The Bridgeport Township post office opened in 1836, the earliest record of the town by name. Three smaller post offices, Bridgeport (1836), Bridgeport Centre (1851) and Cass Bridge (1864), opened inside today’s town and later closed.
First census: 8,569 in 19902020 census: 10,104190 years
How historic is Bridgeport Township?
B+
More historic than 68% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Bridgeport Township post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Bridgeport Township’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Bridgeport Township is more historic than 68% of U.S. towns, #215 of 701 in Michigan. Its age holds the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
B+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Bridgeport 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 Bridgeport Township’s 1.0 sits above most of its state (66% of Michigan towns have fewer) while its 1 listings outnumber those of 51% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B to B+. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±3.0 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date.
Founding year: the first post office (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 Bridgeport Township’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The settlement was first known as Cass Bend due to a sharp bend along the Cass River, and a post office named Bridgeport began operating here on October 12, 1836 in the Michigan Territory. The name Bridgeport was derived from the numerous bridges that crossed the river at this point. The post office changed its name to Cass Bridge on January 30, 1864 but was later closed on January 30, 1904. The township itself also had a post office named Bridgeport Centre, which began operating on August 1, 1851. In 1880, this post office was renamed Bridgeport and has remained in operation ever since.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Bridgeport Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1919Saginaw 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 Bridgeport Township.
On the National Register
1 historic place in Bridgeport Township
The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.
The Bridgeport Township post office opened in 1836, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Bridgeport Township rank for history?
Bridgeport Township is more historic than 68% of U.S. towns, #215 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 Bridgeport Township?
One place: the State Street Bridge (listed 1995).
How old are the homes in Bridgeport Township?
10% of Bridgeport Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±3.0 points), against a typical 12% for a Michigan town; the median home was built in 1965.
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 (4), the National Register of Historic Places (1), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), 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.
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