Elam Fenn was born in Plymouth CT. He married Lydia Atwater.
Their son Elam A Fenn and Elisha Mix ventured from Plymouth Connecticut
westward to the state of MI (Fennville had not yet been settled).
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Elam Fenn & Elisha Mix went back to Connecticut and then
returned to this area. Elam Fenn started a saw mill - “Fenn’s
Mill” - later to become Fennville. |
Henry Blakeslee migrated from Connecticut and settled in this
area and married Elam Fenn’s daughter - Irene. Henry was
later killed in the Civil War when their daughter Hattie was
less than one year old.
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Dwight and Lydia Crane settled in the area and built a farm
house that is currently the home of Bob and Lue Crane.
Dwight and Lydia had several children - one of which was John,
who married Hattie Fenn Blakeslee.They had 7 children and one
of which was Henry - father of Robert Crane Sr. |
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Robert married Luetta (Lue) Harding and they have 5 children,
all of which have at one time worked at the Pie Pantry Restaurant
and Orchard. Currently Bob and Lue have 14 grandchildren and
4 great grandchildren. |
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HERE'S A FEW PICTURES FROM THE EARLIEST DAYS
OF THE PIE PANTRY RESTAURANT AND CIDER MILL... |
Lue Crane started promoting Crane Orchards in 1967 to the
public by way of custom fruit baskets made up in her kitchen.
One of her first fruit baskets was given as a gift to Michigan's
Governor George Romney. |
Our first cider advertising in 1968! The barrel was stolen
shortly after being placed! |
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Bob Crane with son Gary pressing cider in 1968. |
Crane Orchards sign on M-89 in 1967 |
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Bob Crane with sons Gary and Rob and daughters Laura and Becky---ready
for business in 1968! Do you think any customers will come?! |
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Lue Crane with kids Nancy and Rob sipping cider by our first
donut machine in 1968. Kids would stand all around the machine
to watch the donuts drop and flip. Today our donut machine will
make over 100 dozen an hour but not nearly as much fun to watch! |
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Below are a few pictures of our dining room crew during earlier
years of the Pie Pantry. (
The "uniforms" were a little bit differnet then!)
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Though times have changed, our dedication to providing “true
home made food” has not. In fact, our pies are still made
with the same care and only the finest ingredients are used,
just like the way grandma used to make them. |
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