unincorporated community
An unincorporated area is a parcel of land that is not governed by a local general-purpose municipal corporation. (At p. 178.) They may be governed or serviced by an encompassing unit (such as a county) or another branch of the state (such as th ...
Michigan
Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...
. The community is located within York Township. As an unincorporated community, Mooreville has no legally defined boundaries or population statistics of its own.
Milan
Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...
just north of the county line with Monroe County.
The rural community is centered along Mooreville Road at an intersection with Stony Creek Road running west and Dennison Road running east. The Saline River meanders through the community. In addition to Milan, the other nearest city is Saline about the northwest. Other nearby unincorporated communities include Azalia and
Cone
In geometry, a cone is a three-dimensional figure that tapers smoothly from a flat base (typically a circle) to a point not contained in the base, called the '' apex'' or '' vertex''.
A cone is formed by a set of line segments, half-lines ...
to the south, Stony Creek to the northeast, and Benton and Macon to the west.
Mooreville does not have its own post office anymore and is served by the Milan 48160 ZIP Code, in which the name Mooreville is not used for mail delivery. The community is served by Milan Area Schools.
In 2021, the Mooreville Riverbend Preserve was inaugurated as an
nature reserve
A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, funga, or features of geologic ...
along the Saline River. The land was previously private property but was purchased by the township and the Washtenaw County Parks & Recreation Commission at a cost of $89,000. The park consists of a rustic parking lot and walking trail along the riverbend of the river, and future plans include a small boat launch, paved parking lot, fishing deck, and other amenities.
History
Road signage for the community states Mooreville as being established as early as 1826, which was the same year that Washtenaw County was established in the
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 ...
. The first recorded resident to the area was John L. Moore around 1830, which makes Mooreville one of the county's oldest settlements. Moore came from the state of New York and settled near the Saline River. A post office named Mooreville opened on January 5, 1833 with Moore serving as the first postmaster. The post office was renamed York on May 2, 1834 after the newly established township, in which many of the first settlers came from New York. In some records, the community is spelled as Mooresville.
When Moore settled in the area, he built his log cabin at the corner of what is now Stony Creek and Mooreville Road. Isaac Hathaway built the first
sawmill
A sawmill (saw mill, saw-mill) or lumber mill is a facility where logging, logs are cut into lumber. Modern sawmills use a motorized saw to cut logs lengthwise to make long pieces, and crosswise to length depending on standard or custom sizes ...
in Mooreville in 1832. The Baptist Church of Mooreville was founded in 1832 and consisted of about 10 members with Moore later building the first church on his own property. In 1838, a second sawmill was built, and the community "furnished all of the lumber for buildings in Washtenaw County at the time." The community also became an important stop along the stagecoach route that connected
Adrian
Adrian is a form of the Latin given name Adrianus or Hadrianus. Its ultimate origin is most likely via the former river Adria from the Venetic and Illyrian word ''adur'', meaning "sea" or "water".
The Adria was until the 8th century BC the ma ...
,
Jackson
Jackson may refer to:
Places Australia
* Jackson, Queensland, a town in the Maranoa Region
* Jackson North, Queensland, a locality in the Maranoa Region
* Jackson South, Queensland, a locality in the Maranoa Region
* Jackson oil field in Durham, ...
, and
Detroit
Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...
. The Mooreville Methodist Church was founded in 1849 and also constructed on Moore's property along the Saline River. By 1881, the community was thriving and outpacing nearby
Milan
Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...
in prosperity. Mooreville contained a cheese factory, cider mill, a steam-powered sawmill, two general stores, five churches, several shops, a saloon, hotel, and school.
In the 1880s, the Toledo, Ann Arbor and North Michigan Railway and the
Wabash Railroad
The Wabash Railroad was a Class I railroad that operated in the mid-central United States. It served a large area, including track in the states of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, and Missouri and the province of Ontario. Its primary con ...
began constructing railway lines through the area. The railway lines bypassed Mooreville in favor of Milan, which led to the decline of Mooreville and a surge of development and growth for Milan. The remaining businesses and churches soon left Mooreville. The York post office in Mooreville closed on April 30, 1907. Automotive magnate
Henry Ford
Henry Ford (July 30, 1863 – April 7, 1947) was an American Technological and industrial history of the United States, industrialist and business magnate. As the founder of the Ford Motor Company, he is credited as a pioneer in making automob ...
planned to purchase several plots of land along the Saline River in hopes of damming the river, as well as restoring the dilapidated hotel. He was unable to purchase all the private property necessary and instead built his mill in Milan. The Mooreville Methodist Church was the last operating church in the community when it closed by 1962 and fell into disrepair. By 1972, the community had about 50 residents.
Images
File:Mooreville, Michigan road signage.jpg,
File:Mooreville Cemetery (Michigan).jpg,
File:Mooreville Methodist Church (Michigan) in decay 2022.jpg,