Three Oaks is a village in Three Oaks Township, Berrien 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 so ...

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 population was 1,370 at the 2020 census. The village of Three Oaks is located in the southwest corner of

, just 5 miles from the shores of

Lake Michigan Lake Michigan ( ) is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is the second-largest of the Great Lakes by volume () and depth () after Lake Superior and the third-largest by surface area (), after Lake Superior and Lake Huron. To the ...

and within 2 miles of the

Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...

border along

US 12 U.S. Route 12 or U.S. Highway 12 (US 12) is an east–west United States Numbered Highway, running from Aberdeen, Washington, to Detroit, Michigan, for almost . The highway has mostly been superseded by Interstate 90 (I-90) ...

History

The village was first settled by Henry Chamberlain in 1850 and became a village in 1867. The village was originally called Chamberlain's Siding but was changed to Three Oaks. These oak trees were a guidepoint for train engineers.Mueller, Robert & Mueller, RoseAnna (2003). ''Harbor Country'', pp. 71–72. Arcadia Publishing. None of the original three oak trees remain today; the last was cut down in the early 20th century. Three Oaks' hometown pride is evident during its

Flag Day A flag day is a flag-related holiday, a day designated for flying a certain flag (such as a national flag) or a day set aside to celebrate a historical event such as a nation's adoption of its flag. Flag days are usually codified in national s ...

Celebration in June. The celebration and Flag Day Parade is claimed to be the largest in the country. " Apple Cider Century" is a

bicycle A bicycle, also called a pedal cycle, bike, push-bike or cycle, is a human-powered transport, human-powered or motorized bicycle, motor-assisted, bicycle pedal, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, with two bicycle wheel, wheels attached to a ...

ride of 15, 25, 37, 50, 62, 75 or 100 miles around Three Oaks. It was started by the Three Oaks Spokes Bicycle Club in 1974. More than 6,000 riders take part annually. It is held on the last Sunday of September. Three Oaks celebrated the centennial of receiving the Dewey Cannon at the village's Flag Day Festival (June 9–11, 2000). A historical marker at Dewey Cannon Park in Three Oaks relates: "This cannon, captured in the

Spanish–American War The Spanish–American War (April 21 – August 13, 1898) was fought between Restoration (Spain), Spain and the United States in 1898. It began with the sinking of the USS Maine (1889), USS ''Maine'' in Havana Harbor in Cuba, and resulted in the ...

by Admiral Dewey, was presented to Three Oaks when its citizens raised fourteen hundred dollars for a memorial to the men of the battleship ''

Maine Maine ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the United States, and the northeasternmost state in the Contiguous United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Provinces and ...

''. This was the largest contribution, per capita, of any community in the nation. 'Three Oaks Against the World', a local paper proudly boasted. This park was dedicated October 17, 1899, by President

William McKinley William McKinley (January 29, 1843September 14, 1901) was the 25th president of the United States, serving from 1897 until Assassination of William McKinley, his assassination in 1901. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Repub ...

, and others. Presentation of the cannon took place on June 28, 1900. Guest of honor was Helen Miller Gould, called the Spanish–American War's '

Florence Nightingale Florence Nightingale (; 12 May 1820 – 13 August 1910) was an English Reform movement, social reformer, statistician and the founder of modern nursing. Nightingale came to prominence while serving as a manager and trainer of nurses during th ...

'. Thousands of people were in attendance on each occasion." The Dewey Cannon, which remains on display in the park of the same name, bears the engraved

monogram A monogram is a motif (visual arts), motif made by overlapping or combining two or more letters or other graphemes to form one symbol. Monograms are often made by combining the initials of an individual or a company, used as recognizable symbo ...

of Queen

Isabella II of Spain Isabella II (, María Isabel Luisa de Borbón y Borbón-Dos Sicilias; 10 October 1830 – 9 April 1904) was Queen of Spain from 1833 until her deposition in 1868. She is the only queen regnant in the history of unified Spain. Isabella wa ...

. The Christmas movie '' Prancer'', released in 1989, was filmed on location largely in the village of Three Oaks(other locations in nearby LaPorte, Indiana, were also used). A sequel, ''Prancer Returns'', was made in 2001 (filming location

Uxbridge, Ontario Uxbridge is a township in the Regional Municipality of Durham in south-central Ontario, Canada. Communities The main centre in the township is the namesake community of Uxbridge. Other settlements within the township include the following: ...

), in which a boy comes to Three Oaks to learn about the "Prancer incident". Three Oaks is also home to the Warren Featherbone Factory, which was built over a century ago by Edward Kirk Warren to strip turkey feathers of their quills to use in women's garments of the era, such as

corset A corset /ˈkɔːrsɪt/ is a support garment worn to constrict the torso into the desired shape and Posture correction, posture. They are traditionally constructed out of fabric with boning made of Baleen, whalebone or steel, a stiff panel in th ...

s, which used "stiffeners". This replacement for the "whalebone" material was welcomed by the garment industry of the late 19th century. The factory still stands today and houses the Journeyman Distillery, Acorn Theater, and Featherbone Factory. A financial crisis occurred in 2008, after the village proceeded with a $350,000 five block street project. This and other expenses over the previous four years left Three Oaks a deficit of about $600,000 (about a one-year budget) by April 2008. The Village President, the Clerk, and a councilman resigned while two councilmen did not seek re-election. On November 4, 2008, a new slate of village councilors were voted into office. The village faced bankruptcy in early December 2008 due to fiscal mismanagement and the State of Michigan took over financial management of the village with the appointment of a financial manager. The state of Michigan appointed Emergency Financial Manager Pam Amato effective December 17, 2008, to take over village operations and guide the newly elected Council through development of a five-year deficit elimination plan. On April 29, 2009, the EFM laid off every officer except the chief of police. The laid off officers were brought back around 2 weeks later. The village was given a recommendation to disband its Downtown Development Authority, after an audit showed receipt of excess funds that should have gone to the school district. Amato ended work as the emergency manager on December 4, 2009. On February 10, 2010, the Village of Three Oaks hired Patrick Yoder to serve as the first Village Manager.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the village has a total area of , all land.

Demographics

2010 census

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2010, there were 1,622 people, 678 households, and 422 families living in the village. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was . There were 797 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 93.2%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 1.1%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 1.4% Native American, 0.6% Asian, 0.1%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 1.7% from other races, and 1.8% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 4.4% of the population. There were 678 households, of which 31.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.5% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 14.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.6% had a male householder with no wife present, and 37.8% were non-families. 31.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 3.01. The median age in the village was 39.3 years. 24.4% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.1% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 25.6% were from 25 to 44; 28.5% were from 45 to 64; and 13.4% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the village was 48.6% male and 51.4% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 1,829 people, 741 households, and 486 families living in the village. The population density was . There were 800 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 96.34%

, 0.93%

, 0.77% Native American, 0.11% Asian, 0.66% from other races, and 1.20% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 1.86% of the population. There were 741 households, out of which 34.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.8% were

living together, 13.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.3% were non-families. 29.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 3.05. In the village, the population was spread out, with 27.4% under the age of 18, 9.2% from 18 to 24, 29.4% from 25 to 44, 21.9% from 45 to 64, and 12.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.5 males. The median income for a household in the village was $34,120, and the median income for a family was $41,146. Males had a median income of $31,923 versus $20,875 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the village was $16,361. About 8.5% of families and 11.7% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 14.3% of those under age 18 and 7.7% of those age 65 or over.

Media

Three Oaks was the fictional setting of the soap opera, ''

Young Doctor Malone ''Young Doctor Malone'' is an American soap opera, created by Irna Phillips, which had a long run on radio and television from 1939 to 1963. The producer was Betty Corday (1912–1987), who also produced '' Pepper Young's Family'' and later wa ...

'', on radio and television from 1939 to 1960. Three Oaks was the setting of the 1989 film '' Prancer'' and town scenes and exteriors were shot there.

Notable people

* Al Benson, radio DJ * Henry Chamberlain, member of the

Michigan House of Representatives The Michigan House of Representatives is the lower house of the Michigan Legislature. There are 110 members, each of whom is elected from constituencies having approximately 77,000 to 91,000 residents, based on population figures from the 2020 ...

* Kim Clark, stage director and political candidate * Frederic G. Donner, former chairman and CEO of General Motors * Robert Hellenga, novelist and short story writer * Ron Jelinek, member of the

Michigan Legislature The Michigan Legislature is the legislature of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is organized as a bicameral body composed of the Senate (the upper chamber) and the House of Representatives (the lower chamber). Article IV of the Michigan Con ...

* Carlos T. Mock, physician, activist, and journalist * Elton Rynearson, athlete and coach * Joe Savoldi, professional wrestler, football player, and spy * Edward Kirk Warren, industrialist and inventor * Donald S. Whitehead, two-time

lieutenant governor of Idaho The Lieutenant governor (United States), lieutenant governor of Idaho is a constitutional statewide elected office in the U.S. state of Idaho. According to the Idaho Constitution, the officeholder is elected to a four-year term. The current lieu ...

References

External links

Official website of the village of Three Oaks

Official website of Three Oaks Township
{{authority control Villages in Berrien County, Michigan Villages in Michigan 1867 establishments in Michigan Populated places established in 1867