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History · Barnes Lake

13% of Barnes Lake’s homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1963 on.

0on the National Register
13%homes built before 1940
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What stands out about Barnes Lake’s past

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

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Barnes Lake are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Barnes Lake’s homes were built before 1959.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Barnes Lake’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Barnes Lake’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
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The story so far

Barnes Lake, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Barnes Lake yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Barnes Lake is a census-designated place (CDP) in the southwest quadrant of Deerfield Township, Lapeer County, Michigan, United States, surrounding a lake of the same name. It is bordered to the west by the CDP of Millers Lake. M-24 forms the border between the two CDPs; the state highway leads north 12 miles (19 km) to Mayville and south 9 miles (14 km) to Lapeer. As of the 2020 census, Barnes Lake had a population of 768. Barnes Lake was first listed as a CDP prior to the 2020 census. Previously, the community was part of the Barnes Lake-Millers Lake CDP.

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

By decade

No old photos in the archives yet

Weddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.

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On the map

Barnes Lake on the map, 1963 to 1990

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

Barnes Lake on the 1963 USGS mapBarnes Lake on the 1980 USGS mapBarnes Lake on the 1990 USGS map1963Barnes Lake 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 Barnes Lake.

Famous people

Famous people close to Barnes Lake

Nobody well known was born in Barnes Lake itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
Jake LongAmerican football player · b. 1985
Maxx CrosbyAmerican football player · b. 1997
Charles E. PotterAmerican politician · b. 1916
Thomas CarriganAmerican actor · b. 1886
T
Terry KnightAmerican singer and music producer · b. 1943
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Theresa DuncanAmerican video game designer · b. 1966

Questions about Barnes Lake’s history

Memory lane

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

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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). How TownRatings grades history →

From U.S. Geological Survey historical maps. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.