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General History
The history of Hope Township started with
the Chippewa Indians, who were in the area when Midland County
was being formed. Originally, there may have been as many
as 2,000 to 2,500, but by 1865 there were only about 200 living
in the area. Ora Howsner is thought to have been Hope’s
first settler. His son, Clyde, who was born in 1861 is said
to be the first white male born in the area. Two other settlers
who came in 1856 were Orrin Maltby and Joseph Rooker. William
and Agnes McCrary came soon afterwards. The first marriage
was performed in 1856 between Silas Wright and Louisia Erway.
Other early family names were Braley, Card, Dunning, Fillmore,
Frazier, Gleckler, Goff, Havens, Henry, Hosner, Inman, Kelly,
Keys, Marsh, Maxwell, McWilliams, Mills, Raymond, Schearer,
Shepherd, Trowbridge, Weaver, Wendt, Wilcox, Weaver, and Wisner.
By the 1880 census, there were 89 different families residing
in Hope Township, and by the 1894 census that number had grown
to 167 families. Many of these early settlers are listed in
the “Portrait and Biographical Album of Midland Co”
published in 1884 and many of their decedents are still living
in the township. We also have several centennial farms in
the area.
Hope Township was officially organized in
1871 with Ethelbert J. Brewster serving as it’s first
Supervisor. Other supervisors were A. J. Raymond, Simon Gleckler,
Timothy Fillmore, William Mills, William Schearer, Erwin H.
Inman, Andrew J. Rogers, Warren Rogers, Wallace Hull, Herman
Wint, Clair Schearer, Gene Smith, Ted Wendt, and the current
Supervisor, Mike Kressler. When you consider the early years
of the township, one consideration is that on March 11, 1876
the area that is now Mills Township was attached to Hope from
Midland Township. It was later detached on October 15, 1894.
The same is true of Lincoln Township. It was added in 1877
and detached in 1878.
Postal
Services opened in Hope on January 11, 1871 with Marshall
Carr as the first Postmaster. Other names who served as postmaster
include David Wilcox, Mrs. Chambers, Charles Harper, Billy
Williams, Nellie Wilson, Frederick Benedict, Boyd Havens,
Darlene Edmonds, John Elmore, Joann Wirth, Ernie LaFave, Cathy
Koehn, and the current postmaster Paul Stephenson. During
Boyd Havens' tenure, his building burned down so he purchased
the old Macabee building. That building later became John
Elmore’s home and the present post office was built
in 1982 just down the street from the old building.
The Hope Township Hall which was built in 1881
is still used today.
In the late 1880’s there were two general
stores, a shingle mill, a blacksmith shop, a cheese factory,
schools, churches, a Town Hall and a Knights of the Macabees
Hall. Timothy Fillmore built the first store and Billy Harris
was the first blacksmith.
Hope Township’s first cemetery was
created on land purchased from Aaron Havens. The Old Hope
Cemetery is located on East Baker Road with the first burial
date of 1862. The New Hope Cemetery is located on Schearer
Road and was purchased from the Harris family. Burials there
started about 1911. Burials can still be in either cemetery.
Hope Township is the site of one of Midland
County’s Ghost Town known as Pansy. Pansy was located
at the corner of Middle and Curtis Roads. John W. Crawford
became their first Postmaster in 1887 but the Post Office
closed in 1906. Pansy also had two general stores operating
out of the Angles and Dundas homes.
Another Ghost Town known as Joliet was located
on Bombay Road in the area that became part of Mills Township.
The postmaster there was Mary Healy Keely, but the mail reverted
back to the Hope Post Office around 1896.
Hope Township has a long history for the love of sports. Pictured
here is the 1910 Hope Baseball Team. Our Woodside Park has
been a recent addition to the township being created in the
mid 1980‘s.
Pictured here from left to right are the
following: (front row) Bob Joynt, Charley Mallory, Johnie
Carey, Will Henry, Fred Swartz, Archie Henry, and bat boy
Dennie LaRue; (back row) Marvin Earley, Charley Warner, Leon
LaRue, and George Gregway.
1971 brought the construction of our Fire Station
which is manned entirely by volunteers.
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