More historic than 39% of U.S. towns · #480 of 701 in Michigan. What drives it
Most of Fenton Township was built recently: 4% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1992. Below: 5 old photos and papers, maps from 1985 on, and the census since 1860.
Founding year: Wikidata; Wikipedia’s history section gives the same year. First post office: 1848.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Fenton Township’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Fenton Township is more historic than 39% of U.S. towns, #480 of 701 in Michigan. Its age holds the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
C+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Fenton Township’s overall grade.
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 Fenton Township’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (32% of Michigan towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C− to B−. The pre-1940 share (±1.3 points) is firm at this size. Two sources give 1834.
Founding year: Wikidata (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 Fenton Township’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
It was first established in 1834 and was originally named "Dibbleville" after Clark Dibble, one of the first settlers. It was platted in 1837 as "Fentonville" by William M. Fenton who later became lieutenant governor of Michigan. When the settlement was incorporated as a village in 1863 the name Fenton was used. The settlement's post office used the name Fentonville from 1837 until 1886, when it adopted the current name.
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.
The U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Fenton Township.
1985Pontiac sheet · 1:100,000
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Fenton Township.
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.
Retake this viewFenton LeRoy St, c. 1880
Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Fenton Township’s page.
In 1834, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. Fenton Township’s post office opened in 1848, and the census of 1860 counted 735 people here.
How does Fenton Township rank for history?
Fenton Township is more historic than 39% of U.S. towns, #480 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.
How old are the homes in Fenton Township?
4% of Fenton Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.3 points), against a typical 12% for a Michigan town; the median home was built in 1992.
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 (11), the Library of Congress (1), Wikidata (6), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
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