Best Web Design in Jonesville, MI (2026)

Web Design for Jonesville, Michigan

Jonesville is a small Hillsdale County city founded in 1828 by brothers Benaiah and Edmund Jones at the spot where the old Sauk Trail (now US-12) crossed the St. Joseph River, and it served as the county's first county seat. Once a carriage-and-toy manufacturing town, it is now anchored by auto-parts maker Martinrea and known for a historic downtown that holds the nation's oldest Carhartt retailer and the 32-room Grosvenor House Museum.

AppWT serves Jonesville and the surrounding Michigan area from Livonia, Michigan.

About Jonesville

History. Settled in 1828 by brothers Benaiah and Edmund Jones, who came from Painesville, Ohio and platted the community by 1831. Founded where the Native American trading route known as the Sauk Trail met the St. Joseph River. Served as the first county seat of Hillsdale County, which was organized in 1835. The Jonesville post office opened on January 21, 1841, and the community incorporated as a village in 1855. Adopted a charter and became a home-rule city on August 14, 2014, making it one of Michigan's newest cities despite an 1828 founding. By local account, Jonesville was home to Michigan's first 'Free School' and the first school district with a defined curriculum.

Local economy. Early Jonesville ran large woolen and cotton mills, and the Hillsdale County Gazette began publishing there in 1839. The J.J. Deal and Son Carriage Factory grew from an 1857 blacksmith shop into a major wagon and carriage maker employing about 140 people at its peak; it built its first six automobiles in 1909 before failing in 1915. Paul A. Jones bought the Deal factory in 1937 for the Kiddie Brush and Toy Company, which made the popular 'Susy Goose' housekeeping toy line and later licensed Barbie-branded furniture before moving operations to Ohio in 1970. Today the economy is diversified manufacturing; Martinrea is the largest manufacturer in Hillsdale County. Long-running downtown family businesses include Powers Clothing (est. 1890), the Andrew Mack Brush Company, and Jonesville Lumber.

Culture and community. The Jonesville RiverFest is held downtown the third weekend of May each year, centered on the St. Joseph River (the 52nd annual was set for 2026). The Sauk is a downtown theater and the home of the Hillsdale County Community Theatre. Gallery 49 showcases local artists in the downtown. The city has drawn recognition as one of the great small towns for food. The St. Joseph River supports canoeing and kayaking through town.

What makes Jonesville distinct. Two surviving Deal automobiles still exist, one displayed in the Jonesville village/city hall and another at the National Automobile Museum in Reno, Nevada. Powers Clothing, downtown since 1890, is the oldest Carhartt clothing retailer in the United States. Jonesville-made Susy Goose toys were given away on Art Linkletter's afternoon 'House Party' television show in 1962, and the company's licensed Barbie furniture became a top seller. It was Hillsdale County's first county seat, a role that later moved to the nearby city of Hillsdale. Founded in 1828, it did not become a city until 2014, ranking it among Michigan's youngest incorporated cities.

Jonesville Landmarks and Local Life

• Grosvenor House Museum - a 32-room Victorian Italianate mansion completed in 1874 for Ebenezer Oliver Grosvenor, a former lieutenant governor of Michigan
• J.J. Deal and Son Carriage Factory (National Register of Historic Places).
• Grace Episcopal Church (National Register of Historic Places).
• The Delevan (Munro) House and the Kiddie Brush and Toy Company building - both recognized as state historic sites
• The Jerry Russell Trail - a 1.4-mile paved path connecting into the North Country Trail system