Museum open for Mint Festival
August 13 and 14
While attending the Mint Festival this year, plan to visit the Paine-Gillam-Scott House, Swegles General Store and Carriage House, west of the Clinton County Courthouse on Maple Street.
The featured exhibit on agriculture includes Mint Farming in Clinton County with photos of early mint stills and newspaper articles from 1930’s and 40’s along with a display of farming photographs from many Clinton County residents, who either grew up or had ancestors who lived on a farm.
The Carriage House on the Museum grounds contains a model of a mint still, an old manure spreader converted to a mint planter and tools used for processing mint. The Swegles General Store has mint along with many other spices used in cooking and canning.
Recent acquisitions in the Paine-Gillam-Scott House include an old Victrola in the library and a cook stove in the kitchen, plus many displays have been updated with different items from the collections.
Plan to visit the Museum complex during the Mint Festival weekend August 13 and 14 from 1 to 4 pm.
For further information, contact the Museum at PGSMuseum@hotmail.com or call 989-224-2894 or 989-292-9096.
Clinton County Historical Museum 
Hello,
Nearly 20 years ago my husband and I had occasion to be in St Johns. We found the “main street” charming and took a walk down it. We came across a storefront which looked to have been a candy or ice cream parlor from the turn of the century. A counter, display cases and table and chairs were left seemingly as they would have been over 100 years ago. It was absolutely beautiful. We were curious about the place but as we lived out state we never did find out what it was or what had become of it. Upon learning that my niece will soon be taking a position that is located in St Johns, it revived our memory of that quaint place.
Does anyone in your organization have an idea what this place was, what it was called or what became of it?
The storefront you mentioned was, indeed, a soda fountain and candy store named the Sugar Bowl. People have been trying for decades to get together grants and financing to restore the place.
Everything inside is original, including the fixtures and even the signage. It is a gem, and the community still has hope that it can be restored. We think it could become a tourist destination all on it’s own.