The City of Chelsea, Michigan is situated between Sylvan and Lima townships, in Washtenaw County. Before 2004, Chelsea was a village, and residents paid taxes to one of the other townships, depending on which side of the village they lived.
The chief routes through the city is I-94, which serves as the city's southern boundary, and M-52, which runs roughly north-south and serves as Chelsea's Main Street. Other routes include Cavanaugh Lake Road, Dexter-Chelsea Road, Freer Road, McKinley Road, Old US Highway 12, Sibley Road, and Trinkle Road. The village of Dexter is 7.9 miles east-northeast of Chelsea, while Grass Lake is 11.5 miles southwest, Manchester is 11.9 miles south, Pinckney is 13.7 miles north, Stockbridge is 13.8 miles northwest, and the city of Ann Arbor is 14.9 miles east, and Saline is 22.0 miles southeast.
With a population around five thousand, Chelsea is not a large city but, other than slight decreases in the 1940s, the 1970s, and the 1980s, the city has been steadily growing since it was first part of the census in 1870.
Before the settlement of the area by European-Americans, the land that is now known as Chelsea was inhabited by the Potawatomi people. Cyrus Beckwith is acknowledged as the first white settler of the region when he came from New Hampshire in 1820, buying a 500-acre plot in Sylvan Township, near the current location of the county fairgrounds, from the government in 1829.
In 1831, two brothers, Nathan and Darius Pierce, came from New York, buying several hundred acres in both Sylvan and Lima townships. Nathan Pierce received a 400-acre land grant from President Andrew Jackson in 1833, founding a community that became known as Pierceville, near the intersection of what is now Old US Highway 12 and M-52. Pierceville soon had a blacksmith shop, a general store, and a doctor's office. A post office was established on May 2, 1835, with Alfred C. Holt as postmaster. However, Pierceville was bypassed by the railroad and became a ghost town. It was later absorbed by Chelsea, and is in the southern part of the city.
At around the same time, Darius Pierce founded Kedron, which was in the northeastern portion of what is now Chelsea, in the area of Letts Creek and Freer Road. It also did well for a time, having a blacksmith shop, general store, and a post office, which was established on January 4, 1849, with Elisha Congdon as postmaster.
The Congdon brothers, Elisha and James, had come to the area from Connecticut in 1834, buying the land between Pierceville and Kedron, with Elisha owning 120 acres on the east side of what is now Main Street, while James bought 320 acres on the west side and south. A third brother, David, bought land in the area, but he later deeded it to James.
The Congdon brothers helped to establish Kedron, with Elisha serving as its first postmaster. Elisha and James were instrumental in persuading the Michigan Central Railroad to establish a station in Kedron. On July 19, 1850, when the train depot was built, the Congdon brothers platted the town and renamed it for Elisha Congdon's former home in Chelsea, Massachusetts. The plat records burned in 1870, and the town was re-platted and incorporated as a village in 1889. With the advantage of the railroad, Chelsea grew rapidly, absorbing the former communities of Pierceville, Kedron, and Davidson Station.
Originally, downtown Chelsea included a large, steep, sandy hill that climbed from the railroad tracks to the McKune House, built by Elisha Congdon in 1860, and currently serving as the city's library. Wooden staircases scaled the steep hill, but drivers of freight wagons had to unload their freight at the bottom of the hill. Residents gradually leveled the hill so that it would be more easily traversed.
The first school in Chelsea opened in 1854, with twenty-one students, nearly half of which were from the Congdon families. Elisha Congdon contributed the land on which the school was built. Chelsea schools occupied that space for more than a hundred years. The first church was the First Congregational Church, which was also built on land donated by Elisha Congdon. Dedicated in 1852, it was destroyed by fire in 1894, but the construction of a new church, still in use, began only months later. Dedicated in 1859, the First United Methodist Church burned in 1899, and the building that replaced it is still in use.
To avoid paying taxes to Lima and Sylvan townships, Chelsea residents voted to incorporate the village as a city in 2004. Currently, the city is responsible for the service previously supplied by the village and township governments.
The focus of this category is on the City of Chelsea, Michigan. Online resources relating to the city itself, or to local residents, businesses, industries, schools, places of worship, organizations, attractions, or events are appropriate for this category.
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Recommended Resources
Boy Scout Troop 476, Chelsea, Michigan
Based in Chelsea, Michigan, Troop 476 is a member of the Southern Shores Field Service Council. Its site presents an overview of the activities and goals of the troop, its adult leadership, community outreach, court of honor, patrols, and membership policies. Meeting schedules and a calendar of events are posted, along with directions to camps used by the troop, merit badges, a list of recommended gear and other products, and information about ranks and requirements.
https://chelseatroop476.wordpress.com/
Chelsea Area Chamber of Commerce
Located in the Palmer Auto Service building, across the street from the Chelsea District Library, the CACC provides services to its business members with the goal of enhancing commerce in the Chelsea, Michigan community. Chamber membership policies are defined, and a calendar of events, a member directory, and Chamber contacts are posted to the site, which also includes a resident’s guide to city schools and services. Its Community Profile magazine is available on request.
https://chelseamich.com/
Since 1908, the Chelsea, Michigan company has been providing customers with lumber, cabinetry, pole barns, garages, tools, decks, doors, windows, paint, work clothes, boots, and home construction materials, as well as assistance in choosing materials, and installation services. Its location, hours of operation, and contacts are published, along with its departments, services, and commercial sales department, which caters to professional building contractors.
https://www.chelsealumber.com/
The K-12 public school district for the City of Chelsea operates Chelsea Early Childhood Center, North Creek Elementary School, South Meadows Elementary School, Dwight E. Beach Middle School, and Chelsea High School, all within the city limits of Chelsea, Michigan. A district map, brochure, and a history of the district are presented, along with school policies, an annual education report, annual notices, and departmental contacts, as well as details for each of its campuses.
https://www.chelsea.k12.mi.us/
Offering online banking and bill pay, mobile banking with mobile deposits, and e-statements, as well as home equity and personal loans, retirement accounts, investment accounts, personal, business, and agricultural accounts, loans, and mortgages, the bank, is headquartered in Chelsea, Michigan, and has two branches in Chelsea and one in Dexter. Branch bank and ATM locations are posted to the site, with lobby hours, drive-through hours, and contacts.
https://www.chelseastate.bank/
Catering to the Chelsea, Michigan community, the online site publishes local news, school reports, local sports updates, business information, a police blotter, legal notices, and other local features relating to the Chelsea area, Chelsea Public Schools, and the Chelsea Chamber of Commerce. Other resources include a calendar of local events, and advertising opportunities, which includes various types of advertising on the site, including price lists.
https://chelseaupdate.com/
The city council, city clerk, and a city directory are published on the official municipal website, along with a guide to municipal and community services, employment opportunities, ordinances, city parks and recreational facilities and programs, planning and zoning, public works, refuse services, utilities, tax and assessing data, a calendar of events, and information about the Downtown Development Authority. City meeting videos and a newsletter are available.
https://www.city-chelsea.org/
Family-operated, Cleary’s Pub is a full-service bar featuring classic dishes, a grill, a large wine list, and a full bar. Located on South Main Street in Chelsea, Michigan, its location is shown on a map, and its hours of operation are featured. A profile of the business is presented, and table and drink menus, special offers and events, and customer reviews are posted to the site. Gift cards, from $5 to $100, can be purchased from the site, and orders can be made online.
https://www.clearyspubchelsea.com/
Founded in 1969, the family-owned business manufactures thousands of furniture and related products. Originally located in Mt. Clemens, Michigan, the company is currently headquartered in Chelsea, where it offers custom manufacturing, on-site consultations, build to specifications, delivery logistics and installation coordination, CNC punching, cutting, and bending, factory installations, CNC machining, construction trades coordination, and metal and wood fabrication.
http://www.greenemfg.com/