Surrounded by Camden Township, in Hillsdale County, in the southern Lower Peninsula of Michigan, the village of Montgomery is near both the Indiana and Ohio state lines.
Michigan cities and villages within twenty miles of Montgomery include Camden, Reading, Allen, Quincy, and Hillsdale, along with the Indiana communities of Clear Lake, York, Fremont, Jamestown, and Angola, as well as Bridgewater Center, Ohio.
Although the area was traversed by European-Americans before that time, the first European-American settlers didn't come until 1870. The land was without the towering pines that characterized much of the state. Instead, there were swamps and small ponds.
Learning that the railroad was coming through, Joshua Dobbs, Israel Sheppard, Enoch P. Teachout, and George Hewitt established farms in the area in 1870.
In the early days of the settlement, the community was locally referred to as Frogeye, probably due to the large number of frogs found in local ponds and swamps.
A.P. Kellogg opened the first store in the community, selling hardware, implements, and groceries. Soon after, O.M. Hayward opened a second store, selling dry goods and groceries, and Joshua Dobbs opened a general goods store. A hotel was opened in 1870, and a sawmill was established in 1872.
The townsite was platted as The Station after the Fort Wayne, Jackson, & Saginaw Railroad came through, establishing a station in the community. However, the county clerk, William P. Montgomery, offered to record the plat without charge if the town were named for him, and the men assigned to record the plat agreed.
On December 20, 1871, a post office was moved from nearby Edinbrugh to Montgomery, with Benjamin Hagerman as postmaster. Charles L. Ballard became postmaster in 1874. The village was incorporated in 1906.
Montgomery has never been a large town, but neither has it experienced sharp fluctuations in its population. The railroad was acquired by the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern Railway in the early 1900s. A cheese company and a cement block manufacturer opened in Montgomery in the early to mid-1900s. As automobiles became more commonplace, the importance of the railroad declined, but Montgomery didn't change significantly.
Today, Montgomery is primarily a residential community of about three hundred people. Established in 1916, the village park has green spaces, a baseball field, and a pavilion. The village supports a couple of churches, an animal clinic, a sporting goods store, restaurant, tavern, and other local businesses, and its post office is still in operation.
Although the village was never formally named Frogeye, the town still embraces the name, holding a three-day Frogeye Days Festival each summer. Although the activities might vary from year to year, they may include a soapbox derby, a bake sale, a pony pull, a horseshoe tournament, fireworks, a frog jump, and other family activities.
The focal point of this part of our guide is on the village of Montgomery, Michigan. Online resources pertaining to the municipal government, as well as local businesses, industries, schools, places of worship, organizations, attractions, events, sports programs, and recreational opportunities in the village, are appropriate topics for this category.
Recommended Resources
Situated west of the village of Montgomery, in Hillsdale County, Michigan, the cemetery is featured on the Find a Grave website. Photographs of the grounds and of memorials of people who are interred there are displayed, along with dates of birth and death, obituaries, and other details. Site visitors may upload or request photographs, transcribe headstones, upload virtual flowers, or share their memories of the interred. Site sponsorship allows the removal of advertising.
https://www.findagrave.com/cemetery/103/berg-cemetery
Established by George Schoun about fifty years ago, the business began in an unused chicken coop, and soon grew into a four-room store selling shoes, boots, and other products. Still a family business, located on George's family farm, the business now offers its products to a worldwide market online, and at its store in Montgomery, Michigan. The address, phone number, and an email address are posted, and a product catalog allows for online shopping. Its returns and exchange policies are defined.
https://georgesbootbarn.com/
The congregation meets at its facilities on South Hayward Street in Montgomery, Michigan, where its facilities include a handicap-accessible sanctuary, Sunday School rooms, a nursery, and a fellowship hall with a complete kitchen and youth center, as well as a large garage that is used as a shop to train young people in carpentry, mechanics, and other skills. Its location, mailing address, leadership personnel, and contacts are posted, and a meeting schedule, and a calendar of events.
https://www.beginningchurch.org/
