left in Michigan was cut and sent to rebuild Chicago.

When the Williamston Area Chamber of Commerce was looking for a way to promote the community and raise funds at the same time, its board looked to the past.

The Chamber’s board of directors approved selling spaces on Williamstonopoly, a board game inspired by Parker Brothers’ Monopoly that includes area businesses and organizations on the deed cards. The Chamber produced a similar board game 25 years ago.