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Southfield Town Center3Photo: Dave Parker · CC BY 3.0
A−History
History · Southfield Township

Southfield Township dates to 1823, and 1 of its places is on the National Register

More historic than 78% of U.S. towns · #138 of 701 in Michigan. What drives it

Most of Southfield Township was built recently: 6% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1960. 1 place in town is on the National Register, among them a historic district with 119 buildings. Below: 4 old photos and papers, maps from 1907 on, and the census since 1960.

1823founded
1on the National Register
6%homes built before 1940
4old photos & papers
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Southfield Township’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Southfield Township began

When was Southfield Township founded?

1823

Southfield Township dates its founding to 1823 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1960.

First census: 31,531 in 19602020 census: 14,886203 years

How historic is Southfield Township?

A−

More historic than 78% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1828.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Southfield Township’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Southfield Township is more historic than 78% of U.S. towns, #138 of 701 in Michigan. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.

A−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Southfield Township’s overall grade.
Founding era1823, from Wikidata: founded 1776–1849, an older era than 75% of U.S. townsA−Homes built before 19406.1% of homes (±1.6) · typical MI town 11.9% · U.S. 8.4%CNational Register1 listing, 119 historic buildings, 80.6 per 10,000 residents · typical MI town 0.0 · U.S. 2.4A
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 78%
NewerOlder
Michigan towns of 2,500+ (701)Ahead of 80%

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 Southfield Township’s 80.6 sits above most of its state (93% of Michigan towns have fewer) while its 119 historic buildings outnumber those of 90% of U.S. towns.

NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1823.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B− to A. The pre-1940 share (±1.6 points) is firm at this size.

Founding year: Wikidata (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 Southfield Township’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A historic districtThe Franklin Historic District takes in 119 historic buildings.A history waiting to be writtenOnly 4 old photos are in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 19078 editions of the USGS map, 1907 to 1997. Watch Southfield Township change.Lost villages1 post office opened and closed inside today’s Southfield Township, and 3 old place names are still on the map.
★ What stands out · On the National Register

1 listing protects 119 historic buildings

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving. Boundary changes and added documentation are counted with their listing.

place listed
1
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
119
each building in a district counts
first listed
1969
Franklin Historic District
Franklin Historic District
Districts

Architectural styles listings

Craftsman1
Colonial Revival1
Greek Revival1
All 1 listings
Franklin Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1969

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

Help out

Start Southfield Township’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Southfield Township’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
2 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewLou and Jackie Gordon: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
On the map

Southfield Township on the map, 1907 to 1997

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

Southfield Township on the 1907 USGS mapSouthfield Township on the 1936 USGS mapSouthfield Township on the 1943 USGS mapSouthfield Township on the 1952 USGS mapSouthfield Township on the 1968 USGS mapSouthfield Township on the 1973 USGS mapSouthfield Township on the 1983 USGS mapSouthfield Township on the 1997 USGS map1907Pontiac 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 Southfield Township.

The story

How Southfield Township came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Southfield Township.

Read it all →

Southfield was surveyed in 1817 according to the plan by Michigan territorial governor Lewis Cass. The first settlers came from nearby Birmingham and Royal Oak, Michigan, as well as New York and Vermont. The area that became Southfield was settled by John Daniels in 1823. Among the founders were the Heth, Stephens, Harmon, McClelland and Thompson families.

Town 1 north, 10 east was first organized as Ossewa Township on July 12, 1830, but the name was changed to Southfield Township 17 days later. The township took its name from its location in the "south fields" of Bloomfield Township. A US post office was established in 1833 and the first town hall built in 1873.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Southfield Township, 1823 to 1993

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1823
    FoundingSouthfield Township is established
  3. 1828Post officeThe Franklin post office opens
  4. 20th century
  5. 1907On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  6. 1964Post officeThe Franklin post office closes
  7. 1970In the archiveLou and Jackie Gordon
  8. 1993In the archive10 Mile Location
By decade

Southfield Township, decade by decade

2 decades in the archive, from the 1970s to the 1990s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1970s–1990s4 items
Lou and Jackie Gordon1970Lou and Jackie GordonFord A9751 NLGRF photo contact sheet (1976-05-12)(Gerald Ford Library)1976Ford A9751 NLGRF photo contact sheet (1976-05-12)(Ger…Ford A9757 NLGRF photo contact sheet (1976-05-12)(Gerald Ford Library)1976Ford A9757 NLGRF photo contact sheet (1976-05-12)(Ger…10 Mile Location199310 Mile Location
Today14 recent
Southfield Cemetery Marker2014Southfield Cemetery MarkerSouthfield Cemetery Historical Site2014Southfield Cemetery Historical SitePioneer Cemetery2014Pioneer CemeteryPioneer Cemetery Marker2014Pioneer Cemetery MarkerMary Thompson House Marker2014Mary Thompson House MarkerLawrence Tech Historical Marker2014Lawrence Tech Historical MarkerSouthfield Cemetery Historic Site2012Southfield Cemetery Historic SiteMG 0407-HDR2012MG 0407-HDRComau North American Innovation Campus, 21175 Telegraph Road2012Comau North American Innovation Campus, 21175 Telegra…Senator Stabenow at the Detroit Economic Club2011Senator Stabenow at the Detroit Economic Club123Net Data Center (DC2)2011123Net Data Center (DC2)Telegraph Road near Mixing Bowl2009Telegraph Road near Mixing BowlSHSBlueJays2005SHSBlueJaysMIMap-doton-Southfield2005MIMap-doton-Southfield
Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

Lou and Jackie Gordon
Retake this viewLou and Jackie Gordon, 1970

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Southfield Township’s page.

Retake this view · +15
People over time

Southfield Township, census by census

020,00040,00060,00080,0001960198020002020Peak: 78,322

Between 31,531 and 78,322 people in every census since 1960.

7 censuses, 1960–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Southfield Township’s Wikipedia page.

Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners, places now gone and burying grounds

Another post office, Franklin, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Hamlets and corners on the map
Beverly HillsBingham FarmsFranklin
Gone or out of use
Franklin Post Officepost office
2cemeteries and burying grounds inside Southfield Township
Acacia ParkFranklin

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.

Southfield3 historic placesB+Beverly HillsIts storyC−Bingham FarmsIts storyDFranklin1 historic placeABloomfield Township5 historic placesB

Questions about Southfield Township’s history

What year was Southfield Township founded?

In 1823, according to Wikidata. Southfield Township’s post office opened in 1828, and the census of 1960 counted 31,531 people here.

How does Southfield Township rank for history?

Southfield Township is more historic than 78% of U.S. towns, #138 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.

What is on the National Register in Southfield Township?

One place: the Franklin Historic District (listed 1969).

How old are the homes in Southfield Township?

6% of Southfield Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.6 points), against a typical 12% for a Michigan town; the median home was built in 1960.

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).

From Wikimedia Commons (18), the National Register of Historic Places (1), 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.