The Greilickville area was settled by Godfrey Greilick and his family in 1856, recently emigrating from Bohemia. Greilick operated a number of sawmills in southeast Leelanau County. In 1875, brothers Albert and Seth H. Norris established a settlement on the shore of Grand Traverse Bay consisting of a grist mill, tannery, brickyard, and pottery factory, as well as a post office with the name Norrisville. The post office lasted from September 1881 to June 1882, and again from May 1884 to July 1902. In 1874, James W. Markham purchased the Norris' brickyard, expanding it and establishing commercial service. Markham Bricks, renowned for their pale yellow color derived from sediments in Cedar Lake, was supplied to build much of nearby Traverse City and the Traverse City State Hospital.
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 (5) and Wikipedia. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
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