The City of Jonesville, Michigan is situated in the south-central part of the Lower Peninsula of Michigan, near its Ohio and Indiana borders. The city is within sixty miles of the Jackson, Ann Arbor, Battle Creek, Kalamazoo, and Lansing metro regions, as well as the Toledo, Ohio metro region.
Locally, the city is in the northwest quadrant of Hillsdale County, a few miles north of Hillsdale. The chief route through the city is US-12 (Chicago Road), which intersects M-99 (Evans Street) in the city's downtown region. Incorporated cities and villages within twenty miles of Jonesville include Hillsdale, Allen, Litchfield, North Adams, Quincy, Hanover, Reading, Concord, Homer, Addison, Coldwater, and Camden.
The St. Joseph River flows through the city from the southeast to the northwest, just west of downtown, and the North Country National Scenic Trail, the longest of eleven National Scenic Trails authorized by Congress, passes through the city.
The city's peak population was 2,337 in 2000, although its only decades of decline since it first appeared on the census rolls in 1850 have been in 1890, 1920, 1940, and 2010.
The city has a small police department that includes both full-time and part-time officers, and a fire department that serves residents and businesses within the city, as well as Fayette Township and Scipio Township. Jonesville Community Schools serves K-12 public school students in the city and surrounding region. Jonesville High School, Jonesville Middle School, and Williams Elementary School are within the city limits.
Acknowledged as the first permanent European-American settler, Benaiah Jones and his family settled in the area where the Sauk Trail met the St. Joseph River in 1828. He and his brother, Edmund, acquired more land there in 1829, surveyed it in 1830, and platted a townsite in 1831, naming it for themselves.
Jonesville was the first village platted in the county, and served as the first county seat for Hillsdale County. Hillsdale, the current county seat, was platted nearer to the center of the county in a bid to take the county seat from Jonesville. In response, Jonesville residents bought land even more central than Hillsdale, and platted Osseo, hoping to split the votes between Hillsdale and Osseo, so that Jonesville would prevail. The result was that Osseo, without a single county building, served as the county seat for three years before it was awarded to Hillsdale in 1843.
A post office was established in Jonesville on January 21, 1841, with Elisha P. Champlin as postmaster. Jonesville was incorporated as a village in 1855, and became a city in 2014. The Michigan Southern Railroad extended its track through Jonesville in 1849, and the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern Railroad established a station in Jonesville in 1871.
The focus of this portion of our guide is on the City of Jonesville, Michigan. Online resources representing the city are appropriate for this category, along with any businesses, industries, schools, places of worship, organizations, attractions, and events within the city.
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Recommended Resources
Founded in 1828, the Hillsdale County, Michigan city was incorporated as a village in 1855, and as a city in 2014. The official municipal website features city maps and a guide to city services and facilities, pending ordinances, public hearing notices, and its code of ordinances and charter, as well as council meeting agendas and minutes, a calendar of events, and contacts for elected and appointed officials, and departments. A download area features application forms and fee schedules.
http://jonesville.org/
The renovated home of E.O. Grosvenor, one-time Lieutenant Governor of Michigan was designed by the same architect as the state capitol building in Lansing. The 32-room Victorian Italianate structure now serves as a museum in Jonesville, Michigan. Several photographs are included, and the history of the building is related here, along with structural details. Tour dates, times, contacts, and admission fees are noted, along with a calendar of events, and volunteer opportunities.
https://grosvenorhouse.wordpress.com/
Based in Jonesville, Michigan, the public school district provides a PK-12th-grade curriculum through Jonesville High School, Jonesville Middle School, Jonesville Pathways School, and Williams Elementary School, each of which is highlighted here, along with a district calendar, budget data, various reports, and the district's athletics and alumni programs. New student enrollment policies and schedules are posted, and employment opportunities are presented.
https://www.jonesvilleschools.org/
Housed in the oldest house, and first brick building in Hillsdale County, the Greek Revival Mansion in Jonesville, Michigan was once used as a station on the Underground Railroad, and may be the oldest bed and breakfast that was originally built as a private residence. The B&B specializes in weekend getaway packages, offering weekday corporate rates for business travelers, and anytime lodging for parents, visitors, and alumni of Hillsdale College. Its rooms, packages, and contacts are featured.
https://www.munrohouse.com/
The bed-and-breakfast inn is housed in a restored late 1800s era railroad depot in Jonesville, Michigan. Coffee, tea, and pastries are available each morning, and a full breakfast is made to order. Featuring six unique guest rooms, each of which are described and pictured here, the facility also includes common spaces, a garden, and a wood path. The history of the building and business is provided, its policies are stated, and directions and online bookings are available.
http://roomsatgrayfield.com/
The small, family-operated, rustic campground features 2,500 feet of frontage on the St. Joseph River in Jonesville, Michigan. Offering daily, weekly, and monthly rates, the campground includes rental cabins, with air-conditioning or without, as well as tent camping sites, both primitive and with electric. Its seasonal rates are posted on the site, along with a calendar of events, a list of features and amenities, nearby attractions and events, directions, and contacts.
http://www.waybackin.com/
