On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Mayfield Township is more historic than 32% of U.S. towns. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
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HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Mayfield 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 Mayfield 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 is a Census survey estimate (±3.4 points).
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 Mayfield Township’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The land on which Mayfield sits has long been territory under the Council of Three Fires; the Ojibwe, Odawa, and Potawatomi.
In 1868, a sawmill was built upon Swainston Creek, a tributary of the Boardman River. Later, a grist mill was built, and the settlement was named Beulah. However, in 1869, the community was awarded a post office under the name of Mayfield, named after the adjacent township. In 1872, a line of the Pennsylvania Railroad was extended from Cadillac via Walton and Mayfield to Traverse City.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Mayfield Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1956Kingsley 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 Mayfield Township.
Famous people
Famous people close to Mayfield Township
Nobody well known was born in Mayfield Township itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.
Mayfield Township is more historic than 32% of U.S. towns. 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 Mayfield Township?
11% of Mayfield Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±3.4 points), against a typical 12% for a Michigan town; the median home was built in 1991.
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, 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.
