How Sherwood Township began, and where its name came from
When was Sherwood Township founded?
1839
The Sherwood Township post office opened in 1839, the earliest record of the town by name. Two smaller post offices, Durham (1833) and Newstead (1867), opened inside today’s town and later closed.
First census: 211 in 18802020 census: 1,959187 years
How did Sherwood Township get its name?
Sherwood Township was named after one of the first settlers, Alexander Tomlinson, who came from Sherwood Forest, England.
How historic is Sherwood Township?
B+
More historic than 69% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Sherwood Township is more historic than 69% 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 Sherwood 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 Sherwood 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 (±7.8 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 Sherwood Township’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The community was originally called Hazenville when it was formed from the farmland of E. F. Hazen in 1832. When a post office began operating on March 8, 1833, it was named Durham. It was ultimately renamed to Sherwood on June 10, 1839. It was named after one of the first settlers, Alexander Tomlinson, who came from Sherwood Forest, England. The Sherwood post office closed on December 4, 1866. The nearby Newstead post office, which was established in early 1867, was transferred here and took over the Sherwood name on April 16, 1868. The Michigan Central Railroad built a line through the community in 1871. Sherwood incorporated as a village in 1887.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Sherwood Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1918Union City 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 Sherwood Township.
Famous people
Famous people close to Sherwood Township
Nobody well known was born in Sherwood Township itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.
The Sherwood Township post office opened in 1839, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Sherwood Township rank for history?
Sherwood Township is more historic than 69% 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 Sherwood Township?
26% of Sherwood Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±7.8 points), against a typical 12% for a Michigan town; the median home was built in 1965.
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, 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.
