Hermansville and the IXL Museum

There's a little town in the UP called Hermansville near Menominee whose claim to fame is their very cool IXL Museum. IXL became known throughout the country for developing the tongue-in-groove flooring from hardwoods like maple and birch.  They supplied the flooring for the Mormon Tabernacle in Salt Lake City, the lodges in Yellowstone and the Grand Canyon. They were the largest producer of hardwood flooring in the nation. C.J.L. Meyer founded the town in the late 1800's (named after his son, Herman) and set up the sawmill there that cut the trees into planks and then they got creative and invented the tongue-in-groove flooring. It's a darling little museum and certainly worth a visit.