Is Spring Arbor the Second Oldest Town in Jackson County?

So what is the oldest town/city in Jackson County? That would be the city of Jackson itself...but what is the SECOND oldest? Not settlement, but TOWN. This has been a subject of debate for many years. Some say it’s Barry, now known as Sandstone, in the early 1830s.

Concord is another contender, settled around 1831.
Also Grass Lake, which was settled in 1832, and is believed to be the first Jackson County settlement.
Finally, there’s Spring Arbor, which originated in the 1820s, and is also the subject of this writing. So to avoid any debate, this article does NOT allude to Spring Arbor being the second oldest.....now read on...

Spring Arbor Township was first inhabited by the Potawatomi Native Americans, but was extremely appealing to pioneers traveling through Michigan territory in the 1820s-1830s. Lots of game for food, land for growing, streams for fresh water, and trees for building were too enticing for them to move on – so they stayed and laid the foundation.

Get our free mobile app

In 1829, a survey was ordered and by January 1830, settlers could buy land for $1.25 an acre, up to 80 acres per man/family.

Did you know that the original Spring Arbor village was located at Hammond and Cross Roads? Just two miles southwest of where Spring Arbor is today.

The Spring Arbor we know today began when Dr. Benjamin Packard started to erect the Methodist Seminary in a wooded area in the northwest corner of the township.....but a proposal was made and passed in 1838 to move the Seminary to Albion.

The original Spring Arbor Village (now Falling Waters Park) at the Hammond & Cross site was the location of Michigan Central College from 1844-1845. It was in 1845 they moved the school and village two miles northeast to where Spring Arbor lies today.

In 1853 the college decided to move to Hillsdale, becoming Hillsdale College. It wasn’t until 1873 when the empty school building became Spring Arbor Seminary, which morphed into the Spring Arbor University we know today.

As for the name? It was dubbed thanks to a large fresh water spring that was discovered in the area.

Believe me, this is just a nutshell version. If you want to read a more complicated version, check out the Spring Arbor page here.