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–Not graded
History · Filer City

Filer City’s post office opened in 1868, and 20% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1958 on.

1868first post office
0on the National Register
20%homes built before 1940
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Quick answers

How Filer City began

When was Filer City founded?

1868

The Filer City post office opened in 1868, the earliest record of the town by name.

2020 census: 136158 years
Founding year: the first Filer City post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).

What stands out about Filer City’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 Filer City are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Filer City’s homes were built before 1953.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Filer City’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Filer City’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
The story so far

Filer City, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Filer City yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Filer City is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Filer Charter Township, Manistee County, Michigan, United States. Its population was 136 as of the 2020 census. The community is located on Manistee Lake just south of Manistee. Filer City has a post office with ZIP code 49634. The post office opened March 10, 1868, was discontinued on April 12, 1871, and reopened on July 13, 1883.

Its first post office opened in 1868. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 116 to 136 (+17%).

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

By decade

No old photos in the archives yet

Weddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.

Be the first to add onePhotograph a print flat, in daylight, no flash.
Add from your album
On the map

Filer City on the map, 1958 to 1982

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

Filer City on the 1958 USGS mapFiler City on the 1982 USGS map1958Manistee 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 Filer City.

Famous people

Famous people close to Filer City

Nobody well known was born in Filer City itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
Fred Warren GreenAmerican politician, Governor of Michigan · b. 1871
T
Tom ShermanCanadian artist · b. 1947
Warren Antoine CartierAmerican mayor · b. 1866
D
Dennis O. CawthorneAmerican politician · b. 1940
G
George AndreeAmerican football coach · b. 1879
Jack LundbomAmerican baseball player · b. 1877
Stories next door

History across the town line

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

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

Questions about Filer City’s history

What year was Filer City founded?

The Filer City post office opened in 1868, 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 U.S. Geological Survey historical maps. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.