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History · Byron

Byron dates to 1824, and 43% of its homes were built before 1940

1 place in town is on the National Register. Below: 2 old photos and papers, maps from 1922 on, and the census since 1880.

1824founded
1on the National Register
43%homes built before 1940
2old photos & papers
1famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Byron’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Byron began

When was Byron founded?

1824

Byron dates its founding to 1824 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1880.

First census: 355 in 18802020 census: 545202 years
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1837.The full story ↓

What stands out about Byron’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 2 old photos are in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Byron’s homes were built before 1952.On the map since 19224 editions of the USGS map, 1922 to 1975. Watch Byron change.Deep rootsEstablished in 1824: 202 years of Byron.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Byron’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
1 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewBird Boyd Farmhouse: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
The story

How Byron came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Byron.

Read it all →

Founded in 1824, Byron received its first postmaster in 1837. One of the only towns in the county, Byron was the last stop on a stagecoach run from Detroit that ran west along what is now Rose Center road and Silver Lake road. The Village of Byron was incorporated in 1873. The Toledo, Ann Arbor & Northern Michigan Railway was built through Byron following the pledge of a $15,001 bonus and the right of way, in 1885.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

On the map

Byron on the map, 1922 to 1975

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

Byron on the 1922 USGS mapByron on the 1943 USGS mapByron on the 1969 USGS mapByron on the 1975 USGS map1922Durand 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 Byron.

Timeline

Byron, 1824 to 1996

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1824
    FoundingByron is established
  3. 20th century
  4. 1922On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  5. 1982In the archiveBird Boyd Farmhouse
  6. 1996Born hereErik Jones is born here
By decade

Byron, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1980s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1980s2 items
Bird Boyd Farmhouse1982Bird Boyd Farmhouse1982 Isaac R. Middlesworth Farm House19831982 Isaac R. Middlesworth Farm House
1990snothing yet
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Add from your album
Today7 recent
Byron, MI location2019Byron, MI locationEllen May Tower sign Byron-front2015Ellen May Tower sign Byron-frontEllen May Tower sign Byron-back2015Ellen May Tower sign Byron-backDowntown2015DowntownByron sign MI2015Byron sign MIByron Cemetery2015Byron CemeteryMIMap-doton-Byron2005MIMap-doton-Byron
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.

Bird Boyd Farmhouse
Retake this viewBird Boyd Farmhouse, 1982

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

Retake this view · +15
On the National Register

1 listing protects 24 historic buildings

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

place listed
1
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
24
each building in a district counts

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

People over time

Byron, census by census

010020030040050060070018801900192019401960198020002020Peak: 689

Between 355 and 689 people in every census since 1880.

15 censuses, 1880–2020.

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

Questions about Byron’s history

What year was Byron founded?

In 1824, according to Wikidata. Byron’s post office opened in 1837, and the census of 1880 counted 355 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 (9), Wikidata (1), 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.