The town of Springport sits in the township of the same name in Jackson County's upper left corner.

Early settlers included Ebenezer Brown, O. V. Hammond, Edward Ferris.....and John Oyer who helped develop the community. A post office soon began operating, named after Mr. Oyer called “Oyer's Corners” which the town was briefly called. According to Michigan Place Names, that name didn't hold, and soon the village name was changed to “Springport” after the numerous amount of springs in the area. But Wiki says the town was named after Springport, New York, a town in Cayuga County where Oyer was from. Which to believe?

FAST FACTS:
1835: First barn built
1836: First sawmill built
1838: First school house built
1839: Otter Creek post office opened a few miles away

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As the 1800s went on, the town boasted 400-600 residents along with:
Agricultural stores
Two drug stores
Three dry goods stores
Furniture store
Grocer
Hardware store
Hotel
Two steam mills

The Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railroad came through the town in 1876 and by 1883 Springport was incorporated as a village. The old depot has been preserved and still sits in the same spot as it did over one hundred years ago. Many of the old original storefronts (as you'll see in the photo gallery below) have been demolished, leaving only a few remaining.

The gallery below also shows some great vintage images of Springport, with a few “then-and-now" photo comparisons. Compare, then take a roadtrip thru Springport some weekend!

The Town of Springport, Jackson County

MORE MICHIGANIA:

Gilbert's Steak House, Jackson

Jackson County Poor Farm/Infirmary

Jackson County Fair Memorabilia