Half of Putnam Township’s homes were built after 1987
More historic than 21% of U.S. towns · #636 of 701 in Michigan. What drives it
Most of Putnam Township was built recently: 6% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1987. Below: 2 old photos and papers and maps from 1902 on.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Putnam Township is more historic than 21% of U.S. towns, #636 of 701 in Michigan. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
C−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Putnam 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 Putnam 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 (±2.2 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 Putnam Township’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Putnam Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1902Dexter 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 Putnam Township.
Places that used to be
Lost post offices, old corners, places now gone and burying grounds
Another post office, Anderson, opened and closed inside today’s town.
Pinckney
1837–today
Anderson
1885–1913
18301930today
Hamlets and corners on the map
AndersonChalkervilleHellPinckney
Gone or out of use
Anderson Post Officepost officeAnderson StationlocalePinckney Stationlocale
4cemeteries and burying grounds inside Putnam Township
GilkesPinckneySaint MarysSprout
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
The story so far
Putnam Township, in brief
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Putnam Township yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Putnam Township is a civil township of Livingston County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 7,890 at the 2020 census, down from 8,248 at the 2010 census. The village of Pinckney is located within the township.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 8,248 to 7,890 (-4%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
Timeline
Putnam Township, 1837 to 1913
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Putnam Township is more historic than 21% of U.S. towns, #636 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 Putnam Township?
6% of Putnam Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.2 points), against a typical 12% for a Michigan town; the median home was built in 1987.
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 Wikimedia Commons (4), 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.
Date?
2012
2010
