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History · Posen

Posen’s post office opened in 1875, and 37% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1971 on and the census since 1910.

1875first post office
0on the National Register
37%homes built before 1940
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Photo: Elevatorrailfan · CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answers

How Posen began

When was Posen founded?

1875

The Posen post office opened in 1875, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 263 in 19102020 census: 270151 years
Founding year: the first Posen post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).

What stands out about Posen’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 Posen are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Posen’s homes were built before 1956.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Posen’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Posen’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
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The story so far

Posen, in brief

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

Posen is a village in Presque Isle County of the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 270 at the 2020 census. The village is in Posen Township. Posen has historically had a strong Polish background. At one point, 78.8% of its inhabitants reported to have Polish ancestry. It is home to the Posen Potato Festival, held every year on during the first weekend after Labor Day. The festival includes activities with potato pancakes and polka dancing. Posen has a branch of the Presque Isle District Library. Posen is also the German name for the Polish city of Poznań.

Its first post office opened in 1875. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 234 to 270 (+15%).

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.
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On the map

Posen on the map, 1971 to 1984

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

Posen on the 1971 USGS mapPosen on the 1984 USGS map1971Posen 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 Posen.

People over time

Posen, census by census

0100200300192019401960198020002020Peak: 341

Between 190 and 341 people in every census since 1910.

12 censuses, 1910–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Posen’s Wikipedia page.

Famous people

Famous people close to Posen

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

See all →
Michael Bailey SmithAmerican actor · b. 1957
S
Stanley GrenzAmerican theologian · b. 1950
Lucille F. StickelAmerican wildlife toxicologist · b. 1915
Donald B. DuncanUnited States admiral · b. 1896
William ComstockAmerican politician · b. 1877
Frank D. ScottAmerican politician · b. 1878

Questions about Posen’s history

What year was Posen founded?

The Posen post office opened in 1875, 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 and U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.