Copyright USGenNet Inc., 2011, All Rights Reserved U.S. Data Repository Please read U.S. Data Repository Copyright Statement on this page: Submitted by: Newaygo County Society of History and Genealogy April 5, 2011 ====================================================================== EARLY POST OFFICES OF NEWAYGO COUNTY By Harriet Peavey ====================================================================== The Newaygo County Society of History & Genealogy has made effort to present our first post offices in the order and dates in which they were issued, and at the locations they were established; including interesting facts along the way. I want to give recognition to Harry Spooner, Terry Wantz, Ronald S. Taylor, Roy Dodge, and all the historians before us, for their tireless work and the information I was able to glean from their books, pamphlets and papers. Additional information about the postmasters of these post offices can be found in the Newaygo County History and Biographies, Volume 1, 2006 book available through the NCSHG, PO Box 68, White Cloud, MI 49349, email: newaygocohistory@yahoo.com, website: http://www.ncshg.org. ====================================================================== 1st - Newaygo 1847 - The first post office was located in Newaygo and established in 1847. It was discontinued Nov. 1, 1851 and reinstated on Jan. 5, 1852. It is the oldest post office in Newaygo County and is still in use. 2nd - Stearners Mill 1847 - The settlement was also called Muskegon Forks and Croton. Closed January, 1908. 3rd - Big Prairie 1852 - Located it in Section 7 of Big Prairie Township where he had Utleys corner. The 1880 and later maps show it to be located in Section 17. Discontinued in September, 1909 4th – Ashland 1855 - It was first located one mile northwest of the future village of Grant. This was a stop on the stage line and was called Ashland Station. It was discontinued in April, 1873 and re- established at Lambson one-half mile north. In 1874, Henry Fellows became postmaster and moved the office to his home by the railroad just north of Grant. The post office was called Ashland. from March 7, 1884 to April, 1889. The name was changed to Grant Station from 1889 until May 25, 1899. The name was changed again in 1899 to Grant and it is still in existence. 5th – Weaverville August 23, 1856 - Weaverville settlement named after pioneer settler Daniel Weaver and established on August 23, 1856. It was named the Weaver Post Office until October 29, 1862 when it became Fremont Center. At that time, it was located in about the middle of what was then Fremont Township (which no longer exists). The Fremont Post Office was established in 1882. At one time, the post office was located at 30 West Main Street. In the 1930’s they built a new post office building on South Division, which is the same office they use today. 6th – Bridgeton 1857- Named for one of the first bridges (a log affair) built in 1851 and boasting four mills. It was first called Bridge Town but later the name became Bridgeton. 7th – Greenwood 1858 - Greenwood was located on a farm in Oceana County. In 1867, the office was moved to the settlement of Hesperia, but on the Oceana County side and took the name of the settlement. In October, 1871, the office was moved to the Newaygo County side. The office moved back and forth between the two counties several times. The post office was once located in the McCallum Bros. Store. 8th – Ponama June 9, 1860- Ponama was established on Martin Creek, (also called Harrington Creek), about one-half mile north of the White River, in what was Dayton Township. On August 18, 1863, and the post office was relocated to the Bull neighborhood, just east of Bull Cemetery. In 1869, this part of Dayton Township became Denver Township. The post office was discontinued on January 15, 1872. 9th – Home October 7, 1861 - The Home Post Office was located on the township line between Barton and Everett Townships, about five miles south of the Newaygo and Lake County line. In 1874, they changed the name to Woodville. A year later, in 1875, this post office, name and all, was moved to Monroeville which was five miles to the south. Note: When the Woodville Post Office moved in 1875, Home got a new post office all of its own. That office was discontinued on November 18, 1882. The mail then went to Woodville. 10th – Martinburgh 1866 - The first postmaster was George H. Hubbard who took his post on May 16, 1870. The office was transferred and renamed Denver on July 12, 1870. It was located in Denver Township in the north half of Section 22. 11th – Ensley April 16, 1867 - The Ensley post office was located on the Benjamin Ensley farm in the eastern part of Ensley Township. On February 14, 1898, the post office moved across the county line into Montcalm County and was discontinued in 1903. 12th – Mitchell’s Prairie Feb. 6, 1868 - Named for Samuel S. Mitchell, the first postmaster, it opened on February 6. The office was discontinued on March 1, 1870. It was likely located in Mitchell’s Prairie in Big Prairie Township. 13th – Cook’s Station Feb. 27, 1868 - The post office was located in what was then Section 12 of Monroe Township, but is now Section 12 of Home Township. This was a stagecoach station on the Grand Rapids and Traverse City state road. It was discontinued on April 30, 1874. 14th – Sitka Dec. 13, 1868 - Sitka was established in Bridgeton Township on the township line between Sheridan and Bridgeton. The settlement was called Sugar Bush from having so many maple trees which they made sugar from, both regular and maple sugar. The village was named after Sitka, Alaska after the Alaska purchase of 1867. Sitka was the capital of Alaska when purchased from Russia. The post office closed on February 2, 1885, but was reopened December 15, 1891 to October, 1901. 15th – Lake March 19, 1869 - Lake post office was located in the Buck Horn Tavern on the Grand Rapids and Newaygo State Road in Section 30 of what is now Grant Township. It was the only stopping place between the village of Newaygo and Grand Rapids. It was a sawmill settlement, a.k.a. Shantyville. At times, as many as 14 covered wagons were parked around the Inn with passengers seeking lodging. Later the post office was moved west about one mile into Ashland Township to what was called Ashland City which was located two miles south of the Ashland post office in Section 24 of Ashland Township, a settlement known as Brighton. 16th – Barton 1869 - This post office had Francis H. Hooker as its only postmaster. It lasted a little over two years, being discontinued November 6, 1871. The settlement was located in Barton Township on the corner where sections 11, 12, 13, and 14 meet. In 1872, it was renamed Beaver. 17th – Aetna Jan. 14, 1870 - A sawmill operation called Aetna was founded in 1867 on the White River in Denver Township. The settlement was a.k.a. Pinchtown. There were two locations, one in Lincoln Township and one in Denver Township, just across the road from each other. The Aetna Post Office was housed in Calvin Barnes dry goods store which was on the west side of Main Street. In 1896, the post office moved to a new location about one mile south of the old location and kept the name of Aetna. The office operated until April 14, 1904. 18th – Denver 1870 - Denver was only a few miles from Aetna and was established the same year. Denver post office was established on August 6, 1866 on Harrington or Herald Creek, which was later called Martin Creek, about one mile north of the White River. This post office was discontinued on July 12, 1870. George Hubbard was established as postmaster of a post office called Martinburgh on May 16, 1870. This office was right near Denver and on July 12, 1870, when the Denver office closed, Martinsburgh’s post office name was changed to Denver. The 1880 Atlas of Newaygo County shows the post office to be about one mile south of the White River on Andrew J. Spencer’s farm. The office was discontinued on November 14, 1891. The mail then went to the Aetna Post Office. 19th – Alleyton Dec. 1873 - Alleyton, a.k.a. Alley’s Town, was named after J. Alley Lumber Company located in Everett Township. With a mill producing lumber and a train running in July, 1873, a post office was established in December the same year. The office operated until October 1, 1891. The mail then went to White Cloud which was Morgan Station. 20th – Morgan Station July 22, 1873 - Morgan Station, a.k.a. Morganville and Morgantown, was only two miles from Alleyton. The post office was established for the mill of Wilcox and Morgan was located just east of the village on the river. The village was incorporated in 1876, and renamed White Cloud on March 26, 1877 as a city corp. On March 16, 1877, the post office was moved to the village and its name was changed to White Cloud. This post office is still in operation. 21st – Mineral Springs 1873 - Located in Ensley Township in a farming community. The post office closed November 17, 1876. 22nd – Woodville 1874 - The Home Post Office in T16N R12W, was renamed Woodville in 1874. One year later, in 1875, the office was moved to Monroeville. The 1880 Atlas of Newaygo County showed the settlement to be called Traverse Roads and the post office was called Woodville. On August 15, 1935, the post office was discontinued and the mail was sent to White Cloud. 23rd – Hungerford March 3, 1876 - The Hungerford Post Office was established on the Muskegon to Big Rapids line close to Hungerford Lake. It closed on May 14, 1906. 24th – Ashland Center 1879 - The Ashland Center Post Office was established in the center of Ashland Township in 1879. It was located in the William Reiley store. This settlement was often called West Ashland. The post office closed in 1892 and renamed in 1894 to just Ashland. 25th – Lumberton May 17, 1880 - Lumberton, in Norwich Township, was a lumber town and had a station on the Chicago and Western Railroad. The post office operated until November 14, 1886. 26th – Volney August 31, 1880 - In Beaver Township, in Section 17, was a country store with a post office. Among the names sent in for the post office were Viola and Olney, but there were already Michigan post offices with those names, so they added the V in front of Olney and it became Volney. 27th – Brooks May 13, 1881 - The Brooks settlement of 1860 was named for John A. Brooks, an early Newaygo lumberman. It was given a post office named Brooks and was located by the railroad in Ashland Township at what was then Ashland and Brooks township line. The office closed on November 30, 1903. 28th – Jericho Aug. 15, 1881 - This post office was located in Section 31 of Ashland Township, one-half mile south of the Dickinson post office. The Jericho post office was discontinued on February 22, 1882. 29th – Dash May 31, 1881 - This point on the Newaygo and Muskegon county lines was a spot where the stage met the trains on their way to White Cloud and transported the passengers to Hesperia. It was later called Marionville after its first postmaster Isaac Marion, but the name of the post office was Dash. The post office was renamed Brunswick, Muskegon County on September 15, 1897 and was transferred to Newaygo County on April 1, 1943. 30th – Diamond Lake Dec. 22, 1881 - The West Michigan Lumber Company built a sawmill at Diamond Lake and was given a post office by that name. An article in the Grand Rapids Press disputes the closing of Diamond Lake post office. The same article was published in the September or October issues of the Fremont Times 1895. It stated that because the lumbering industry had practically disappeared, it left the village deserted. The last postmaster dumped the post office in a heap in the corner of the White Cloud Post Office in the spring of 1895, making it unofficially closed. The post office was renamed Diamond Loch and was restored to the lake in a different location on January 11, 1898. It was given a station under the name of Diamond Loch on the C.W. Railroad in 1904. It was renamed Ramona on June 7, 1904 because it reminded them of a beautiful scene in Helen Hunt Jacksons novel, Ramona. The office closed on November 30, 1933. 31st – Wooster Hill Nov. 14, 1882 - A small mill settlement on the railroad between Fremont and Alleyton in Section 15 of Sherman Township had a flag station on a branch of the Chicago and North Western Railroad, called Worcester. Due to there being a long grade on the railroad just as the train came into Worcester, the postal records were called Wooster Hill and it was given a post office. The 1900 Newaygo County Atlas calls this Ryerson Station. It closed on October 22, 1891. 32nd – Jenson Oct. 31, 1882 - This post office opened in Ensley Township and was most likely at Pangborn’s corner. The post office closed Sept. 6, 1883. 33rd – Mc Lane Sept. 11, 1882 - A lumber settlement with a station on a branch of the Chicago & Western Railroad was named McLane. The post office operated until August 17, 1886. 34th Otia June 20, 1882 - Otia was a station on the Chicago & Western Railroad in Monroe Township and was founded by hotel man Otia Dingman. It was named for Otia Gibbs, a daughter of J.M. Gibbs who operated the mill. Its name was changed to Dingman on September 28, 1883 and back to Otia on January 20, 1885. Finally, it was named Brohman on May 5, 1920 and is still in operation today. 35th – Walk-up Feb. 20, 1882 - Walk-up city received its name from Thomas Walkup, president of the Troy Lumber Company. The post office operated until August 9, 1882. Its name was changed to West Troy from August 9, 1882 to May 29, 1893, and was located in Troy Township, formally known as Kirk. It closed on April 14, 1904. 36th – Grove Nov. 6, 1883 - In Ensley Township, this post office was established in the Ensley Center Store, owned by George F. Cook. It remained in operation until September 14, 1903. 37th – Dickinson May 31, 1883 - This post office was located in the center of Section 30 of Ashland Township. It was located in William Reiley’s store until June 29, 1901. It was named for Dar M. Dickinson, a prominent Michigan democrat. 38th – Palmerville May 25, 1883 - This post office was named for Luke Palmer and it was located in Section 7 of Barton Township at the mill and camp of Palmer, Nichols and Co. The office was closed its doors on July 21, 1884. 39th – Barnard May 25, 1883 - This rural post office was named for John W. Barnard. The office closed the 16th of August, 1883. Its location was most likely in the northern part of Barton Township, as the mail was directed to the Chase Post Office in Lake County after the office closed. 40th – Sun May 1884 - The community known as Sun was settled in 1862 in Grant Township near Rice Lake. When Sun was first located, it was in Sec. 22 on the corner of Spruce and 28th street. It moved about 1 mile east in Sec. 27 and on May 15, 1900, was in operation until Sept. 30, 1903. 41st – Lilley May 22, 1884 - Originally Lilley was a station on the Chicago and Western Michigan Railroad (Pere Marquette) about two miles north of Bitely founded by Sisson and Lilley Lumber Company. The post office was named for Francis Lilley. It was discontinued in September, 1918 42nd – Fields June 17, 1889 - Fields was a station on a branch of the Chicago & Western Michigan Railroad in 1886. Fields was located in Section 10 of Wilcox Township, the southeast corner. This office operated until November 17, 1900. 43rd – Brookings Feb. 7, 1889 - Brookings was a settlement formed in 1860 around a mill of the Brookings Lumber Company. It was given a station on the C.W. Railroad line in 1884 and was given a post office in 1889. The office closed on April 29, 1892 but was restored from January 28 to June 8, 1895. 44th – Kirk 1889 - Established on July 24, 1889, the post office is believed to have been located on the southeast corner of 12 Mile and Dickerson in Section 5 of Beaver Township. It operated until April 14, 1904. 45th – Bitley Sept. 19, 1889 - Bitley was a station on the C & W.M. Railroad in 1884. A post office was established in 1889 and was named for Steven Bitley who built a sawmill there, but the spelling of the post office name was changed to Bitely. 46th – Hawkins Nov. 13, 1889 - The Hawkins Post Office, named after storekeeper George D. Hawkins, was located in Hawkins’ store which was located at the intersection of Sections 2, 3, 10, and 11 of Barton Township. On October 12, 1891, it moved to a store across the road. The office closed on April 14, 1906. 47th – Brookside April 11, 1890 - This post office was located in the center of Sheridan Township and was named because of its nearness to Brooks Creek, which was named for ealry lumberman John Brooks. It was located in a general store in the northeast corner of Section 21 of Sheridan Township. The office remained open until October 31, 1901. 48th – Stiles Sept. 13, 1890 - Stiles was a settlement founded around the Stiles Brothers sawmill in Section 14, a part of Home Township which later became Lilley Township. The post office closed on December 20, 1895. 49th – Parks 1892 - This post office was established on January 4, 1892. The office was named for J. Parks who lived in the southeast corner of Section 28 of Barton Township. The office closed on May 31, 1912. 50th – Plumville Dec. 6, 1892 - Plumville was a settlement located around a grist mill and sawmills owned and operated by John Frey. Plumville was named from the many plum trees in the area. It closed on September 14, 1903. 51st – Grant Station 1893 - Grant became an incorporated village in 1893 and the Ashland Post Office, which was north of town, was renamed Grant Station. In 1899, the name was changed to just Grant and has remained the same since and is still in operation. Note: more than likely, the post office was moved into town some time between 1893 and 1899; at what time, is uncertain. Grant was originally called Grant Center after Ulysses S. Grant in 1882 by one of its first inhabitants, Andrew J. Squier, who built a sawmill there. In the year of 1892, it received a station along the railroad. 52nd – Reeman April, 1897 - Reeman is in Sheridan Township which was founded in 1865. The post office was established on April, 1897 and closed on June 30, 1959. 53rd – Shaw July 30, 1897 - Shaw Post Office was located in Section 12 of Beaver Township. It closed on August 16, 1909. 54th – Bishop March 3, 1898 - This post office was located in Section 19 of Garfield Township on the road between Fremont and Newaygo. It was named after the congressman from that district, Roswell P. Bishop. The office closed on October 31, 1901. 55th – McLeans May 3, 1898 - Located in Bridgeton Township, this post office was named for John W. McLean, who was a circuit riding preacher of the Baptist Church. The office closed on May 31, 1909. 56th – Wilcox May 28, 1898 - This rural post office in Dayton Township was located in Dayton Center store. The office remained operating until October 31, 1903 57th – Goodwell July 25, 1898 - This post office was in Section 26 of Goodwell Township and was located in a farmhouse 9½ miles from White Cloud. It stayed in operation until December 15, 1905. 58th – Huber March 23, 1901 - This post office was in Section 9 of Denver Township. It was named Huber after Huber Hilton, the son of State Representative George Hilton of Fremont who had helped get the post office established. The office closed on February 28, 1907. 59th – Homedale April 24, 1901 - Homedale was a rural post office that was located in the home of Rev. Alexander Holman, a congregational minister, in Section 5 of Big Prairie Township. It closed on June 14, 1902. 60th – Jewel June 8, 1901 - The Jewel Post Office was located in Lilley Township just south of the Lake County line, along the Pere Marquette Railroad. It closed on August 14, 1906. 61st – Cole Creek April 27, 1904 - Cole Creek Post Office was located in Beaver Township. The office remained opened until February 28, 1907. It was still showing on the 1906 Rand McNally map of Michigan. 62nd – Alderson May 6, 1907 - Alderson was a station on the Pere Marquette Railroad where a settlement grew up around the general store of J.J. Alderson, located just south of the county line in Lilley Township. The Alderson Post Office replaced the Jewel Post Office one year after it closed. It closed on December 24, 1908.