Circuit riders, who traveled through local villages, served the Watrousville United Methodist Church when it was established in 1856.

Aaron Watrous and his crew of loggers came here in 1852 to cut the virgin pine of the Cass River Valley. In 1860 he platted the town, naming it Watrousville, and a few years later constructed this building as a general store.

In 1851, Patrick McGlone (1810-1884) settled near here. Later, he built a one-story Greek Revival Style building that he named “Juniata House” where he provided lodging and food for travelers, as well as “good Barns” stocked “with hay and grain.” His family served travelers for fourteen years.