Springwells Township is a defunct

civil township A civil township is a widely used unit of local government in the United States that is subordinate to a county, most often in the northern and midwestern parts of the country. The term town is used in New England, New York, and Wisconsin to ref ...

in Wayne County, in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and t ...

. All of the land is now incorporated as part of the cities of

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at t ...

and Dearborn. It is also famously known as the birthplace of

Henry Ford Henry Ford (July 30, 1863 – April 7, 1947) was an American industrialist, business magnate, founder of the Ford Motor Company, and chief developer of the assembly line technique of mass production. By creating the first automobile that ...

History

Springwells Township was formed by an act of the territorial governor

Lewis Cass Lewis Cass (October 9, 1782June 17, 1866) was an American military officer, politician, and statesman. He represented Michigan in the United States Senate and served in the Cabinets of two U.S. Presidents, Andrew Jackson and James Buchanan. He w ...

on January 5, 1818, but the boundaries were not firmly designated until 1827. The township was named for the many natural springs in the area. Earlier, French explorers had named the area "Belle-Fontaine,"

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

for "Beautiful Fountain." In 1815, the "sand hill at Springwells" was the site of the signing of the Treaty of Springwells, which was attended by future U.S. President

William Henry Harrison William Henry Harrison (February 9, 1773April 4, 1841) was an American military officer and politician who served as the ninth president of the United States. Harrison died just 31 days after his inauguration in 1841, and had the shortest pres ...

. In 1842, the U.S. Army began construction of

Fort Wayne Fort Wayne is a city in and the county seat of Allen County, Indiana, United States. Located in northeastern Indiana, the city is west of the Ohio border and south of the Michigan border. The city's population was 263,886 as of the 2020 Cens ...

at the

Detroit River The Detroit River flows west and south for from Lake St. Clair to Lake Erie as a strait in the Great Lakes system. The river divides the metropolitan areas of Detroit, Michigan, and Windsor, Ontario—an area collectively referred to as Detro ...

, now listed in the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

. Partitioned many times, by the 1850s Springwells Township bordered

to its east, Greenfield Township to its north,

Redford Township Redford, officially the Charter Township of Redford, is a charter township in Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The township shares its eastern border with the city of Detroit. The population was 49,504 at the 2020 census. History S ...

to its northwest, Dearborn Township to its west, Ecorse Township to its south, and the Detroit River to its east. According to the research of author Richard Bak, there was a series of unsolved deaths in the 1880s that occurred under suspicious circumstances. These events have gone largely forgotten, but stand amongst Wayne County's greatest unsolved crimes of all time.

Settlements of the former Springwells Township

* Delray – The Village of Delray existed in 1903. It was annexed by City of Detroit in 1906. *Fort Wayne – surrounding area annexed by City of Detroit in 1885. *Springwells – became a village in 1919, a city in 1924, renamed Fordson in 1925, consolidated with Dearborn in 1928. *Woodmere – The Village of Woodmere existed in 1903, and was located near the 250 acre

Woodmere Cemetery Woodmere Cemetery is at West Fort Street and Woodmere Avenue in Detroit, Michigan, in the neighborhood of Springwells Village in what was originally the township of Springwells. Woodmere Cemetery is operated by the Midwest Memorial Group. Histo ...

that had been established following the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and t ...

. It was annexed by City of Detroit in 1906.

Historical timeline

European exploration and colonization

* 1603 French lay claim to unidentified territory in this region, naming it New France. * July 24, 1701 Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac and his soldiers first land at what is now

. * November 29, 1760 The

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

take control of the area from France. * 1780 Pierre Dumais clears farm near what is today's Morningside Street in Dearborn's South End.

Early U.S. history

* 1783 – By terms of the Treaty of Paris ending the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It ...

cedes territory south of the

Great Lakes The Great Lakes, also called the Great Lakes of North America, are a series of large interconnected freshwater lakes in the mid-east region of North America that connect to the Atlantic Ocean via the Saint Lawrence River. There are five lakes ...

to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

, although the British retain practical control of the Detroit area and several other settlements until 1797. * 1787 – Territory of the US north and west of the

Ohio River The Ohio River is a long river in the United States. It is located at the boundary of the Midwestern and Southern United States, flowing southwesterly from western Pennsylvania to its mouth on the Mississippi River at the southern tip of ...

is officially proclaimed the

Northwest Territory The Northwest Territory, also known as the Old Northwest and formally known as the Territory Northwest of the River Ohio, was formed from unorganized western territory of the United States after the American Revolutionary War. Established in 1 ...

. * December 26, 1791 – Detroit environs become part of Kent County,

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

. * 1796 – Wayne County is formed by proclamation of the acting governor of the Northwest Territory. Its original area is , stretching from

Cleveland Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the United States, U.S. U.S. state, state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along ...

Ohio Ohio () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Of the List of states and territories of the United States, fifty U.S. states, it is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 34th-l ...

, to

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rock ...

, and northwest to

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by to ...

. * May 7, 1800 –

Indiana Territory The Indiana Territory, officially the Territory of Indiana, was created by a congressional act that President John Adams signed into law on May 7, 1800, to form an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 4, ...

, created out of part of

, although the eastern half of Michigan including the Dearborn area, was not attached to Indiana Territory until

was admitted as a state in 1803. * January 11, 1805 –

Michigan Territory The Territory of Michigan was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from June 30, 1805, until January 26, 1837, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Michigan. Detroit ...

officially created out of a part of the

. * June 11, 1805 – Fire destroys most of Detroit. * November 15, 1815 – Boundaries of Wayne County redrawn, county split into 18 townships. * January 5, 1818 – Springwells Township established by Gov.

. * October 23, 1824 – Bucklin Township created by Gov. Lewis Cass. The area ran from Greenfield to approximately Haggerty and from Van Born to Eight Mile. * 1826 – Conrad Ten Eyck builds Ten Eyck Tavern at Michigan Avenue and Rouge River. * 1827 – Wayne County's boundaries changed to its current . * April 12, 1827 – Springwells and Bucklin townships formally organized and laid out by gubernatorial act. * October 29, 1829 – Bucklin Township split along what is today Inkster Road into Nankin (west half) and Pekin (east half) townships. * March 21, 1833 – Pekin Township renamed

. * March 31, 1833 – Greenfield Township created from north and west sections of Springwells Township, including what is now today east Dearborn. * April 1, 1833 – Dearborn Township created from southern half of Redford Township south of Bonaparte Avenue (Joy Road). * October 23, 1834 – Dearborn Township renamed Bucklin Township. * March 26, 1836 – Bucklin Township renamed Dearborn Township. * January 26, 1837 – Michigan admitted to the Union as the 26th state.

Stevens T. Mason Stevens Thomson Mason (October 27, 1811 – January 4, 1843) was an American politician who served as the first governor of Michigan from 1835 to 1840. Coming to political prominence at an early age, Mason was appointed his territory's ...

is first governor. * 1837 –

Michigan Central Railroad The Michigan Central Railroad (reporting mark MC) was originally incorporated in 1846 to establish rail service between Detroit, Michigan, and St. Joseph, Michigan. The railroad later operated in the states of Michigan, Indiana, and Illinois in ...

extended through Springwells Township. Hamlet of Springwells rises along railroad. * April 5, 1838 – Village of Dearbornville incorporates. Village later unincorporated on May 11, 1846. * 1849 Detroit annexes Springwells Township east of Brooklyn Street. * April 2, 1850 – Greenfield Township annexes another section of Springwells Township. * February 12, 1857 – Detroit annexes Springwells Township east of Grand Boulevard. * March 25, 1873 – Springwells Township annexes back section of Greenfield Township south of Tireman * May 28, 1875 – Postmaster general changes name of Dearbornville post office to Dearborn post office, hence changing the city's name. * 1875 – Detroit annexes another section of Springwells Township. * June 20, 1884 – Detroit annexes Springwells Township east of Livernois.

Incorporation as village

* March 24, 1893 Village of Dearborn incorporates. * 1906 Detroit annexes another section of Springwells Township. * 1916 Detroit annexes more of Springwells Township, forming Dearborn's eastern boundary. * December 9, 1919 Springwells Township incorporates as the Village of Springwells. * October 16, 1922 Springwells Township (Village?) annexes small section of Dearborn Township east of present-day Greenfield Road. * December 27, 1923 Voters approve incorporation of the City of Springwells. It officially became a city April 7, 1924. * September 9, 1924 Village of Warrendale incorporates. * April 6, 1925 Warrendale voters and residents of remaining Greenfield Township approve annexation by Detroit. * May 26, 1925 The Village of Dearborn annexes most of Dearborn Township. * December 23, 1925 The City of Springwells changes its name to the City of Fordson. * September 14, 1926 Election approves incorporation of village of Inkster from an eastern portion of Nankin Township and a western portion of Dearborn Township, causing the unincorporated part of Dearborn Township to be separated into two unconnected sections.

Formation of Dearborn's Historic Springwells Park Neighborhood

On February 14, 1927, Village of Dearborn residents voted to become a city. The following year on June 12, 1928 voters approved consolidation of the City of Dearborn (population 9,000), City of Fordson (population 33,000) and part of Dearborn Township consolidated into the City of Dearborn. On January 9, 1929 Clyde M. Ford was elected as the first mayor of Dearborn. The Historic Springwells Park Neighborhood was established in 1939 by Edsel B. Ford to provide company executives and auto workers with upscale housing accommodations.

Notable natives

* Eddie Cicotte, baseball pitcher and member of the Black Sox who threw the

1919 World Series The 1919 World Series was the championship series in Major League Baseball for the 1919 season. The 16th edition of the World Series, it matched the American League champion Chicago White Sox against the National League champion Cincinnati Reds. ...

, American

industrialist A business magnate, also known as a tycoon, is a person who has achieved immense wealth through the ownership of multiple lines of enterprise. The term characteristically refers to a powerful entrepreneur or investor who controls, through per ...

and inventor of

Ford Motor Company Ford Motor Company (commonly known as Ford) is an American multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Dearborn, Michigan, United States. It was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. The company sells automobi ...

References

{{reflist Defunct townships in Michigan Former townships in Wayne County, Michigan 1818 establishments in Michigan Territory Populated places established in 1818 1926 disestablishments in Michigan Populated places disestablished in 1926