From Springport Township’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers
How Springport Township began
When was Springport Township founded?
1838
The Springport Township post office opened in 1838, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Otter Creek (1842), opened inside today’s town and later closed.
2020 census: 2,142188 years
How historic is Springport Township?
A
More historic than 92% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Springport Township post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Springport Township’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Springport Township is more historic than 92% of U.S. towns. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its share of homes from before 1940 ranks highest and its age lowest.
A
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Springport 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 Springport Township’s 26.4 sits above most of its state (88% of Michigan towns have fewer) while its 5 historic buildings outnumber those of 70% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from A− to A. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±6.4 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 Springport Township’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Springport was originally developed by a man named John Oyer, who arrived in late 1836 from Cayuga County, New York. Oyer helped organize the township's government. He built the first store in Springport, and erected several brick stores, as well as a hotel and a mill. For many years the community was known as "Oyer’s Corner" before the name was changed to Springport. Springport was the name of a town in Cayuga County, New York. The village was incorporated in 1882, with a population of roughly 600 people.
The Springport Township post office opened in 1838, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Springport Township rank for history?
Springport Township is more historic than 92% 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.
What is on the National Register in Springport Township?
One place: the James M. Jameson Farm (listed 1980).
How old are the homes in Springport Township?
28% of Springport Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±6.4 points), against a typical 12% for a Michigan town; the median home was built in 1967.
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 (2), the National Register of Historic Places (1), 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.
Date?
2005
