The story
Read it all →How Sherman Township came to be
From Wikipedia’s history of Sherman Township.
The township was organized in 1867. It was named for William Tecumseh Sherman, a Union Army general.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
B−History
History · Sherman Township
Sherman Township dates to 1867, and 26% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 47% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Below: maps from 1931 on.
1867founded
0on the National Register
26%homes built before 1940
Quick answers
How Sherman Township began, and where its name came from
When was Sherman Township founded?
1867
Sherman Township dates its founding to 1867 (Wikipedia’s history). Its post office opened in 1874.
2020 census: 1,127159 years
How did Sherman Township get its name?
Sherman Township was named for William Tecumseh Sherman, a Union Army general.
How historic is Sherman Township?
B−
What drives the grade ↓More historic than 47% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1874. Name: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Sherman Township’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Sherman Township is more historic than 47% of U.S. towns. 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 Sherman Township’s overall grade.
Founding era1867, from Wikipedia: founded 1850–1899, an older era than 37% of U.S. townsC+Homes built before 194026.0% of homes (±7.4) · typical MI town 11.9% · U.S. 8.4%A−National RegisterNo listings counted · typical MI town 0.0 per 10,000 · U.S. 2.4C
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 47%
NewerOlder
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 Sherman 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.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikipedia alone; no second source gives 1867.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C to B. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±7.4 points).
Founding year: Wikipedia (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 Sherman Township’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
★ What stands out · Help out
Start Sherman Township’s collection
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Sherman Township’s history is told.
Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.Timeline
Sherman Township, 1867 to 1931
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
- 19th century
- 1867FoundingSherman Township is established
- 1874Post officeThe Sugar Grove post office opens
- 1882Post officeThe Fountain post office opens
- 20th century
- 1901Post officeThe Sugar Grove post office closes
- 1931
On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
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.
Add from your albumOn the map
Sherman Township on the map, 1931 to 1987
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Sherman Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1931Freesoil SW sheet · 1:31,680U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Sherman Township.
Famous people
See all →Famous people close to Sherman Township
Nobody well known was born in Sherman Township itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.
Places that used to be
Lost post offices, old corners, places now gone and burying grounds
Another post office, Sugar Grove, opened and closed inside today’s town.
Sugar Grove
Fountain
18701950today
Hamlets and corners on the map
FountainSugar Grove
Gone or out of use
Sugargrove Post Officepost office
2cemeteries and burying grounds inside Sherman Township
FountainSugar Grove
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.
Questions about Sherman Township’s history
What year was Sherman Township founded?
In 1867, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Sherman Township’s post office opened in 1874.
How does Sherman Township rank for history?
Sherman Township is more historic than 47% 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 Sherman Township?
26% of Sherman Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±7.4 points), against a typical 12% for a Michigan town; the median home was built in 1968.
Memory lane
What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.
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).
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.