On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Gerrish Township is more historic than 17% of U.S. towns, #664 of 701 in Michigan. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
C−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Gerrish 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 Gerrish 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 two of the three inputs, so a change in either one moves the letter more than it would with three. The pre-1940 share (±1.8 points) is firm at this size.
Founding year: our sources. 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 Gerrish Township’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The location started as the Gerrish Logging Camp. On April 5, 1880, at the camp, area residents met and elected officers for their newly formed township. The first Township Supervisor was James Watson (1880, 1883-1889). The longest serving Township Supervisor was Wiley E. Sims (1901-1905, 1921-1928). As originally platted, the township included present-day Gerrish, Lyon, and Markey townships. In 1920, the boundary line was reestablished to its present lines. The second permanent town hall was built in 1970.
The U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Gerrish Township.
1963Lyon Manor sheet · 1:24,000
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Gerrish Township.
Famous people
Famous people close to Gerrish Township
Nobody well known was born in Gerrish Township itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.
Gerrish Township is more historic than 17% of U.S. towns, #664 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 Gerrish Township?
4% of Gerrish Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.8 points), against a typical 12% for a Michigan town; the median home was built in 1977.
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 Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps 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.
