Gratiot Township, Michigan
Encyclopedia
Gratiot Township was a civil township
of Wayne County
in the U.S. state
of Michigan
. Located in the northeast corner of the county the township's eastern and southern border was with Grosse Pointe Township along Mack Road (now Mack Avenue), the northern border was Macomb County, and the western border was with Hamtramck Township.
Gratiot Township had a relatively short existence. Detroit had already began annexing land in the township soon after its creation, as well as those of neighboring Grosse Pointe and Hamtramck. During this same period, the communities of in Grosse Pointe had begun to incorporate as villages or cities to further protect themselves from the encroachment of Detroit. By 1926, Detroit reached its greatest extent leaving Gratiot Township's western border at Kelly Road and its southern border at Kingsville Avenue. The township ceased to exist in 1951 when its entire area was incorporate as the city of Harper Woods in anticipation of the construction of Eastland Center in the northwestern corner of the township.
Civil township
A civil township is a widely used unit of local government in the United States, subordinate to, and geographic divisions of, a county. Specific responsibilities and the degree of autonomy vary based on each state. Civil townships are distinct from survey townships, but in states that have both,...
of Wayne County
Wayne County, Michigan
-History:Wayne County was one of the first counties formed when the Northwest Territory was organized. It was named for the American general "Mad Anthony" Wayne. It originally encompassed the entire area of the Lower Peninsula of Michigan, as well as small sections that are now part of northern...
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"....
. Located in the northeast corner of the county the township's eastern and southern border was with Grosse Pointe Township along Mack Road (now Mack Avenue), the northern border was Macomb County, and the western border was with Hamtramck Township.
History
The area that would become Gratiot Township was originally organized as part of Hamtramck Township, which was created by the state legislature in 1827.. The eastern section of the township of Hamtramck was then split off and reorganized as Grosse Pointe Township in 1848. Gratiot Township came into existence when the northwestern part of Grosse Pointe Township was split off and organized by the Board of Supervisors of Wayne County in May of 1895.Gratiot Township had a relatively short existence. Detroit had already began annexing land in the township soon after its creation, as well as those of neighboring Grosse Pointe and Hamtramck. During this same period, the communities of in Grosse Pointe had begun to incorporate as villages or cities to further protect themselves from the encroachment of Detroit. By 1926, Detroit reached its greatest extent leaving Gratiot Township's western border at Kelly Road and its southern border at Kingsville Avenue. The township ceased to exist in 1951 when its entire area was incorporate as the city of Harper Woods in anticipation of the construction of Eastland Center in the northwestern corner of the township.
See also
- Grosse Pointe Township
- Greenfield TownshipGreenfield Township, MichiganGreenfield is a former civil township of Wayne County, Michigan; it was created from a portion of neighboring Springwells Township in 1833. Greenfield eventually encompassed the survey township T1S R11E....
- Hamtramck Township