The
following history was prepared by Wayne Russler and presented on the
occasion of the dedication of the new Napoleon Township Municipal
Facility on Sunday, December 16, 2001. Some of the details were
taken from a history of events until 1917 compiled by Ed Barber.
Other information was gathered from the Research Center of the
Jackson County Library and older residents of Napoleon.
For additional information on Wayne Russler, visit the Wayne Russler Memorial Web site at http://www.russler.info/
The Founding
of Napoleon
Pioneers began to
arrive in the area in the 1830's. Mr. Charles Blackman bought
government land in the area, but Lenawee County became his
home. Mr. A. B. Goodwin became the first settler in the
Village area. He was an Indian trader. As there were still
some Indians in the area, he set up his business and moved his
wife and adopted daughter to Napoleon. Abram Bolton, a
military man and an Indian agent, settled in Coldwater, but
when traveling to this area, he saw sandstone cropping out of
the ground and recognized it for its building value. He moved
back here with his wife in August of 1832. Mrs. Bolton then
gave birth to their daughter, Caroline (Helen) in November of
1832. She was the first white person born in the village. Mr.
Bolton, who was an admirer of Napoleon Bonaparte, suggested
the name of Napoleon for the area. Several other settlers
arrived during 1832 and 1833; Chauncey Hawley and brother
Lyman Hawley, Samuel Quigley, Harvey Austin, Morgan Case,
Rockwell Rexford, Calvin and Louisa Swain, the Squires, Fords,
Hunts, Deans, and many others. On March 29, 1833, an act of
the Legislative Counsel of the Territory of Michigan approved
the 4 square miles in the Southeast corner of Jackson County
as Napoleon Township.
The first Township
meeting was held in the home of A. B. Goodwin. Harvey Austin
was chosen Napoleon's first Supervisor. The Township Board had
a wide range of responsibilities. Three members served as
overseers for establishing and operating the schools, three
served as Road Commissioners, and three as overseers of the
poor, along with a Clerk, Treasurer and Tax Collector doing
their usual duties. Calvin Swain was a Baptist minister from
New York State. Several members of his congregation followed
him to Napoleon. He started the Napoleon Baptist Church and
the Village of Swainsville, (today's Brooklyn). His wife,
Louisa was the first schoolteacher. She taught in the home of
Sam Quigley. A school was built in 1835.
Abram Bolton and Roswell Rexford were delegates to the Constitutional Convention held in 1836, which created the Constitution of the State of Michigan in 1837. There were also several Township boundary changes between 1836 and 1839, leaving Napoleon with a west line just one mile west of the Village of Napoleon, but including the Villages of Brooklyn and Norvell.
Early
Growth
The 1840's were growth
years. The Baptists built a brick and the Methodists a
sandstone church. By the mid 1840's there were six schools in
the Township. General stores, hardware stores, and mills were
built and more land was being tilled. By 1857, the railroad
was completed through the Villages of Napoleon and Norvell.
The depot, a grain elevator a beanery and a second hotel were
built.
In 1859, there were major boundary changes.
Brooklyn and Norvell were given up and Napoleon's west line
was extended to include the Eldred Railway Station at the head
of Clarklake Road as well as the Ackerson Lake area. The
Boundaries were close to our present configuration. These
changes left the Township with a population of approximately
700 in 1860.
The Civil
War
The Civil War was hard on the
area. The records show 73 residents serving in the conflict.
Twenty-three were killed or died of wounds. The names of those
who died are inscribed on a monument in Maple Grove Cemetery
south of the Village. Five young men were killed early in the
war at the battles of South Mountain and Antietam; Sergeant
Miller, Corporal Hawley and Privates Clark, Peck and Palmer.
Their bodies were returned by train to Napoleon and a service
was conducted at the Township Park with over 2,000 in
attendance. The speaker said; "You in Napoleon are an
afflicted people. No other locality in the State has lost so
large a portion of its youth in the war".
The Late 19th
Century
When the war was over, the
Township grew in population. By 1870, there were 820 people.
Times were good and there were several changes. The Baptists
replaced their church with a new brick church and the
Methodists replaced theirs with local sandstone. As of 2001,
these churches still stand. A township hall was built in the
park. A grain cradle factory, a gristmill and a cider mill
were also built. In 1873, another boundary change was made;
south sections 4, 5 and 6 were added giving Napoleon a
straight line along our south boundary.
By 1880, our
population had grown to 1,177, but the 1880's were slow years.
A major forest fire in eastern Michigan devastated the lumber
industry. Nearly 3,400 buildings were burned. 300 were killed
and over 15,000 were homeless. President Garfield was shot. He
lingered on until the autumn of 1881. By 1900, our population
had decreased to 948. A promotional pamphlet of the time,
stated that religious interests were well cared for by three
churches and that the public schools were excellent, well
conducted and largely attended. At this point in time,
Napoleon had a public hall, a large hand picked bean
"manufactory", a coal dealer, two hotels, a livery, feed and
saw mills, a blacksmith, a woodworker, two barbershops, a drug
store, a meat market, a grocery, three general-stores, a
pool-hall, a shoe shop, a millinery emporium, United States
Express, Western Union Telegraph, and a telephone
connection.
The Twentieth
Century
By 1910, Napoleon's
population had dropped to 867. The Township again furnished
its share of young men for World War I. In 1917, the
Newheauser brothers started a chicken hatchery on 359 acres
west of the Village. They furnished baby chicks for Sears and
Roebuck as well as Montgomery Ward, sending chicks all around
the country. Later they became involved with the fox-pellet
business which was very successful for a time.
The 1920
census showed Napoleon with a population of 849. This was the
smallest population recorded in the 40 years ending 1920. Many
things, however, happened in the 1920's. The State passed the
School Consolidation Act. By 1921, a new school building was
built and the schools consolidated into one. At the same time,
D. C. power, supplied by a steam engine at the cider mill,
(Nottawa Sepee Street) came to Napoleon. Each night at 9:30,
the system was shut down. Later, the generator was moved to
Beal's garage where it was driven by a gasoline engine.
Service was further extended. By 1926, AC power reached the
area.
Horse driven school busses gave way to 4 new
motorized busses. The motorized busses cost $3,300. Napoleon's
first home-built fire-truck was put into service in 1924. It
was built in 1924 on the chassis of a Model A Ford. After
women had won the right to vote, they had to be registered
separately. In 1924, 233 men and 157 women were registered to
vote.
By 1928, M-50, (Brooklyn Road) had been paved
from Brooklyn to Jackson. By 1930, the population had grown to
1,204. Several of the local stores did emerge from the
hardships of the depression years with the help of some work
projects, such as sponsored by the Cascades Foundation, the
building of a gymnasium onto the school and several active
area farms.
World War
II through the 40's
The World War II
Memorial, located in the Township Park has 275 names of area
people that that served in the war. Following the war, the
Napoleon Airport was established. The Maule family established a
company at the airport building tail wheels, fabric testers,
aircraft starters, television antennas and eventually the
Maule Aircraft.
In 1947, a two bay fire station was built
in the Village. By this time the village had its greatest
growth with nearly a thousand people by 1950. The Township
census showed 2,549.
The 1950's
and 60's
In the early 50's a library was
added to the fire station. It was also used for Township Board
meetings. The old Township building in the Village Park became
a burden and was sold to the Methodist Church. It was moved to
the rear of the Methodist Church where it served for another
30 years. A one-bay fire station was built at Ackerson Lake.
The Fire Department got into the rescue business when Vic
Hawley donated a panel truck that he had used to deliver
groceries. The system of constables and a Justice of the Peace
gave way to part-time police officers and the District Court.
A pipeline was laid across the Township and Standard Oil
built the terminal that is still in use. Subdivisions were
developed and homes built like never before. Building codes
were adopted and our first Zoning Ordinance was enacted.
Building Inspectors and Zoning Administrators had to be hired.
This ten-year period saw the greatest growth in Napoleon's
history with 1,801 people coming to the Township and nearly
300 homes built.
The
1970's
By 1970, Napoleon's population
grew another 1,150 to 5,500. This was an increase of nearly
4,000 over 30 years. Federal funds became available on a
matching funds basis. With this assistance, two new tankers
and one pumper were bought for the Fire Department. Federal
funds were also available for up to 80 percent for sewer
installation. As a result sewers were run to approximately 300
homes around and near Ackerson Lake. The Quanex Division of
Mac Steel moved their operation to the Township and built a
new plant, giving the tax base a big boost as well as
providing many jobs. There was a need for more than part-time
people to oversee operation of the Police and Fire
Departments. Jay Hawley was hired as Fire Chief and Mike Curry
as Police Chief.
The End of
the 20th Century
The 1980 census showed
6,141, an increase of 641. The trend was for larger and more
expensive homes. Many of the homes were being built on 5 and
10-acre sites and in subdivisions with large lots. Land use
studies became a priority. Growth was low for this decade. The
1990 census showed a 10-year growth of only 132, the smallest
growth since 1920.
In the village area,
drinking water became questionable when a leak was discovered
at one of the local service stations. In 1994, a water
district was established and the Township's water system was
constructed with State funds at no cost to property owners.
Township wells were located some two miles from the village on
South Stoney Lake Road. Columbia Township established a sewer
district at Clarklake and petitioned Napoleon Township to run
a transmission line up South Stoney Lake and Napoleon Roads to
the Leoni treatment center. Napoleon Township approved the
request and was extended the opportunity to connect to the
line. The Napoleon Schools, with almost all of their operation
in the Village area, installed a connector line west on M-50
to Napoleon Road. Many others have since connected to the
line. Wolf Lake area residents and residents of a portion of
the village petitioned the Township Board to install Sewers
and projects were established to complete them by 2002. The
project in the Big
Wolf Lake area was joint with Grass
Lake Township. At their completion in 2002, Big Wolf and
Olcott and Little Wolf Lakes and most of the village will be
served by sewers.
The 21st
Century
The population had now reached
almost 7,000, (6,962). The Township was again out growing its
facilities. Fire Station Number 1 had served for over 50 years
and the Township Office for 34. For several years, fire trucks
had to be custom built to fit the small bays of the Fire
Station. Police cars, when not in use, were left in the
parking lot. Increased demand for Township services caused
expansion of staff and use of the Township meeting room for
office space. Township meetings were held at the school.
Although the Township provided a full range of services, no
additional millage had ever been assessed.
In 1997 the
5-Year Plan Committee was formed and recommended building a
facility to house the Police and Fire Departments, the
Township offices, a meeting room and the Napoleon Branch of
the Jackson District Library. A proposal was made to borrow a
principal amount of $3,215,000 to include construction of the
new facility, a new large water capacity tanker for the Fire
Department and extension of Township water ¾ of a mile to the
new site, a parcel of land donated by Amoco. The plan was
submitted to voters in November of 2000 and approved. The
Napoleon Municipal Services Building was dedicated on December
16, 2001.
