How Wise Township began, and where its name came from
When was Wise Township founded?
1884
The Wise Township post office opened in 1884, the earliest record of the town by name. Four smaller post offices, Buchtel (1871), Loomis (1871) and Wise (1884), opened inside today’s town and later closed.
2020 census: 1,355142 years
How did Wise Township get its name?
Wise Township was named after George Wise, who was one of the first settlers to the area in the community of Loomis.
How historic is Wise Township?
C+
More historic than 43% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Wise Township is more historic than 43% of U.S. towns. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
C+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Wise 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 Wise 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 C to B−. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±7.9 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 Wise Township’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Lost post offices, old corners, places now gone and burying grounds
Four other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.
Buchtel
1871–1871
Loomis
1871–1915
Wise
1884–1906
Herrick
1895–1908
18701950today
Hamlets and corners on the map
HerrickLoomisWise
Gone or out of use
Herrick Post Officepost officeHerrick StationlocaleLoomis Post Officepost officeLoomis StationlocaleWise Oil FieldoilfieldWise Post Officepost officeWise Stationlocale
1cemetery inside Wise Township
Wise
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Wise Township was established on January 24, 1872. It was named after George Wise, who was one of the first settlers to the area in the community of Loomis. Originally, Wise Township occupied two 36-square-mile survey townships in the northeast corner of Isabella County. The original boundaries of the township can be seen on an 1873 county map. The southern half of Wise Township was set aside as Denver Township in 1876.
The Wise Township post office opened in 1884, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Wise Township rank for history?
Wise Township is more historic than 43% 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 Wise Township?
22% of Wise Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±7.9 points), against a typical 12% for a Michigan town; the median home was built in 1976.
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, 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.
