Artisan Hall - Lodging and Travel

The Huron Shores Artisan Hall has had many owners and many uses. H. Clayton Sherman rebuilt the Shore Laundry in 1911 after the devastating fire that destroyed the communities of AuSable and Oscoda. Originally it stood south of the George D. McNichol & Co. Bank (now Myles and Sons Insurance). The Independent Order of Odd Fellows purchased the building from Sherman in 1912 and moved it north on State St.. The structure was expanded to increase revenues. They added 24 feet for a kitchen and banquet room and rented it over the years to many different users. The Rebekah Lodge met at the venue for years, as well as, traveling women evangelists who held revivals there in the late 1930s. Around the time of the Second World War the Richard Killmaster of Killmaster Oil Company purchased the northern end of the block and moved the building to its present location at the rear of the lot and used it for storage. When he retired his employee of eleven years, Bill Parsons, purchased the property owning it from 1975-1985. New owner’s Scott and Sharon Ostrander in 2016 divided their property and sold the building with parking space to the Downtown Development Authority (DDA). Their extensive renovation was completed in 2018 and the building became the known as the Huron Shores Artisan Hall. The DDA intentions were to generate revenues for the township by hosting events such as weddings and festivals in downtown Oscoda. In 2021 David and Ann Rataj purchased the building from the township and opened it as a Center for the Arts and Events.