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History · Camden

Camden’s post office opened in 1840, and 47% of its homes were built before 1940

1840first post office
0on the National Register
47%homes built before 1940
2famous people
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Quick answers

How Camden began

When was Camden founded?

1840

The Camden post office opened in 1840, the earliest record of the town by name.

2020 census: 496186 years
Founding year: the first Camden post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Camden’s past

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

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Camden are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Camden’s homes were built before 1942.Deep rootsA post office since 1840: 186 years of Camden.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Camden’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
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The story

How Camden came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Camden.

Read it all →

Camden was founded as early as 1837 by landowner Easton Chester and his sons Orson and Nathan. The community developed around several sawmills, and a post office named Cranbrook opened on August 10, 1837. The office name was changed to Camden on September 7, 1840. The name was chosen at random by drawing from a hat, which was a name proposed by sawmill owner Easton Chester after his hometown of Camden, New York. The community was officially platted in 1867 and incorporated as a village in 1899.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

Camden, decade by decade

Today6 recent
Camden, MI village office2022Camden, MI village officeCamden, MI village fire department2022Camden, MI village fire departmentCamden, MI road signage2022Camden, MI road signageCamden, MI post office2022Camden, MI post officeCamden Township, Michigan office2022Camden Township, Michigan officeCamden Library (Michigan)2022Camden Library (Michigan)
Famous people

2 famous people were born in Camden

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

See all →
Spencer Oliver FisherAmerican politician · b. 1843
Charles Dwight CurtissAmerican government administrator · b. 1887

Questions about Camden’s history

What year was Camden founded?

The Camden post office opened in 1840, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
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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 (6), Wikipedia and Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.