Town of Jay- Hamlet Upper Jay
Upper Jay is in the southernmost part of the Town of Jay, upstream from Jay (hence the name Upper Jay) on the east branch of the Au Sable River. While Upper Jay is the smallest of the hamlets, it at one point in time may have been the most visited hamlet, as it was home to the Land of Make believe amusement park by Arto Monaco. Like the other hamlets, Upper Jay can boost with a lot of history, in fact it has 3 buildings listed on the National Historic Registry; the Keith and Branch Ford Motors Factory and Showroom, Wells Memorial Library, and Wellscroft. Upper Jay is served by a volunteer fire department, a post office, and a library. Its business district includes the Town of Jay’s only larger lodging place, Brookside Motor Inn, Upper Jay Art Center and the very popular the Recovery Lounge, a creamery, coffee roaster, among other smaller business’.
Town of Jay- Hamlet Au Sable Forks
Au Sable Forks, located at the northern end of the Town of Jay, where the east and west branch of the Au Sable River merge. It is also the Town seat where the town offices and main business district is located. Part of the town, north of the Au Sable River actually is part of the Town of Black Brook, in Clinton County, and the Town of Black Brook offices are also located here. There is a lot of history in Au Sable Forks, and the hamlet is made up of a number of older smaller hamlets like Green Street, Jersey Section, Rome Section, and the Grove. Au Sable Forks is served by the volunteer fire department and a volunteer ambulance corps. The Town of Jay is part of the Au Sable Valley School District, with district offices in Clintonville, and Au Sable Forks is home of the Elementary School, while the Middle and High School is located in Clintonville. Au Sable Forks is also where the former homes of James and John Rogers of the J&J Rogers Company are located. The Roger’s family ran many business, most notably the paper mill, and were the dominant employer in the hamlet until the paper mill closed in the early 1980’s. Currently the business district hosts a gas station, small department store, supermarket, thrift shops, pharmacy, liquor store, a movie theater, bank, and a couple of automotive garages, among others.
Town of Jay- HAMLET JAY
The hamlet of Jay is centrally located in the Town of Jay, and home to the Covered Bridge. While Jay has a lot of history as well, including iron ore foundries, today it is more of a quiet residential hamlet. Jay features the Village Green with a free summer concert series hosted by JEMS, http://jemsgroup.org/index.html#nil, the Amos & Julia Ward Theatre, a few crafts and art studios, a gas station, a couple of automotive garages, a deli, the Alpaca shop. Jay is also home to the Ward Lumber Company and the Towns Department of Public Works garage. Jay is served by a Volunteer fire department and a post office.
Au Sable Acres
Au Sable Acres is a semi private tranquil residential community nestled in a forest, bordering the West Branch of the Au Sable river, in the north-west part of the Town of Jay. The Acres was developed in the 1960’s, and today consists of almost 400 homes and many more undeveloped lots. Au Sable Acres Property Owners Association members have access to Lake Eaton with its playground, Volleyball, Bocce, and Tennis Courts, over 10 miles of maintained hiking, biking and skiing trails, and fishing access on the Au Sable River. For information on the Acres please see https://ausableacres.org/.