The story
Read it all →How Briley Township came to be
From Wikipedia’s history of Briley Township.
The township was founded by the Briley family, many of whom are buried in the Briley Cemetery in Atlanta.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
C−History
History · Briley Township
Half of Briley Township’s homes were built after 1971
More historic than 21% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Most of Briley Township was built recently: 6% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1971. Below: maps from 1955 on.
0on the National Register
6%homes built before 1940
Quick answers
About Briley Township’s history
How historic is Briley Township?
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What drives the grade ↓More historic than 21% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
History grade
What drives Briley Township’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Briley Township is more historic than 21% of U.S. towns. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
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HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Briley Township’s overall grade.
Founding eraNo founding year we can rely on, so the grade uses the other two–Homes built before 19405.5% of homes (±2.5) · typical MI town 11.9% · U.S. 8.4%CNational RegisterNo listings counted · typical MI town 0.0 per 10,000 · U.S. 2.4C
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 21%
NewerOlder
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 Briley 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 (±2.5 points) is firm at this size.
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 Briley Township’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
★ What stands out · Help out
Start Briley Township’s collection
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Briley Township’s history is told.
Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.Places that used to be
Lost post offices, old corners, places now gone and burying grounds
Four other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.
Atlanta
Big Rock
Remington
Big Rock
Valentine
18801950today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Atlanta
Gone or out of use
Atlanta StationlocaleBig Rock Post Officepost officeValentine Lake StationlocaleValentine Post Officepost office
1cemetery inside Briley Township
Briley
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Timeline
Briley Township, 1882 to 1955
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
- 19th century
- 1882Post officeThe Atlanta post office opens
- 1882Post officeThe Big Rock post office opens
- 1882Post officeThe Big Rock post office closes
- 1884Post officeThe Remington post office opens
- 1885Post officeThe Remington post office closes
- 20th century
- 1955
On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
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.
Be the first to add onePhotograph a print flat, in daylight, no flash.
Add from your albumOn the map
Briley Township on the map, 1955 to 1986
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Briley Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1955Atlanta sheet · 1:62,500U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Briley Township.
Stories next door
History across the town line
Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.
Questions about Briley Township’s history
How does Briley Township rank for history?
Briley Township is more historic than 21% of U.S. towns. 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 Briley Township?
6% of Briley Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.5 points), against a typical 12% for a Michigan town; the median home was built in 1971.
Memory lane
What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.
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 Wikipedia, 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.