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A−History
History · Corunna

Corunna dates to 1837, and 10% of its homes were built before 1940

More historic than 76% of U.S. towns · #151 of 701 in Michigan. What drives it

Its Register listings are the John N. Ingersoll House, the Shiawassee County Courthouse and the Corunna High School. Its Register listings are the John N. Ingersoll House, the Shiawassee County Courthouse and the Corunna High School. Below: 6 old photos and papers, maps from 1893 on, and the census since 1860.

1837founded
3on the National Register
10%homes built before 1940
6old photos & papers
4famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Corunna’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Corunna began

When was Corunna founded?

1837

Corunna dates its founding to 1837 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1860.

First census: 684 in 18602020 census: 3,046189 years

How historic is Corunna?

A−

More historic than 76% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1838.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Corunna’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Corunna is more historic than 76% of U.S. towns, #151 of 701 in Michigan. Its age holds the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.

A−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Corunna’s overall grade.
Founding era1837, from Wikipedia: founded 1776–1849, an older era than 75% of U.S. townsA−Homes built before 194010.4% of homes (±4.9) · typical MI town 11.9% · U.S. 8.4%B−National Register3 listings, 9.9 per 10,000 residents · typical MI town 0.0 · U.S. 2.4B+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 76%
NewerOlder
Michigan towns of 2,500+ (701)Ahead of 79%

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 Corunna’s 9.9 sits above most of its state (82% of Michigan towns have fewer) while its 3 listings outnumber those of 65% of U.S. towns.

NoteThe founding year comes from Wikipedia alone; no second source gives 1837.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B to A−. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±4.9 points).

Founding year: Wikipedia (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 Corunna’s past

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

Deep rootsEstablished in 1837: 189 years of Corunna.
★ What stands out · Timeline

Corunna, 1837 to 1926

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1837
    FoundingCorunna is established
  3. 1838Post officeThe Coruna post office opens
  4. 1857Born hereMartha Arnold Boughton is born here
  5. 1868BuiltJohn N. Ingersoll House is built
  6. 1878Born hereRolla Bigelow is born here
  7. 1892Born hereFrank Millard is born here
  8. 20th century
  9. 1917In the archiveSlovaks blocking and thinning beets near Corunna. Location: Corunna, Michigan
  10. 1921Born hereEarl Rapp is born here
  11. 1926On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
The story

How Corunna came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Corunna.

Read it all →

Corunna was platted in 1837. It was made the county seat in 1840, incorporated as a village in 1858 and made a city in 1869. Andrew Parsons, tenth Michigan Governor (March 8, 1853 – January 3, 1855), was a longtime resident of Corunna. A historical marker commemorating Parsons in Corunna was erected in 1969.

The city's name comes from the city of A Coruña, in Galicia, northwestern Spain.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

Corunna, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1910s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1910s6 items
Slovaks blocking and thinning beets near Corunna. Location: Corunna, Michigan1917Slovaks blocking and thinning beets near Corunna. Loc…John Kalishek family, Bohemian beet-workers. Location: Corunna, Michigan1917John Kalishek family, Bohemian beet-workers. Location…Kastvan family, beet workers near Corunna, hoeing beets. They are Hungarians who came to Mich. last Spring with a train…1917Kastvan family, beet workers near Corunna, hoeing bee…Kastvan family, beet workers near Corunna, hoeing beets. They are Hungarians who came to Mich. last Spring with a train…1917Kastvan family, beet workers near Corunna, hoeing bee…Jo Durco. This man, his wife and two children, Mary 8 years, Tony 10 years, do all the work on a large plot of beets. T…1917Jo Durco. This man, his wife and two children, Mary 8…Jo Durco. This man, his wife and two children, Mary 8 years, Tony 10 years, do all the work on a large plot of beets. T…1917Jo Durco. This man, his wife and two children, Mary 8…
1920s–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
Today9 recent
Shiawassee River from Heritage Park in Corunna, Michigan, 2024-03-03-97702024Shiawassee River from Heritage Park in Corunna, Michi…Shiawassee Street School sign Corunna-back2015Shiawassee Street School sign Corunna-backShiawassee Street School2015Shiawassee Street SchoolHugh McCurdy Park sign2015Hugh McCurdy Park signFirst National Bank2015First National BankAndrew Parsons House sign2015Andrew Parsons House signAndrew Parsons House2015Andrew Parsons HouseJohn Ingersoll House2014John Ingersoll HouseMIMap-doton-Corunna2005MIMap-doton-Corunna
On the map

Corunna on the map, 1926 to 1972

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

Corunna on the 1926 USGS mapCorunna on the 1944 USGS mapCorunna on the 1972 USGS map1926Corunna 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 Corunna.

Every building

Corunna, building by building, 1893–1908

Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.

Corunna fire insurance map, 1893, sheet 11893Sheet 1 of 3
Edition
BrickWoodStone

Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

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.

Slovaks blocking and thinning beets near Corunna. Location: Corunna, Michigan
Retake this viewSlovaks blocking and thinning beets near Corunna. Location: Corunna, Michigan, 1917

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

Retake this view · +15
On the National Register

3 historic places in Corunna

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

places listed
3
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
3
each building in a district counts
first listed
1980
John N. Ingersoll House
John N. Ingersoll House, built 1868Shiawassee County CourthouseCorunna High School
Buildings

Architectural styles listings

Carpenter Gothic1
Classical Revival1
John N. Ingersoll HouseCarpenter Gothic · Built 1868
Shiawassee County CourthouseClassical Revival
Corunna High SchoolBuilding

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

People over time

Corunna, census by census

05001,0001,5002,0002,5003,0003,500190019502000Peak: 3,497

Between 684 and 3,497 people in every census since 1860.

17 censuses, 1860–2020.

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

Famous people

4 famous people were born in Corunna

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

See all →
M
Martha Arnold BoughtonAmerican educator, author · b. 1857
E
Earl RappAmerican baseball player · b. 1921
Frank MillardAmerican football player · b. 1892
Rolla BigelowAmerican banker · b. 1878
Help out

Finish Corunna’s story

Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
1 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewSlovaks blocking and thinning beets nea…: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

MiddletownIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Corunna’s history

What year was Corunna founded?

In 1837, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Corunna’s post office opened in 1838, and the census of 1860 counted 684 people here.

How does Corunna rank for history?

Corunna is more historic than 76% of U.S. towns, #151 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 Corunna?

Three places: the John N. Ingersoll House (listed 1980), the Shiawassee County Courthouse (1982) and the Corunna High School (2017).

How old are the homes in Corunna?

10% of Corunna’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±4.9 points), against a typical 12% for a Michigan town; the median home was built in 1968.

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).

From Wikimedia Commons (9), the Library of Congress (6), Wikidata (3), the National Register of Historic Places (3), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.