On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Berrien Township is more historic than 77% of U.S. towns, #144 of 701 in Michigan. All 2 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its National Register listings ranks highest and its share of homes from before 1940 lowest.
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HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Berrien 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 Berrien Township’s 6.2 sits above most of its state (78% of Michigan towns have fewer) while its 3 historic buildings outnumber those of 65% 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 (±5.4 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 Berrien 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
Another post office, Berrien Centre, opened and closed inside today’s town.
Berrien Centre
1857–1893
Berrien Center
1893–today
18501940today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Berrien CenterEau ClaireFairlandPennellwood
Gone or out of use
Berrien Center StationlocaleEau Claire StationlocaleFairland Stationlocale
5cemeteries and burying grounds inside Berrien Township
Berrien CenterFranklinLong LakeMorris ChapelSouth Maple Grove
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
The story so far
Berrien Township, in brief
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Berrien Township yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Berrien Township is a civil township of Berrien County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, the township population was 4,868. Berrien Township was established in 1832, taking its name from Berrien County.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 5,084 to 4,868 (-4%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
Timeline
Berrien Township, 1857 to 1927
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 Berrien Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1927Niles sheet · 1:62,500
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Berrien Township.
On the National Register
1 historic place in Berrien Township
The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.
Berrien Township is more historic than 77% of U.S. towns, #144 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 Berrien Township?
One place: the South Berrien Center Union Church and Cemetery (listed 2002).
How old are the homes in Berrien Township?
16% of Berrien Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±5.4 points), against a typical 12% for a Michigan town; the median home was built in 1977.
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 (3), the National Register of Historic Places (1), 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.
2022
2022
2019
