The Quincy Township post office opened in 1836, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Dorrance (1892), opened inside today’s town and later closed.
First census: 1,092 in 18702020 census: 4,108190 years
How historic is Quincy Township?
B+
More historic than 68% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Quincy Township post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Quincy Township’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Quincy Township is more historic than 68% of U.S. towns, #216 of 701 in Michigan. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
B+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Quincy 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 Quincy 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 any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B− to A−. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±4.7 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date.
Founding year: the first post office (other dates in Quick answers). 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 Quincy Township’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The area was first settled by Horace Wilson, who first purchased land in 1830. He purchased 360 acres (150 ha) of land from the government. John Cornish became the first permanent resident when he built his house here in 1833. The area would be set aside from Coldwater Township and organized as Quincy Township in 1836. The township and community were named Quincy on the suggestion from Dr. Hiram Allen, who recently moved to the area from Quincy, Massachusetts. A post office named Quincy began operating on December 16, 1836. The Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railway built a depot in Quincy, and the community incorporated as a village in 1858.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Quincy Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1960Coldwater East 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 Quincy Township.
People over time
Quincy Township, census by census
Between 1,092 and 1,701 people in every census since 1870.
16 censuses, 1870–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Quincy Township’s Wikipedia page.
Places that used to be
Lost post offices, old corners, places now gone and burying grounds
Another post office, Dorrance, opened and closed inside today’s town.
Quincy
1836–today
Dorrance
1892–1902
18301930today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Lake Region Mobile Home ParkQuincy
Gone or out of use
Dorrance Post Officepost office
2cemeteries and burying grounds inside Quincy Township
LakeLake View
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Stories next door
History across the town line
Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.
The Quincy Township post office opened in 1836, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Quincy Township rank for history?
Quincy Township is more historic than 68% of U.S. towns, #216 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 Quincy Township?
25% of Quincy Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±4.7 points), against a typical 12% for a Michigan town; the median home was built in 1964.
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 (18), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), 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.
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