Hope, Michigan is an unincorporated community in Hope Township, Midland County.
While the named community is centered in the area of North Hope Road and East Hull Road, in the south-central part of the township, it is the only currently named community in the township. Since the Hope post office serves most of the township we will consider anything within the Hope post office area to be appropriate for this category.
Historically, there were two other named communities in Hope Township: Pansy and Joliet, both of which are now ghost towns, or considered to be part of Hope.
Situated at the corner of Middle Road and Curtis Road, in the northern portion of the township, a post office was established in Pansy on January 11, 1897, with John W. Crawford as the first postmaster. The Pansy post office was closed on March 30, 1901, restored on July 14, 1906, then closed permanently on January 15, 1907. At one time, Pansy had two general stores, both operated out of homes.
Located on Bombay Road, in the southeastern portion of the township, Joliet had a post office from December 6, 1896, to October 19, 1896, with Timothy Keely as postmaster.
At one time, there were more than two thousand Ojibwe living in the region of Hope Township but, by 1860, there were only a couple of hundred.
The first European-American settlers are believed to have been the Ora Howsner family, who came in 1856. Their son, Clyde, became the first white male born in the area in 1861. Orrin Maltby, Joseph Rooker, and William and Agnes McCrary also came in 1856. Other early family names included Braley, Card, Dunning, Erway, Fillmore, Frazier, Gleckler, Goff, Havens, Henry, Hosner, Inman, Kelly, Keys, Marsh, Maxwell, McWilliams, Mills, Raymond, Schearer, Shepherd, Trowbridge, Weaver, Wendt, Wilcox, Weaver, Wisner, and Wright. By 1880, there were eighty-nine families in Hope.
The first township meeting was held in 1871. A post office was established in Hope on January 11, 1871, with Marshall Carr serving as the first postmaster.
The the late 1880s, Hope had two general stores, a blacksmith shop, a shingle mill, a cheese factory, schools, churches, and a town hall. The town's first cemetery was created on land acquired from Aaron Havens in the early 1860s, and a second cemetery was situated on land purchased from the Harris family around 1910.
There is not much in the way of industry or commercial activity within the township, with the exception of agriculture and other farm-based activities.
The Tittabawassee River flows through the northwest corner of the township, and the Tobacco River flows into it just outside of the township boundaries. A body of water known as the Kawkawlin Creek Flooding is on the upper east side.
The chief routes to and from the township are Middle Road, Shearer Road, Shaffer Road, and Stark Road. Meridian Road forms its western boundary, while Bombay Road forms the southern boundary.
Cities and villages within twenty miles of Hope include Sanford, Midland, Beaverton, and Coleman, while Edenville, Averill, Billings, and Albright Shores are unincorporated communities within ten miles.
The focus of this category is on the unincorporated community known as Hope, Michigan. However, businesses, industries, schools, churches, organizations, attractions, events, and recreational and sports opportunities within the township are appropriate topics for this guide.
Recommended Resources
Also known as Old Hope Cemetery, the historic cemetery is near the corner of East Baker Road and Hope Road in Hope Township, Michigan. Find a Grave is a reader-supported site in which readers in the area may photograph the grounds and memorial of the people interred there, transcribe them, adding any additional known information, then uploading the photos and information to be included on the site. When possible, the markers of family members are cross-referenced, and comments may be added.
https://www.findagrave.com/cemetery/751/hope-cemetery
Located on the north side of East Shearer Road, just west of its intersection with Wendt Road, New Hope Cemetery was established in the early 1900s, although both cemeteries were used for several years. On the Find a Grave site, readers who are in the area may photograph the cemetery grounds and, in particular, the memorials of people who are interred there, transcribing them, and uploading the information and photos to be added to the site. Comments may also be included.
https://www.findagrave.com/cemetery/1190/new-hope-cemetery
Situated in Hope, Michigan, P&Ks Private Stock is a line of barbecue sauce. An overview of the business and the product are presented, including photos from various events that featured P&Ks, customer testimonials, and a directory of retail locations where P&Ks BBQ sauce can be purchased, a list of restaurants that carry the sauce, and recipes in which it is featured. Customers are invited to share recipes to be included on the site. Its address, phone numbers, and a contact form are included.
http://www.pkprivatestockbbq.com/
