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History · Elberta

Elberta dates to 1855, and 42% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1956 on and the census since 1900.

1855founded
0on the National Register
42%homes built before 1940
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Photo: TCP04 · CC BY 4.0
Quick answers

How Elberta began

When was Elberta founded?

1855

Elberta dates its founding to 1855 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1900.

First census: 639 in 19002020 census: 329171 years
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1872.The full story ↓

What stands out about Elberta’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 Elberta are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 850 in 1950; 329 people lived here in 2020.Old housesHalf of Elberta’s homes were built before 1943.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Elberta’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
People over time

Elberta, census by census

02004006008001900192019401960198020002020Peak: 850

Peaked at 850 in 1950; 329 people lived here in 2020.

13 censuses, 1900–2020.

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

The story

How Elberta came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Elberta.

Read it all →

Elberta was first settled in 1855 and incorporated as South Frankfort in 1894. It was renamed Elberta in 1911 for the local Elberta peach. The village's founder is said to be George M. Cartwright.

M-168, previously one of the shortest state highways in Michigan, extended 0.95 miles (1.53 km) from a junction with M-22 in downtown Elberta to the former Ann Arbor Railroad ferry docks in Elberta. This highway was decommissioned in 2012.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Elberta, 1855 to 1956

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1855
    FoundingElberta is established
  3. 20th century
  4. 1950CensusPopulation peaks at 850
  5. 1956On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Elberta, decade by decade

Today12 recent
Elberta2019ElbertaElberta (village), MI location2019Elberta (village), MI locationCrapo Park2019Crapo ParkElberta Beach2018Elberta BeachOver looking Frankfort - panoramio (1)2013Over looking Frankfort - panoramio (1)Bye Street Lookout2013Bye Street LookoutBye Street Lookout - panoramio (2)2013Bye Street Lookout - panoramio (2)Bye Street Lookout - panoramio (1)2013Bye Street Lookout - panoramio (1)Bye St lookout2013Bye St lookoutMichigan life saving station 012008Michigan life saving station 01Sunset Elberta MI2007Sunset Elberta MIMIMap-doton-Elberta2005MIMap-doton-Elberta
On the map

Elberta on the map in 1956

The U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Elberta.

Elberta on the 1956 USGS map1956Frankfort 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 Elberta.

Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Gilmore TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townFrankfort4 historic placesA−Crystal Lake TownshipIts storyC+

Questions about Elberta’s history

What year was Elberta founded?

In 1855, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Elberta’s post office opened in 1872, and the census of 1900 counted 639 people here.

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 (12), Wikipedia, 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.