Jacktown, Michigan

Jacktown (or Osborn) was a small town in Empire Township, Leelanau County, Michigan, United States located off Oviatt/County Line Road near Empire in the early 1900s. Benzie County lies on the other side of Oviatt Road.

Today, it is no more than a clearing in the woods. All that is left of Jacktown is the old abandoned railroad grade which used to be the Empire Railroad, and a few basements and foundations of houses. One of several local legends speculates the town depopulated after local water wells abruptly dried up one summer. Many of the local elderly in the area still remember Jacktown and/or stories of it. The Bland Cemetery is located near the clearing where Jacktown used to be, and Jacktown is mentioned in the book Ghost Towns of Michigan written by Larry Wakefield.