The first European settler in Jasper was Andrew Millet, arriving in 1824. A post office was opened June 18, 1874, with Henry Ferguson as the first postmaster. The Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railway had a depot in Jasper. The station was at first known as Fairfield.
Jasper was one of the largest populated areas in Lenawee County prior to 1908 accounting for about 8,000 residents. A Smallpox epidemic wiped out over half of the residents and most of the homes were burned to the ground in the southern two-thirds of the town to try to stop the epidemic.
Passages that mention Jasper, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History and biographical record of Lenawee County, Michigan. Containing a history of the organization and early settlement of the county, together with a biographical record of many of the oldest and most prominent settlers and present residents, obtained1879 · page 236Read the page →
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a house, and lived until the fall of 1847. He then traded his village property for a farm in Fairfield, and moved back to Fairfield, on the old farm, where he lived until 1874, when he moved to Jasper. In 1873 he built a steam saw-mill at Jasper, and in 1876 he, with J. C. Mabee, built the Jasper flouring mill, which they are now running, doing an extensive business. In 1851 he went to California, but only remained there about five months.
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History and Biographical Record of Lenawee County, Michigan (Volume 1)1879 · page 236Read the page →
Read the text
a house, and lived until the fall of 1847. He then traded his village property for a farm in Fairfield, and moved back to Fairfield, on the old farm, where he lived until 1874, when he moved to Jasper. In 1873 he built a steam saw-mill at Jasper, and in 1876 he, with J. C. Mabee, built the Jasper flouring mill, which they are now running, doing an extensive business. In 1851 he went to California, but only remained there about five months.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
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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 Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
