Williamston History
The Depot was moved from its location on Putnam street at the train tracks to its present location in 1979 after passenger service was discontinued. The Depot symbolizes the history of Williamston, which has always been connected to the river and transportation. Williamston, located on the Red Cedar River, was settled by Native-Americans of the Tawas Tribe who hunted and farmed on the fertile soil near the river. The Indian encampment was near the present day golf course.
Some of the first settlers in this area were the Williams brothers, who built a cabin and later manned the river to supply water power for their saw mill and later a grist mill which was where the present day canoe rapids is located. When the Williams brothers' mother and sister arrived from the east they brought culture to Williamston in the form of a grand piano transported on the new plank road in a wagon. The pioneers often brought their Bibles with them and built churches in the second half of the 1800's. When Michigan moved the State's Capital from Detroit to Lansing in the 1830's Williamston lay on the Grand River road between the two cities.
Williamston became active in Abolitionist movement to free slaves before the Civil War and an area near here was called Little Africa because of this. Williamston men served in the 26th Michigan Volunteer Infantry (Company H) during the Civil War. Soon after the Civil War in 1871 the railroad came to town connecting Lansing with Detroit. Now travel to Detroit was a few hours rather than the two days on the bumpy stagecoach. With the railroad came growth and prosperity to Williamston as an agricultural and transportation center. Schools and community buildings were built; in one case over 200 loads of stone were hauled by local farmers in one day to start a church.
The "plank road" was gradually replaced by a gravel road, and then in the mid 1920's by a fine concrete highway. In the 1960's Interstate 96 was built bypassing the city of Williamston and many predicted that Williamston would wither and indeed at first many businesses did close due to less traffic and competition from nearby shopping centers and malls. Williamston rebounded in the 1980's becoming a center for the antique trade and began rapid population growth in the 1990's as a good place to live only minutes from Lansing. An early slogan was "Go to work with the sun at your back and return home with the sun at your back!"
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Some of the first settlers in this area were the Williams brothers, who built a cabin and later manned the river to supply water power for their saw mill and later a grist mill which was where the present day canoe rapids is located. When the Williams brothers' mother and sister arrived from the east they brought culture to Williamston in the form of a grand piano transported on the new plank road in a wagon. The pioneers often brought their Bibles with them and built churches in the second half of the 1800's. When Michigan moved the State's Capital from Detroit to Lansing in the 1830's Williamston lay on the Grand River road between the two cities.
Williamston became active in Abolitionist movement to free slaves before the Civil War and an area near here was called Little Africa because of this. Williamston men served in the 26th Michigan Volunteer Infantry (Company H) during the Civil War. Soon after the Civil War in 1871 the railroad came to town connecting Lansing with Detroit. Now travel to Detroit was a few hours rather than the two days on the bumpy stagecoach. With the railroad came growth and prosperity to Williamston as an agricultural and transportation center. Schools and community buildings were built; in one case over 200 loads of stone were hauled by local farmers in one day to start a church.
The "plank road" was gradually replaced by a gravel road, and then in the mid 1920's by a fine concrete highway. In the 1960's Interstate 96 was built bypassing the city of Williamston and many predicted that Williamston would wither and indeed at first many businesses did close due to less traffic and competition from nearby shopping centers and malls. Williamston rebounded in the 1980's becoming a center for the antique trade and began rapid population growth in the 1990's as a good place to live only minutes from Lansing. An early slogan was "Go to work with the sun at your back and return home with the sun at your back!"
Read more...