Washtenaw County, Michigan
Anderson, William, House
Ann Arbor Central Fire Station
Annin, Joseph, House
Bell Road Bridge
Bell-Spalding House
Bennett, Henry, House
Brinkerhoff-Becker House
Chelsea Commercial Historic District
Church, Zalmon, House
Davenport, William H., House
Delhi Bridge
Delta Upsilon Fraternity House
Detroit Observatory
Detroit, Hillsdale and Indiana Railroad-Saline Depot
Devereaux, Nathan B., Octagon House
Dixboro United Methodist Church
Earl, Thomas, House
East Michigan Avenue Historic District
Eastern Michigan University Historic District
First National Bank Building
Forbes, Jortin, House
Fountain-Bessac House
Friend-Hack House
Frieze, Henry S., House
Germania Building Complex
Goodyear Block
Gordon Hall
Goss, Arnold and Gertrude, House
Guthard, Charles, House
Harris Hall
Highland Cemetery
Hoffstetter, Jacob, House
Kellogg-Warden House
Ladies' Literary Club Building
Litchfield, James, House
Lutz, George R., House
Main Street Historic District
Main Street Post Office
Mechem, Floyd R., House
Metcalf, Robert C. and Bettie J. (Sponseller), House
Methodist Episcopal Church Parsonage
Michigan Central Railroad Chelsea Depot
Michigan Central Railroad Depot
Michigan Theater Building
Miller-Walker House
Muschenheim, William and Elizabeth (Bodanzky), House
Newberry Hall
Nickels Arcade
North Ann Arbor Street Historic District
Northern Brewery
Oakwood Cemetery Mausoleum
Old West Side Historic District
Palmer, George W., House
Palmer, William B. and Mary Shuford, House
Parker Mill Complex
Pease Auditorium
President's House, University Of Michigan
Rentschler, Emanuel and Elizabeth, Farmstead
Saint Mary's School
Salem Methodist Episcopal Church and Salem Walker Cemetery
Saline First Presbyterian Church
Schuyler Mill-Ford Soybean Plant Complex
St. Patrick's Parish Complex
Starkweather Religious Center
Stone School
Sturm, Louis, House
Sutherland, Landgford and Lydia McMichael, Farmstead
Ticknor, Dr. Benajah, House
Tuomy Hills Service Station
Union Block
Unitarian Universalist Church
University Of Michigan Central Campus Historic District
Van Duzer, Samuel D., House
Wallace Block-Old Saline Village Hall
Watson, Henry R., House
Weinmann Block
White, Orrin, House
Wilson, Judge Robert S., House
Ypsilanti Historic District
Ypsilanti Historic District (Boundary Increase)
Ypsilanti Water Works Stand Pipe
107th Field Signal Battalion U.S.A. / World War Memorial
220 N. Huron
50 Years of Friendship
A Corner Landmark on Huron and North Fourth
A Former Bank and Estate on Ann Street
A Landmark of Civic Pride on Courthouse Square
A Meeting Place for Ann Arbor's Black Community
A Second Shopping District
Abolition and the Underground Railroad
Acacia
Agriculture, Water Power, and Transportation
Alban Cemetery
Alice Frances House•Library
Allen Creek Valley Shapes the Town
Ann Arbor High School
Ann Arbor Streetcars
Ann Arbor's New "Streamlined" Bus Depot
Anson Brown and Early Lower Town
Antislavery Society
Architecture & Business on Courthouse Square
At Home in the 19th Century
Bethel Church
Bethlehem Cemetery
Bethlehem Cemetery Veterans Memorial
Bethlehem United Church of Christ
Blacksmith Shop
Braman Hotel
Bridgewater Town Hall
Brown and Fuller's Addition—1832
Building New Around Old: The Construction of the Present Courthouse
Business and Banking
Campus Patterns of Residential Life
Carnegie Library
Carriage House
Centers for Communications on Courthouse Square
Central Title Service Building
Changing Retail Patterns
Charles Fox
Chelsea / Chelsea Depot
Cider Mill
Commerce on the "Ann Street Block"
Cook Family Cemetery / The Cook Family
Courthouse Square: A Center of Civic Life
Davenport House
David McCollum's House
Delhi Bridge
Delta Sigma Delta
Delta Upsilon Fraternity
Departing Heroes and the Home Front
Dexter Area Civil War Memorial
Dexter Depot / Track Pans
Dixboro United Methodist Church
Douglass Houghton
Downtown Movie Theaters
Dry Goods
Earhart Manor
Early Days in Depot Town
Early Power and Transportation
East University Avenue Campus Boundary
Eastern Michigan College
Eating and Drinking in Ann Arbor
Elijah McCoy
Engineering at Michigan
Essential City Services
Everyone Loves a Parade
Facing the Fire
First City Hall
First Congregational Church
First Medical Buildings
First Methodist Episcopal Church
First National Building
First Presbyterian Church
First Presbyterian Church Cornerstone
Food and Drink
Forest Hill
Forest Lawn Cemetery
Fountain-Bessac House
Four World Records
Frederick Pelham: Bridge Engineer
From Horses to Cars: Early Autos, Service and Parts
From Industry to Parks
From Interurbans to Buses
From Liveries to Taxis
Frontier Cozy
FUMC's BSA Troop 4
Geddesburg
Germans on Ashley Street
Governor Alpheus Felch
Grist Mill
Hardware
Harris Hall
Highland Cemetery
History of Mill Creek Dam
Hog House
Homes of Early Lower Town Settlers
Hospitality on Courthouse Square
How It Happened
Hoyt Garrod Post and Family History
Hudson Mills
Hudsons & Friends
Ice House
Ideation Building
In Loving Memory of Carpenters Post No. 180
In memory of all Veterans
Indian Trails, Roads, and Trains
Industry and Recreation on Allen Creek
Jerusalem
John Cassidy House
John F. Kennedy Defines The Peace Corps
John Wesley Conant House
Joseph Whiting
Kempf House
L. C. Allen House
Ladies' Literary Club House
Law Quadrangle
Log Cabin
Lower Level of the Barn
Lower Town's Flour Mills
Main Street in the 1890s
Main Street Shopping Expands
Manchester Township Library / James A. Lynch House
Manchester War Memorial
Manufacturing History
Manufacturing in Lower Town: The Ann Arbor Agricultural Works
Martha Cook Building
McDivitt-White Plaza
Michigan Avenue Industry
Michigan Becomes a State
Michigan Central Freighthouse
Michigan Central Railroad Depot
Michigan Central Railroad Depot
Michigan Central Railroad Gardens
Michigan Chapter of the Scabbard and Blade
Michigan Municipal League
Michigan Summer Symposium in Theoretical Physics
Michigan Union
Michigan Union 75th Anniversary
Michigan's First Jewish Cemetery
Michigan's Interurbans
Native American Trails
New City Government, New Issues, and a New City Hall
Nichols Arboretum
North Lake Methodist Church
Oak Grove Cemetery
Oak Grove Cemetery Civil War Memorial
Oak Grove Cemetery-Chelsea
Park Street, East of Main Street
Phi Delta Theta Fraternity House
Pilgrim Rest Baptist Church
Politics and Processions on Courthouse Square
Power and Transportation
Power on the River
Prospect Park
Pump House
Rackham School of Graduate Studies
Redbud Grove
Residential Life in Mid-19th Century Ann Arbor
Reverend John D. Pierce
Rider House
Riverbank Rescue
Robert Brackett Memorial
Saint Mary Church
Salem Church
Salem Township Veterans Memorial
Saline Presbyterian Church
Salt Springs / Saline
Samuel Denton
Schools and Churches
Schools In Lower Town
Shagbark Hickory
Shopping on East Huron Street
Simpson Memorial Institute
Social and Political Change on South University
South University and Forest Avenues
Spanish-American War Memorial
St. Andrew´s Episcopal Church
St. John the Baptist Catholic Cemetery
St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Church
St. Joseph Catholic Church
St. Patrick's Church
St. Patrick's Civil War Memorial
St. Thomas the Apostle Church
Sutherland - Wilson Farm
Tappan Hall
The 19th-Century Neighborhood
The Agricultural Works and Lower Town
The Amazing Quarter Mile
The Ann Arbor Railroad
The Baptist Church and Meeting House
The Barracks / Ypsilanti in the Civil War
The Bomber Restaurant
The Center of Power And Transportation
The Central Forty and The Diag
The Changing Face of North Fourth Avenue
The Civil War and Lower Town
The Corners of South University and East University Avenues
The David R. Byrd Center
The Denison Archway
The German Church
The Gristmill
The Growth of City Services
The James Foster House of Art
The Jonathan and Almy Lund House
The Last Deposit
The Last Hudson Dealership
The Main Street Shopping Experience
The Making of a Great University
The Michigan Ross Bur Oak
The Michigan Union and the Peace Corps
The Oliver House
The Parker Family & Mill
The Power of Fleming Creek
The President's House
The Professors' Monument
The Real McCoy
The Staeblers and the Germania/American Hotel
The Streets Around Courthouse Square
The Thompson Building
The University Expands
The University of Michigan Men's Glee Club
The Washtenaw House and Lower Town Decline
The Washtenaw House Hotel
The Welfare Building
Thomas Church / St. Thomas Cemetery
Three Generations of Metzgers on Washington Street
Ticknor-Campbell House
Town and Gown: Entertainment and Changing Culture
Town Hall School
University of Michigan Campus 1907
Upper Level of the Barn
Uptown Theaters
Veteran's Memorial
Village of Dixboro
Washtenaw County War Memorial
Webster Township Hall
Webster United Church of Christ
Weeping Japanese Cherry
Welcome to the Parker Family Mills!
West Engineering - West Hall
White Willow
William L. Clements Library
Willow Run
Wood Shed
Xi Psi Phi Fraternity
Ypsilanti
Ypsilanti
Ypsilanti Civil War Memorial
Ypsilanti Water Tower
Ypsilanti Woolen Mill Company
Zion Lutheran Church
The county was officially established in 1826 and was named after the Native American term for the river that runs through it, "Wash-ten-ong," meaning "faraway water." The area quickly grew in the 19th century, thanks to its proximity to Detroit and its favorable agricultural conditions. The construction of the Michigan Central Railroad in the 1830s further boosted the county's economic development, as it provided a direct connection to other major cities.
In the mid-19th century, education became a significant focus in Washtenaw County with the establishment of the University of Michigan in 1837. The university's presence brought intellectual and cultural wealth to the area, attracting scholars and professionals who contributed to the county's growth. Ann Arbor, the county seat, developed into a vibrant college town, known for its progressive thinking and innovative spirit.
Over the years, Washtenaw County has also played a significant role in American history. During the Civil War, it was a hub of anti-slavery sentiment and actively participated in the Underground Railroad. The county also witnessed activism during the civil rights movement of the 1960s.
Today, Washtenaw County continues to thrive as a hub of education, technology, and culture. Its cities and towns, including Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti, and Chelsea, are known for their vibrant arts scenes, outdoor recreational opportunities, and diverse communities. The county remains a key center for research, innovation, and higher education in Michigan.
Brief timeline of the history of Washtenaw County, Michigan:
- 1822 - Initial settlement by European-Americans begins in Washtenaw County
- 1826 - Ann Arbor established as the county seat
- 1829 - University of Michigan founded in Ann Arbor
- 1835 - Washtenaw County officially organized
- 1843 - First railroad line constructed in the county
- 1861 - Civil War begins, many residents from Washtenaw County enlist
- 1896 - The first automobile in Washtenaw County is driven in Ann Arbor
- 1959 - Willow Run Airport (now Willow Run Airport) opens
- 1963 - The Beatles perform at the University of Michigan's Hill Auditorium
- 1970 - Student protests against the Vietnam War occur at the University of Michigan
- 1983 - Washtenaw County Historical Society established to preserve local history
- 1999 - Washtenaw County Parks and Recreation Commission created to manage parks and trails
This timeline provides a glimpse into the major events and milestones that have shaped the history of Washtenaw County, Michigan.