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History · Shaftsburg

Shaftsburg’s post office opened in 1880, and 17% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1912 on.

1880first post office
0on the National Register
17%homes built before 1940
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Quick answers

How Shaftsburg began

When was Shaftsburg founded?

1880

The Shaftsburg post office opened in 1880, the earliest record of the town by name.

2020 census: 450146 years
Founding year: the first Shaftsburg post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).

What stands out about Shaftsburg’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 Shaftsburg are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 19124 editions of the USGS map, 1912 to 1972. Watch Shaftsburg change.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Shaftsburg’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Shaftsburg’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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On the map

Shaftsburg on the map, 1912 to 1972

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

Shaftsburg on the 1912 USGS mapShaftsburg on the 1928 USGS mapShaftsburg on the 1944 USGS mapShaftsburg on the 1972 USGS map1912Laingsburg 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 Shaftsburg.

The story so far

Shaftsburg, in brief

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

Woodhull Township is a civil township of Shiawassee County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 3,687 at the 2020 census. Woodhull Township as organized in 1838.

Its first post office opened in 1880.

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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Famous people

Famous people close to Shaftsburg

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

See all →
Nate SilverAmerican statistician, journalist, and poker pl… · b. 1978
Ryan MillerAmerican ice hockey goaltender · b. 1980
Spencer AbrahamAmerican attorney, author and politician · b. 1952
T
Taylor NicholsAmerican actor · b. 1959
A
Andrew RoblAmerican poker player · b. 1986
C
Charlie FergusonAmerican baseball player · b. 1875

Questions about Shaftsburg’s history

What year was Shaftsburg founded?

The Shaftsburg post office opened in 1880, 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 →
Start a conversation
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. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.