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Fred Reader IV speaks about the Reader family.
SCOTTVILLE — Scottville’s early history came to life Thursday evening as the Mason County Historical Society presented its Pioneers of Scottville tour at Brookside Cemetery.
The Aug. 13 walking tour was the final cemetery tour presented by the historical society in 2026 and focused on the pioneers who helped establish and shape the Scottville community. The tour was part of the society’s programming commemorating the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
Among the evening’s highlights was a reenactment of one of Scottville’s best-known stories — the 1882 coin flip that determined the community’s name.
Tom Richert, left, played George HH Reader while Nate Peterson played the part of Hiram Scott.
Actors Tom Richert and Nate Petersen portrayed George H.H. Reader and Hiram Scott as they recreated the legendary coin toss. According to local history, Reader and Scott flipped a coin to settle whether the growing community would be named after Reader or Scott. Scott won the toss and the community became Scottville.
The reenactments were directed by Terra McIntosh of Stage Left Theatre Company.
Nicki Danyluk portrayed Ruth Bishop Falconer, whose memories provided an important firsthand connection to Scottville’s pioneer era.
Ruth came to Scottville with her mother, Emma Bishop, when she was 4 years old and spent most of her life in the community. She died in 1976, shortly before her 100th birthday. Her recollections of growing up in Scottville served as the basis for the historical book “Back Home With Ruth,” written and published by June Newkirk in 1976.
Rob Alway speaks about Scottville history.
The tour included the gravesites of Ruth and her husband, David Falconer, along with Emma Bishop Loomis and other early Scottville residents, including J.C. Mustard, John and Catherine Mack, and many members of the Reader family. Several descendants of George H.H. Reader attended the event, as did descendants of Ruth Falconer.
Historian Dr. Bill Anderson also took part in the program, presenting the experiences of Civil War soldiers through letters written by soldiers during the war. The presentation connected the national conflict with the generation of men and women who later settled in communities such as Scottville.
The tour was led by Rob Alway, a member of the Mason County Historical Society board of directors and editor-in-chief of Mason County Press.
The Brookside Cemetery program concluded the historical society’s three-part 2026 cemetery tour series. The series began with the Masters & Commanders tour at Lakeview Cemetery in Ludington, which explored Mason County’s maritime heritage, followed by the Civil War Veterans of Amber Township tour at Towns Cemetery. The Brookside tour concluded the series with the stories of Scottville’s founders, pioneers and other early residents.
The cemetery tours were among the Mason County Historical Society’s events commemorating America’s Semiquincentennial in 2026.
Niki Dunyluk played the role of Ruth Falconer.
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