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History · Britton

Britton dates to 1881, and 40% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1939 on, and the census since 1900.

1881founded
0on the National Register
40%homes built before 1940
1old photo or paper
4famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Britton’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Britton began

When was Britton founded?

1881

Britton dates its founding to 1881 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1900.

First census: 345 in 19002020 census: 537145 years
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1881.The full story ↓

What stands out about Britton’s past

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

A history waiting to be writtenOnly 1 old photo is in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Britton’s homes were built before 1952.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Britton’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Date a photo1 archive item has no date. Guess the decade.+2Retake an old viewBritton, MI location: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
The story

How Britton came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Britton.

Read it all →

The village of Britton was originally called Balch and was established after the Wabash Railroad built a station there in 1881 and a post office opened on August 13, 1881. In 1888, a local storekeeper in charge of the post office named John Britton, paid $500 to have the town renamed after himself. The post office name was changed from Balch to Britton on April 13, 1888.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Britton, 1881 to 1985

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1881
    FoundingBritton is established
  3. 1888Born hereLeon Exelby is born here
  4. 20th century
  5. 1900Born hereFred B. Kniffen is born here
  6. 1939On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  7. 1980Born hereDan Musielewicz is born here
  8. 1985Born hereDuane Below is born here
By decade

Britton, decade by decade

Date unknown1 to date
Britton, MI locationDate?Britton, MI location
Today11 recent
Britton, Michigan (location)2018Britton, Michigan (location)Harvestore Silos2012Harvestore SilosCongregational Christian Church2012Congregational Christian ChurchRidgeway Township Township hall2010Ridgeway Township Township hallRidgeway Township Congregational Christian Church2010Ridgeway Township Congregational Christian ChurchRidgeway Township Britton Post office2010Ridgeway Township Britton Post officeRidgeway Township Britton Library2010Ridgeway Township Britton LibraryRidgeway Township Britton High School2010Ridgeway Township Britton High SchoolRidgeway Township Britton Elevator2010Ridgeway Township Britton ElevatorGrace United Methodist Church, 9250 East Monroe Road, Ridgeway Township, Michigan2010Grace United Methodist Church, 9250 East Monroe Road,…MIMap-doton-Britton2005MIMap-doton-Britton
On the map

Britton on the map, 1939 to 1972

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

Britton on the 1939 USGS mapBritton on the 1941 USGS mapBritton on the 1972 USGS map1939Blissfield 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 Britton.

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.

Britton, MI location
Retake this viewBritton, MI location

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

Retake this view · +15
People over time

Britton, census by census

01002003004005006007001900192019401960198020002020Peak: 699

Between 345 and 699 people in every census since 1900.

13 censuses, 1900–2020.

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

Famous people

4 famous people were born in Britton

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

See all →
Duane BelowAmerican baseball pitcher · b. 1985
F
Fred B. KniffenAmerican historical geographer · b. 1900
L
Leon ExelbyAmerican football player and coach · b. 1888
D
Dan MusielewiczAmerican football coach · b. 1980

Questions about Britton’s history

What year was Britton founded?

In 1881, according to Wikidata. Britton’s post office opened in 1881, and the census of 1900 counted 345 people here.

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). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (12), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps and U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.