On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Addison Township is more historic than 34% of U.S. towns, #525 of 701 in Michigan. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
C
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Addison Township’s overall grade.
Few Michigan towns list much on the Register (a typical Michigan town has 0.0 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Addison Township’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (32% of Michigan towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on two of the three inputs, so a change in either one moves the letter more than it would with three. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±3.9 points).
Founding year: our sources. Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about Addison Township’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Lost post offices, old corners, places now gone and burying grounds
Two other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.
Lakeville
1836–today
Trombley
1880–1884
Leonard
1884–today
Shoup
1884–1901
18301930today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Campbells CornerLakevilleLeonard
Gone or out of use
Leonard Gas FieldoilfieldShoup Post Officepost officeShoup Stationlocale
2cemeteries and burying grounds inside Addison Township
KingsburyLakeville
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
The story so far
Addison Township, in brief
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Addison Township yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Addison Township is a civil township of northeast Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, the township population was 6,256. The Township was named for pioneer settler Addison Chamberlain.
Its population held steady between the last two censuses: 6,351 in 2010, 6,256 in 2020.
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
Timeline
Addison Township, 1836 to 1943
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Addison Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1943Lake Orion sheet · 1:24,000
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Addison Township.
Stories next door
History across the town line
Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.
Addison Township is more historic than 34% of U.S. towns, #525 of 701 in Michigan. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
How old are the homes in Addison Township?
12% of Addison Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±3.9 points), against a typical 12% for a Michigan town; the median home was built in 1987.
Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
From Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
