Welcome to Munsonville: A Quick Tour of a Fictional Fishing Village in Northern Michigan

In 1985, I had an idea for a vampire story, that I never started writing with any real progress and persistence until the fall of 2007.

That story has expanded into titles for people of all ages, and most (but not all) feature a supernatural theme.

You know the expression "all roads lead to Rome?"

Well, in the BryonySeries, all roads eventually, somehow, lead back to Munsonville, the main setting for the books.

Munsonville is a fictional fishing village in  Beulah County, Northern Michigan. It was founded by Owen Munson (the equally fictional Scottish/Italian mill owner) in 1875 and has not progressed much through the years. 

The illustration at the bottom of this post gives you an aerial view of the drive into the village. The entrance is also the best exit out, if you're able to leave, that is.

It's not just the villagers who get stuck. So, apparently, do my handful (less than ten) of super loyal readers, who can't let the characters go. When they finish one book, they eventually circle back to an older one, while waiting for me to scribble out yet another.

Now Daniel did create driving directions from Chicago to Munsonville, but I wouldn't travel to Munsonville that way. Use your imagination instead. It's bound to be more accurate.

Now as you leave reality and enter Main Street, you'll pass a large, smiling fish on a dented sign that reads: Munsonville. Population: 386. Everyone Welcome Here. 

You'll see shiny blacktop, plank sidewalks, and weathered brick buildings on your left, and Sue's Diner and the fishing cabins to your right.

The painted wood signs on the buildings read Village Hall, Joe's General Store, Harper’s Grocery, Dalton’s Dry Goods, Walker’s Apothecary, and Munsonville Public Library. 

Past the store buildings is Munsonville Inn, which has a three-story turret. 

Sitting further back is Munsonville Congregational Church, a cream-colored, clapboard building with arched windows and an ornate steeple.

Munsonville School, a three-story, redbrick building, is the last building in the row. 

Lake Munson is the "back yard" to Sue's Diner and the fishing cabins. 

A house-lined hill is to the far left, behind the shops, etc.. The hill has only three streets: Pike Street, Blue Gill Road, and Bas Street. All are named for early settlers. 

The houses were built in graduated sizes; the small, four-room houses are at the bottom; the largest houses - a salt box, a colonial, and a Queen Anne - are at the top. 

Beyond the houses is Munsonville Cemetery and the woods. Again, you'll want to avoid the woods.

Now if you continue East on Main Street, you will drive straight into Simons Woods. Deep into the woods and at the top of a hill is a playground and community garden. 

That space is the former the estate of renowned nineteenth century pianist and composer John Simons, who married Bryony Marseilles, a village girl, shortly before the turn of the twentieth century. Bryony died giving birth two years later. It's the village's claim to fame even though John left town shortly after Bryony's birth and never returned, so "they" say.

If you drive into the woods anyway, you should reach the other side, Evansville, in an about an hour, if you're fortunate.

But I don't recommend traveling through those woods.

Welcome to Munsonville!

Illustration by Jennifer Wainwright for the BryonySeries website.