Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Alpena

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
A+History
History · Alpena

Alpena dates to 1840, and 29% of its homes were built before 1940

More historic than 95% of U.S. towns · #29 of 701 in Michigan. What drives it

6 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 119 buildings. Below: 7 old photos and papers, maps from 1884 on, and the census since 1880.

1840founded
6on the National Register
29%homes built before 1940
7old photos & papers
23famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Alpena’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Alpena began

When was Alpena founded?

1840

Alpena dates its founding to 1840 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1880.

First census: 6,153 in 18802020 census: 10,197186 years

How historic is Alpena?

A+

More historic than 95% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1857.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Alpena’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Alpena is more historic than 95% of U.S. towns, #29 of 701 in Michigan. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its National Register listings ranks highest and its age lowest.

A+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Alpena’s overall grade.
Founding era1840, from Wikidata: founded 1776–1849, an older era than 75% of U.S. townsA−Homes built before 194029.0% of homes (±4.3) · typical MI town 11.9% · U.S. 8.4%A−National Register6 listings, 124 historic buildings, 122 per 10,000 residents · typical MI town 0.0 · U.S. 2.4A
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 95%
NewerOlder
Michigan towns of 2,500+ (701)Ahead of 96%

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 Alpena’s 122 sits above most of its state (95% of Michigan towns have fewer) while its 124 historic buildings outnumber those of 91% of U.S. towns.

How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from A to A+. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±4.3 points). Two sources give 1840.

Founding year: Wikidata (other dates in Quick answers). 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 Alpena’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A historic districtThe Alpena Central Historic District takes in 119 historic buildings.Boom and bustPeaked at 14,682 in 1960; 10,197 people lived here in 2020.Mapped building by building5 fire insurance maps, 1884 to 1910, drew every building in Alpena.Landmarks on the Register6 places on the National Register.
★ What stands out · On the National Register

6 listings protect 124 historic buildings

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

places listed
6
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
124
each building in a district counts
first listed
1983
Alpena County Courthouse
Alpena County Courthouse, built 1934Fishing Tug Katherine VIOOF Centennial Building, built 1876Bingham School, built 1936Herman and Hattie (Ely) Besser House, built 1923Alpena Central Historic District
BuildingsDistrictsStructures

Architectural styles listings

Art Deco1
Great Lakes Fishing Tug1
Alpena County CourthouseArt Deco · Built 1934
Fishing Tug Katherine VGreat Lakes Fishing Tug
IOOF Centennial BuildingBuilt 1876
Bingham SchoolBuilt 1936
All 6 listings
Herman and Hattie (Ely) Besser HouseBuilding · listed 2023Alpena Central Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2025

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

People over time

Alpena, census by census

02,0004,0006,0008,00010,00012,00014,00016,00018801900192019401960198020002020Peak: 14,682

Peaked at 14,682 in 1960; 10,197 people lived here in 2020.

15 censuses, 1880–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Alpena’s Wikipedia page.

Every building

Alpena, building by building, 1884–1910

Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.

Alpena fire insurance map, 1884, sheet 11884Sheet 1 of 12
Edition
BrickWoodStone

Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

The story

How Alpena came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Alpena.

Read it all →

The Alpena area is home to the Ojibwe, Ottawa, and Potawatomi people. These people groups inhabit the area surrounding the Great Lakes, including Michigan. The Thunder Bay Band of Chippewa and Ottawa merged with the Mackinac Bands of Chippewa and Ottawa Indians in the mid-1800s under Chief Way-ge-maw-waw-be.

Alpena County was originally set off from Michilimackinac County as Anamickee County founded in 1840, which in 1843 was changed to Alpena, a pseudo-Native American word — a neologism coined by Henry Schoolcraft, meaning something like "a good partridge country." This was part of a much larger effort to rename a great many of the Michigan counties at the time.

ChaptersHistorical markers

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

From the old history books

What they wrote about Alpena in 1903

Passages that mention Alpena, cut from the printed page as they were published.

Sec. 1. The People of the Sfcde of Michigan enact, That the School Inspectors of the township of Alpena, in the county of Alpena, are hereby authorized to organize the said township of Alpena, or so much thereof as they may deem necessary, into a school district, to be known as Union School Distric…
Centennial history of Alpena County, Michigan1903 · page 154Read the page →
Read the text

Sec. 1. The People of the Sfcde of Michigan enact, That the School Inspectors of the township of Alpena, in the county of Alpena, are hereby authorized to organize the said township of Alpena, or so much thereof as they may deem necessary, into a school district, to be known as Union School District Number One, of said township.

Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
In January, 1875, quite an impulse was given to tLe railroad agitators by a man of the name of Jefferds, who proposed to build a railroad, from Alpena, direct to Sterling, on the Saginaw and Mackinaw road, and the spring opened with a fair prospect of a railroad to Alpena, and made quite a stir for…
Centennial history of Alpena County, Michigan1903 · page 150Read the page →
Read the text

In January, 1875, quite an impulse was given to tLe railroad agitators by a man of the name of Jefferds, who proposed to build a railroad, from Alpena, direct to Sterling, on the Saginaw and Mackinaw road, and the spring opened with a fair prospect of a railroad to Alpena, and made quite a stir for a short time.

Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.

Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

Timeline

Alpena, 1840 to 1971

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1840
    FoundingAlpena is established
  3. 1857Post officeThe Alpena post office opens
  4. 1859Post officeThe Thunder Bay post office opens
  5. 1859Post officeThe Thunder Bay post office closes
  6. 1876BuiltIOOF Centennial Building is built
  7. 1877Born hereWilliam Comstock is born here
  8. 1895In the archiveMaltz Block Postcard 1895
  9. 1896Born hereDonald B. Duncan is born here
  10. 20th century
  11. 1912In the archiveAlpena flyer
  12. 1923BuiltHerman and Hattie (Ely) Besser House is built
  13. 1930In the archiveX773 - Snow Scene
  14. 1934BuiltAlpena County Courthouse is built
  15. 1936BuiltBingham School is built
  16. 1950Born hereStanley Grenz is born here
  17. 1957Born hereMichael Bailey Smith is born here
  18. 1960CensusPopulation peaks at 14,682
  19. 1971On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Alpena, decade by decade

3 decades in the archive, from the 1890s to the 1930s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1890s–1910s6 items
Maltz Block Postcard 18951895Maltz Block Postcard 1895PostcardAlpena flyer1912Alpena flyerLiberty Bonds - Public Gatherings - War Activities at Alpena, Michigan. Victory Loan drive1917Liberty Bonds - Public Gatherings - War Activities at…Liberty Bonds - Public Gatherings - War Activities at Alpena, Michigan. Victory Loan drive1917Liberty Bonds - Public Gatherings - War Activities at…Liberty Bonds - Public Gatherings - War Activities at Alpena, Michigan. Victory Loan drive1917Liberty Bonds - Public Gatherings - War Activities at…Recruiting and Draft Service - Registration [165-WW-480C-13]1917Recruiting and Draft Service - Registration [165-WW-4…
1930s1 item
X773 - Snow Scene1930sX773 - Snow ScenePostcard
1940s–1990snothing yet
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Add from your album
Today18 recent
Freighter offloading salt in2014Freighter offloading salt inFreighter in2014Freighter inFire when ready2014Fire when readyDaniel Carter Family2014Daniel Carter FamilyNOAA GLERL 5501 in2013NOAA GLERL 5501 inVisiting the Alpena Biorefinery2012Visiting the Alpena BiorefineryLaurentian in2012Laurentian inRed-spotted Purple butterfly2011Red-spotted Purple butterflyCardboard boat regatta 20112011Cardboard boat regatta 2011Greetings from Alpena, Michigan - Large Letter Postcard2011Greetings from Alpena, Michigan - Large Letter Postca…DocumentRV 5501 and RV 50022010RV 5501 and RV 5002RV 5002 and RV 55012010RV 5002 and RV 5501NOS vessel docked in2009NOS vessel docked inGreat Lakes Maritime Heritage Trail - first bend2009Great Lakes Maritime Heritage Trail - first bendGreat Lakes Maritime Heritage Trail - entrance2009Great Lakes Maritime Heritage Trail - entrancePost0278 - Flickr - NOAA Photo Library2007Post0278 - Flickr - NOAA Photo LibraryMIMap-doton-Alpena2005MIMap-doton-AlpenaPennsylvania Air National Guard (PAANG) Technical Sergeant (TSGT) Bob Young, 271st Combat Communications Squadron (CBCS…2004Pennsylvania Air National Guard (PAANG) Technical Ser…
On the map

Alpena on the map, 1971 to 1984

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Alpena. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Alpena on the 1971 USGS mapAlpena on the 1984 USGS map1971Alpena 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 Alpena.

Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

Maltz Block Postcard 1895
Retake this viewMaltz Block Postcard 1895, 1895

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Alpena’s page.

Retake this view · +15
Famous people

23 famous people were born in Alpena

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
Michael Bailey SmithAmerican actor · b. 1957
S
Stanley GrenzAmerican theologian · b. 1950
Donald B. DuncanUnited States admiral · b. 1896
William ComstockAmerican politician · b. 1877
Frank D. ScottAmerican politician · b. 1878
K
Kevin YoungAmerican baseball player · b. 1969
Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners and burying grounds

Alpena’s post office has been open since 1857. Another post office, Thunder Bay, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Alpena
1857–today
Thunder Bay
1859–1859
18501940today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Alpena Junction
5cemeteries and burying grounds inside Alpena
EvergreenGrace LutheranHebrew Benevolent SocietyHoly CrossPine Grove

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Help out

Finish Alpena’s story

Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
2 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewMaltz Block Postcard 1895: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10

Questions about Alpena’s history

What year was Alpena founded?

In 1840, according to Wikidata. Alpena’s post office opened in 1857, and the census of 1880 counted 6,153 people here.

How does Alpena rank for history?

Alpena is more historic than 95% of U.S. towns, #29 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.

What is on the National Register in Alpena?

6 listings: 4 buildings, among them the Alpena County Courthouse (listed 1983, the first), 1 historic district, the Alpena Central Historic District, with 119 contributing buildings, and 1 structure. 124 historic buildings in all.

How old are the homes in Alpena?

29% of Alpena’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±4.3 points), against a typical 12% for a Michigan town; the median home was built in 1955.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

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 Wikimedia Commons (25), Wikidata (4), the National Register of Historic Places (6), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System, Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress) and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.