Hart expands historic district with building purchase.

The Bob Mudget Woodshop

Hart expands historic district with building purchase.

By Allison Scarbrough, Editor.

HART — The unique historic district at the corner of Lincoln and Union streets will now include the Bob Mudget Woodshop following Hart City Council’s approval Tuesday, Sept. 14, to purchase the estimated 1,400-square-foot building for $4,000.

The district, which was designated as a historical site in 1984, includes historical structures like the Sackrider Church, Randall Schoolhouse, Heritage Hall and Museum, Native American Chief Cobmoosa’s cabin, Schaner’s Mill and the Mudget Pavilion. “Bob Mudget’s Woodshop milled a lot of the wood that was used to improve those buildings,” said Hart City Manager Rob Splane. The building is located across the street from the Sackrider Church.

Sackrider Church

The newly-purchased woodshop, which has been used for storage for the last decade or longer, will be put to a different use by the Hart Heritage Preservation Group. The city owns the property, and the preservation group operates it, said Splane.

“I’m excited to see what they’re going to do with it,” he said.

The building is being purchased from the late Bob Mudget’s son, Robert Mudget, Jr. 

The city attempted to buy the building a few years ago for $9,500, but the deal fell through. Now, the city is getting an even better deal. With the addition of the woodshop, all property located in the district is now owned by the city, said Splane.

“Everyone is trying to push more traffic through the historical district,” he said. 

The heritage hall, which offers a commercial kitchen, seats 200 people, and the Mudget Pavilion seats 180. The facilities are used for theater groups, concerts, scout troops and library book sales. A car show this summer attracted an estimated 400 people to the historic district. The annual Hart Heritage Days over Labor Weekend offer exhibits, demonstrations, music, food booths, a chicken dinner and a pig roast for an end-of-summer celebration.

The buildings can be rented out for weddings, graduation parties or other events. See Rental Rates (PDF) for more info.

Please consider helping to fund local news. Mason County Press and Oceana County Press are available for free thanks to the generous support of our advertisers and individuals who support our service. Click on the PayPal donation button located on the top right of our website.

This story is copyrighted © 2021, all rights reserved by Media Group 31, LLC, PO Box 21, Scottville, MI 49454. No portion of this story or images may be reproduced in any way, including print or broadcast, without expressed written consent.

As the services of Media Group 31, LLC are news services, the information posted within the sites are archivable for public record and historical posterity. For this reason it is the policy and practice of this company to not delete postings. It is the editor’s discretion to update or edit a story when/if new information becomes available. This may be done by editing the posted story or posting a new “follow-up” story. Media Group 31, LLC or any of its agents have the right to make any changes to this policy. Refer to Use Policy for more information.

Schaner’s Mill