Otsego, Michigan
Encyclopedia
Otsego is a city in Allegan County
in the U.S. state
of Michigan
. The population was 3,934 at the 2000 census
. The city is within Otsego Township
, but is administratively autonomous.
Otsego is situated on M-89
about three miles (5 km) west of Plainwell
and US 131
. It is about nine miles (14 km) southeast of Allegan
and the Kalamazoo River
flows east to west through the city.
, the city has a total area of 2.1 square miles (5.4 km²), of which, 2 sq mi (5.2 km²) of it is land and 0.1 sq mi (0.258998811 km²) of it (3.86%) is water.
of 2000, there were 3,934 people, 1,553 households, and 1,062 families residing in the city. The population density
was 1971 PD/sqmi. There were 1,632 housing units at an average density of 817.9 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 97.10% White, 0.31% African American, 0.56% Native American, 0.38% Asian, 0.33% from other races
, and 1.32% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.50% of the population.
There were 1,553 households out of which 36.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.6% were married couples
living together, 14.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.6% were non-families. 26.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.51 and the average family size was 3.00.
In the city the population was spread out with 28.0% under the age of 18, 8.6% from 18 to 24, 31.6% from 25 to 44, 19.6% from 45 to 64, and 12.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 92.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.5 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $37,525, and the median income for a family was $44,308. Males had a median income of $36,429 versus $25,054 for females. The per capita income
for the city was $17,521. About 4.6% of families and 6.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.9% of those under age 18 and 9.7% of those age 65 or over.
The 1880s saw some big advances for Otsego. In 1883, Otsego High School held its first commencement ceremony, graduating three students; A home-delivery milk route was started up in 1885; and 1886 brought the establishment of the volunteer fire department still in operation today, but no longer using horse-drawn water-wagons. The decade closes out with the formation of the city's Republican Club in 1888.
The city's popular baseball park was sold to the area Catholics as a site for a church in 1890. The Russell Buggy Company came to town as well, making popular ironclad carriages. The Bardeen Mansion was completed in 1894, and would remain a subject of public adoration until its decimation in the 1962-63. A smallpox
epidemic swept the town in 1894, as well.
A flu epidemic struck 800 residents, killing some, in 1918.
Otsego was struck by a tornado in 1975, uprooting trees and wiping out electricity/telephone services for several days.
paper mill operation depleted the town's mineral springs.http://otsegohistory.org/page23.html
In 1881, Wilson C. Edsell
built the town's first bank and opera house. Edsell's Opera House was the primary entertainment venue in town for many years until the opening of the Nickelodeon (Irv Nichols's theatre venture) in 1909. An Uncle Tom's Cabin
troupe played the Opera House stage on an annual basis. Native American
vaudeville
shows, called medicine shows, were popular. Maro the Magician, Stock theatre groups, minstrel show
s took the opera house stage on a regular basis, with the minstrel shows led by the town's one African American resident Jim Smith.
In 1894, the Mutual Improvement Club was formed to promote the study of Shakespeare.
During the 1902 baseball season, Otsego was home to Negro League baseball
great Andrew "Rube" Foster, who played for George E. Bardeen's
Michigan State League
white semi-professional team, the Otsego Independents
, before signing on as a pitcher with the Cuban X-Giants, considered by many to be the greatest team in Negro League history. He would later be instrumental in the founding of the Negro National League. For a time, Otsego had a "Rube Street," but it was renamed "Washington Street." On 17 April 2000, John Chapman, a local elementary teacher, petitioned the City Council to have one of the six baseball diamonds at Memorial Park renamed in Foster's honor. The city approved placement of a monument to him at the park by a 3-1 vote.
Otsego is the subject of several songs by Static-X
.
Allegan County, Michigan
-Interstates:* I-196* I-196 Business Loop serves the city of Holland.-US highways:* US-31* US-131-Michigan State Trunklines:* M-40* M-89* M-179* M-222-Allegan County Intercounty Highways:* A-2* A-37* A-42* A-45-Demographics:...
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 population was 3,934 at the 2000 census
United States Census, 2000
The Twenty-second United States Census, known as Census 2000 and conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2% over the 248,709,873 persons enumerated during the 1990 Census...
. The city is within Otsego Township
Otsego Township, Michigan
Otsego Township is a civil township of Allegan County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 4,854 at the 2000 census. The City of Otsego is located within the township, but is administratively autonomous.-Geography:...
, but is administratively autonomous.
Otsego is situated on M-89
M-89 (Michigan highway)
M-89 is an east–west state highway in the US state of Michigan. It runs from near Ganges Township to Battle Creek. M-89 passes through Allegan County, Kalamazoo County, Michigan, and Calhoun County. It also briefly crosses the southwest corner of Barry County.-Route description:M-89 begins...
about three miles (5 km) west of Plainwell
Plainwell, Michigan
Plainwell is a city in Allegan County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 3,933 at the 2000 census.Plainwell is located on M-89 just east of its junction with U.S. 131. The city of Otsego is about three miles to the west. Kalamazoo is about ten miles to the south and Grand Rapids...
and US 131
U.S. Route 131
US Highway 131 is a north–south United States Highway, of which all but 0.67 miles of its 266.82 miles are within the state of Michigan. The highway starts in rural Indiana south of the state line as a state road connection to the Indiana Toll Road...
. It is about nine miles (14 km) southeast of Allegan
Allegan, Michigan
Allegan is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 4,838. It is the county seat of Allegan County. The city lies within Allegan Township, but is administratively autonomous....
and the Kalamazoo River
Kalamazoo River
The Kalamazoo River is a river in the U.S. state of Michigan. The river is long from the junction of its North and South branches to its mouth at Lake Michigan, with a total length extending to when one includes the South Branch...
flows east to west through the city.
Geography
According to the United States Census BureauUnited States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the city has a total area of 2.1 square miles (5.4 km²), of which, 2 sq mi (5.2 km²) of it is land and 0.1 sq mi (0.258998811 km²) of it (3.86%) is water.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 3,934 people, 1,553 households, and 1,062 families residing in the city. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 1971 PD/sqmi. There were 1,632 housing units at an average density of 817.9 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 97.10% White, 0.31% African American, 0.56% Native American, 0.38% Asian, 0.33% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 1.32% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.50% of the population.
There were 1,553 households out of which 36.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.6% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 14.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.6% were non-families. 26.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.51 and the average family size was 3.00.
In the city the population was spread out with 28.0% under the age of 18, 8.6% from 18 to 24, 31.6% from 25 to 44, 19.6% from 45 to 64, and 12.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 92.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.5 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $37,525, and the median income for a family was $44,308. Males had a median income of $36,429 versus $25,054 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the city was $17,521. About 4.6% of families and 6.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.9% of those under age 18 and 9.7% of those age 65 or over.
Notable natives
- Forman BrownForman BrownForman Brown was one of the world's leaders in puppet theatre in his day, as well as an important early gay novelist. He was a member of the Yale Puppeteers and the driving force behind Turnabout Theatre. He was born in Otsego, Michigan, in 1901 and died in 1996, two days after his 95th birthday...
(1901–1996), songwriter, composer, author http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0113562/ - Sid ConradSid ConradSid Levington Conrad was an American television character actor with credits from 1969 to 2009, including occasional feature film roles.-External links:...
(1923–2010), TV character actor - Hon. Wilson C. EdsellWilson C. EdsellWilson Canfield Edsell served in the Michigan Senate, representing Allegan County, in 1865–1866, 1877–1878, and 1881–1882....
, state senator, Olivet College founder, founder of first national bank in Otsego, D.M. Canright supporter - Tara Nulty, actor http://poll.imdb.com/name/nm0637880/http://www.tv.com/tara-nulty/person/102948/appearances.html
- Phil ReganPhil Regan (baseball player)Philip Ramond "the Vulture" Regan is a former professional baseball player.-Early life and high school:...
, major league baseball player - Kevin VanDamKevin VanDamKevin VanDam , often called simply "KVD," is a professional bass fisherman from Kalamazoo, Michigan. He is the all-time money winner in professional bass fishing, having earned more than $5.6 million through August 2011...
, (Professional Bass Fisher)BASS Angler of the Year (1992, 1996, 1999, 2008, 2009)graduated from Otsego High School.
History
Otsego was established in 1831, called Pine Creek by its initial settlers: Giles Scott and Hull Sherwood. A post office was established in 1832 under the name of Allegan, the name being changed to Otsego in 1835 with the organization of Allegan County, spearheaded by Otsego resident Dr. Samuel Foster. 1833 brought a school to the new town, and a hotel - the Tompkins House - followed in the 1860s.The 1880s saw some big advances for Otsego. In 1883, Otsego High School held its first commencement ceremony, graduating three students; A home-delivery milk route was started up in 1885; and 1886 brought the establishment of the volunteer fire department still in operation today, but no longer using horse-drawn water-wagons. The decade closes out with the formation of the city's Republican Club in 1888.
The city's popular baseball park was sold to the area Catholics as a site for a church in 1890. The Russell Buggy Company came to town as well, making popular ironclad carriages. The Bardeen Mansion was completed in 1894, and would remain a subject of public adoration until its decimation in the 1962-63. A smallpox
Smallpox
Smallpox was an infectious disease unique to humans, caused by either of two virus variants, Variola major and Variola minor. The disease is also known by the Latin names Variola or Variola vera, which is a derivative of the Latin varius, meaning "spotted", or varus, meaning "pimple"...
epidemic swept the town in 1894, as well.
A flu epidemic struck 800 residents, killing some, in 1918.
Otsego was struck by a tornado in 1975, uprooting trees and wiping out electricity/telephone services for several days.
Entertainment
In the 1870s, visitors from all over the Midwest journeyed to Otsego to experience the "medicinal" waters at the Otsego Mineral Springs Bath House, which remained a regional draw until 1887 when George Bardeen'sGeorge Bardeen
George Edward Bardeen, Sr., a native of Otsego, Michigan, USA, was a businessman and state-level politician. He owned and operated the Mac Sim Bar paper mill in Otsego, the Otsego Independents semi-professional baseball team, and was financially instrumental in the founding of Olivet...
paper mill operation depleted the town's mineral springs.http://otsegohistory.org/page23.html
In 1881, Wilson C. Edsell
Wilson C. Edsell
Wilson Canfield Edsell served in the Michigan Senate, representing Allegan County, in 1865–1866, 1877–1878, and 1881–1882....
built the town's first bank and opera house. Edsell's Opera House was the primary entertainment venue in town for many years until the opening of the Nickelodeon (Irv Nichols's theatre venture) in 1909. An Uncle Tom's Cabin
Uncle Tom's Cabin
Uncle Tom's Cabin; or, Life Among the Lowly is an anti-slavery novel by American author Harriet Beecher Stowe. Published in 1852, the novel "helped lay the groundwork for the Civil War", according to Will Kaufman....
troupe played the Opera House stage on an annual basis. Native American
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
vaudeville
Vaudeville
Vaudeville was a theatrical genre of variety entertainment in the United States and Canada from the early 1880s until the early 1930s. Each performance was made up of a series of separate, unrelated acts grouped together on a common bill...
shows, called medicine shows, were popular. Maro the Magician, Stock theatre groups, minstrel show
Minstrel show
The minstrel show, or minstrelsy, was an American entertainment consisting of comic skits, variety acts, dancing, and music, performed by white people in blackface or, especially after the Civil War, black people in blackface....
s took the opera house stage on a regular basis, with the minstrel shows led by the town's one African American resident Jim Smith.
In 1894, the Mutual Improvement Club was formed to promote the study of Shakespeare.
During the 1902 baseball season, Otsego was home to Negro League baseball
Negro league baseball
The Negro leagues were United States professional baseball leagues comprising teams predominantly made up of African Americans. The term may be used broadly to include professional black teams outside the leagues and it may be used narrowly for the seven relatively successful leagues beginning in...
great Andrew "Rube" Foster, who played for George E. Bardeen's
George Bardeen
George Edward Bardeen, Sr., a native of Otsego, Michigan, USA, was a businessman and state-level politician. He owned and operated the Mac Sim Bar paper mill in Otsego, the Otsego Independents semi-professional baseball team, and was financially instrumental in the founding of Olivet...
Michigan State League
Michigan State League
Michigan State League was the name of six American professional baseball leagues. Five of them operated only one or two baseball seasons and the other four seasons...
white semi-professional team, the Otsego Independents
Otsego Independents
The Otsego Independents was a white minor league baseball team in Otsego, Michigan in the early 1900s. It was owned by paper industry magnate George E...
, before signing on as a pitcher with the Cuban X-Giants, considered by many to be the greatest team in Negro League history. He would later be instrumental in the founding of the Negro National League. For a time, Otsego had a "Rube Street," but it was renamed "Washington Street." On 17 April 2000, John Chapman, a local elementary teacher, petitioned the City Council to have one of the six baseball diamonds at Memorial Park renamed in Foster's honor. The city approved placement of a monument to him at the park by a 3-1 vote.
Otsego is the subject of several songs by Static-X
Static-X
Static-X is an American industrial metal band from Los Angeles, California. They were formed in 1994. They are signed to Warner Bros. Records and have released six albums, their most recent being Cult of Static, which was released on March 17, 2009....
.
Religion
- 1835: A BaptistBaptistBaptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
church was established, but wouldn't have a building until 1847. - 1837: First CongregationalCongregational churchCongregational churches are Protestant Christian churches practicing Congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation independently and autonomously runs its own affairs....
Church is organized, meeting in private homes until their church edifice was completed in 1845. The current church was completed in 1989. - 1842: A Methodist church was begun, building completed in 1847.
- 1856: The Masonic Order was chartered as Otsego Lodge #78.
- 1861: The Seventh-day Adventist ChurchSeventh-day Adventist ChurchThe Seventh-day Adventist Church is a Protestant Christian denomination distinguished by its observance of Saturday, the original seventh day of the Judeo-Christian week, as the Sabbath, and by its emphasis on the imminent second coming of Jesus Christ...
planted a congregation in Otsego. It was there that Ellen G. WhiteEllen G. WhiteEllen Gould White was a prolific author and an American Christian pioneer. She, along with other Sabbatarian Adventist leaders, such as Joseph Bates and her husband James White, would form what is now known as the Seventh-day Adventist Church.Ellen White reported to her fellow believers her...
had her first visions, which led to the invention of Kellogg's Corn FlakesCorn flakesCorn flakes are a popular breakfast cereal originally manufactured by Kellogg's through the treatment of maize. A patent for the product was filed on May 31, 1895, and issued on April 14, 1896.-History:...
and the birth of the cereal industry. - 1890: A CatholicCatholicThe word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
congregation is established. - 1894: The MaccabeesKnights of the MaccabeesKnights of the Maccabees was a fraternal organization formed in 1878 in London, Ontario, Canada. A related but separate organization, "Maccabees of the World", was also established, the two merging under the title "The Knights of the Maccabees of the World" , later shortened to the Maccabees in...
form an Otsego chapter. - 1897: The Baptist congregation built horse shelters for their congregants, a move that would subsequently be imitated by the other churches.
- 1905: The Catholic cemetery was consecrated.
- 1906: Fire gutted the Catholic Church building.
- 1911: Christian ScienceChristian ScienceChristian Science is a system of thought and practice derived from the writings of Mary Baker Eddy and the Bible. It is practiced by members of The First Church of Christ, Scientist as well as some others who are nonmembers. Its central texts are the Bible and the Christian Science textbook,...
Society organized and would complete their building in 1923. - 1918: A Church of God (Anderson)Church of God (Anderson)The Church of God is a holiness Christian body with roots in Wesleyan pietism and also in the restorationist traditions. Founded in 1881 by Daniel Sidney Warner, the church claims 1,170,143 adherents...
congregation was begun in a house on Kalamazoo Street. - 1921: A Christian Reformed ChurchChristian Reformed Church in North AmericaThe Christian Reformed Church in North America is a Protestant Christian denomination in the United States and Canada. Having roots in the Dutch Reformed churches of the Netherlands, the Christian Reformed Church was founded by Gijsbert Haan and Dutch immigrants who left the Reformed Church in...
congregation was organized. - 1953: Baptist Drive-In Church opened and was received with great popularity.
- 1960: St Margaret Catholic school was launched.
- 1973: The Apostolic Church first opened its doors.
- 1989: First CongregationalCongregational churchCongregational churches are Protestant Christian churches practicing Congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation independently and autonomously runs its own affairs....
Church opens their new building for worship services and demolishes the old building on Farmer St.