Four Towns, Michigan
Encyclopedia
Four Towns is a historical locale in Waterford Township
, Oakland County
in the U.S. state
of Michigan
. The coordinates are 42.61778°N 83.41361°W.
Four Towns received its name because it is near the point where the townships of West Bloomfield, Commerce
, Waterford
, and White Lake
meet. In 1866 a frame school house was built on land donated by Nathan R. Colvin. From that year until 1930 the building served as both a school and church until a new school was established across the street. Since then the building has been used primarily for church activities. Next to the church is the Four Towns Cemetery. The cemetery is very small with only about 50 stones, but is the location of more than 2000 burials. A few stones are in very bad condition. Many are broken, buried or unreadable due to weathering. Generations of a prominent family from the area, the Spears, can be found in this cemetery, and living relatives of the early farmers still reside in the area on the remaining portion of the original farm land which once extended northeast to the Clinton River. Across from the church's site is the Four Towns Elementary school building, previously home to the Four Towns Chargers, and later known as the Four Towns Discovery school. Completed in 1930, this historical yet outdated building has since been closed and was demolished in January 2006.
Waterford Township, Michigan
Waterford Charter Township is a charter township in north Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the township had a population of 71,707.-History:...
, Oakland County
Oakland County, Michigan
-Demographics:As of the 2010 Census, there were 1,202,362 people, 471,115 households, and 315,175 families residing in the county. The population density as of the 2000 census was 1,369 people per square mile . There were 492,006 housing units at an average density of 564 per square mile...
in the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
. The coordinates are 42.61778°N 83.41361°W.
Four Towns received its name because it is near the point where the townships of West Bloomfield, Commerce
Commerce Township, Michigan
Commerce Charter Township is a charter township of Oakland County, in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 40,186 at the 2010 census. The terrain is rolling hills, but there are large expanses of flat land on which farms and, more recently, subdivisions are built. The Huron River runs...
, Waterford
Waterford Township, Michigan
Waterford Charter Township is a charter township in north Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the township had a population of 71,707.-History:...
, and White Lake
White Lake Township, Michigan
White Lake Charter Township is a charter township of north Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan, it is part of the Detroit metropolitan area. As of the 2010 census, the township population was 30,019...
meet. In 1866 a frame school house was built on land donated by Nathan R. Colvin. From that year until 1930 the building served as both a school and church until a new school was established across the street. Since then the building has been used primarily for church activities. Next to the church is the Four Towns Cemetery. The cemetery is very small with only about 50 stones, but is the location of more than 2000 burials. A few stones are in very bad condition. Many are broken, buried or unreadable due to weathering. Generations of a prominent family from the area, the Spears, can be found in this cemetery, and living relatives of the early farmers still reside in the area on the remaining portion of the original farm land which once extended northeast to the Clinton River. Across from the church's site is the Four Towns Elementary school building, previously home to the Four Towns Chargers, and later known as the Four Towns Discovery school. Completed in 1930, this historical yet outdated building has since been closed and was demolished in January 2006.
Sources
- Four Towns Methodist Church Michigan Historical Marker