Web Design in Bellevue, MI

About Bellevue, Eaton County

Bellevue is a village of 1,308 people (2020 census) in Bellevue Township, Eaton County, on the Battle Creek River. It was the first town founded in Eaton County and the county's original seat, and it keeps an unusually dense set of historic buildings for its size, including a Gothic Revival gristmill that still generates power. Bellevue Township, the surrounding unit, had 3,200 people in 2020 across 36.6 square miles.

History of Bellevue

• Isaac Crary first bought the land in 1832, choosing it partly for easy access to waterpower, and later platted the village.
• Captain Reuben Fitzgerald, a War of 1812 veteran, founded Bellevue in 1833. It was the first town founded in Eaton County and served as the original county seat and courthouse location until Charlotte was founded.
• In 1854 Manlius Mann of Marshall bought the mill plot and hired builder Horatio Hall to put up the gristmill on the west bank of the Battle Creek, along with a sawmill on the east bank that operated until the 1920s.

Landmarks and Places in Bellevue

• Bellevue Gothic Mill, 218 East Mill Street, a five-story board-and-batten gristmill on the west bank of the Battle Creek. Designated a Michigan State Historic Site on November 15, 1973, listed on the National Register of Historic Places on March 4, 1975, and given a Michigan historical marker in 2016.
• Main Street Historic District, 100-217 North Main Street, designated October 2, 1980.
• Bellevue Municipal Building, 201 North Main Street, designated October 21, 1975.

The Bellevue Economy

• A large limestone bed on the west side of town has been mined for over a century, and stone from it was used to help build the Michigan State Capitol. The quarry was preserved through the efforts of Darwin W. Kuhl.
• The Bellevue Gothic Mill produced grain from 1854 until 1958, latterly under the well-known regional trade name Blue Bird Flour, and served settlers within about a 20-mile radius in its early years. After closure it was used for grain storage until 1975.
• The mill now generates about 45 kW of hydroelectricity as Michiana Hydroelectric, running since December 1982.

Community Life in Bellevue

• A Memorial Day parade is held annually, sponsored by Bellevue's American Legion Post 280 and Bellevue Township.
• On Independence Day, fireworks are launched from the athletic fields of Bellevue Junior/Senior High School and Bellevue Elementary School.
• The Bellevue Athletic Boosters host the Bellevue Car, Truck, and Motorcycle Show downtown each summer; the 2019 event was the 25th annual. Garage sales, vendor booths, a pancake and sausage breakfast at the Bellevue United Methodist Church, hot dog lunches at the Bellevue Fire Station and a 3-on-3 basketball tournament run alongside it.

Local reference: en.wikipedia.org, en.wikipedia.org, en.wikipedia.org