Web Design in Springfield, MI

Springfield, Oakland County

Well-Known Places in Springfield

Springfield Oaks County Park, Indian Springs Metropark, Historic Davisburg.

Springfield Business Districts

• Davisburg

About Springfield, Oakland County

Springfield Charter Township is a rural-turned-exurban community in northwest Oakland County, named for the many natural springs in its rolling glacial terrain. Its historic heart is the village of Davisburg, a picturesque crossroads on the Shiawassee River, and the township is one of the rare spots in Michigan where three separate river systems (the Shiawassee, Huron, and Clinton) all originate. Farmland gave way to lakeside subdivisions after Interstate 75 opened nearby in the 1960s, yet the Oakland County Fairgrounds and the 1880s Ellis Barn keep its agricultural roots visible.

History of Springfield

• First land purchase made by Daniel LeRoy in June 1830; Asahel Fuller settled the land and opened a hotel on the Detroit-Saginaw stagecoach turnpike (now Dixie Highway).
• Andersonville was settled in 1833; the hamlet of Davisburg followed in 1836, named for Cornelius Davis of Ulster County, New York, who built a sawmill on the Shiawassee River and platted the village with his sons in 1857.
• Township established by the Michigan Legislature on March 2, 1836; civil government first organized April 3, 1837; named for the numerous springs in the area.

Landmarks and Places in Springfield

• Springfield Oaks County Park and the Oakland County Fairgrounds, home of the historic Ellis Barn.
• Indian Springs Metropark, which protects the headwaters of the Huron River.
• Mill Pond Park in downtown Davisburg on the Shiawassee River.

The Springfield Economy

• Historically agricultural, with railroads enabling farmers to ship produce and livestock to Detroit and Saginaw markets.
• Shifted after the 1960s to a residential and exurban economy of lake-area subdivisions serving Metro Detroit commuters via I-75.
• Recreation and tourism anchored by the Oakland County Fairgrounds (Springfield Oaks) and Indian Springs Metropark.

Community Life in Springfield

• The Oakland County Fair runs each July at Springfield Oaks County Park in Davisburg and draws well over 100,000 visitors across roughly ten days.
• The Ellis Barn, an enormous restored 1880s dairy barn relocated to Springfield Oaks, hosts weddings, events, and fair activities.
• Davisburg's small downtown and Mill Pond Park give the township a quaint village-green character.

Local reference: en.wikipedia.org, www.springfield-twp.us, migenweb.org