Napoleon, Michigan is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in east Napoleon Township, southeast Jackson County.
The main routes to and from the community are M-50 (Brooklyn Road), Austin Road, Napoleon Road, and Wolf Lake Road.
Cities and villages within twenty miles of Napoleon include Brooklyn, Grass Lake, Cement City, Jackson, Manchester, Onsted, Addison, Hanover, and Clinton, while the unincorporated communities of Norvell, Ackerson, Vineyard Lake, Leoni, Clarklake, Lake Columbia, Vandercook Lake, and Michigan Center are within ten miles.
European-American settlers began coming into the area in the 1830s. Charles Blackman acquired government land in the area, although he settled in Lenawee County. Aaron B. Goodwin is believed to have been the first permanent settler in the area of the future village, bringing his wife and adopted daughter. He traded with the Native Americans who came through the area.
Another early settler was General Abram F. Bolton. He came to the region as an Indian agent, settling in Coldwater. While traveling through Napoleon Township, he found sandstone in the area and, recognizing its value in building, he moved to the area with his wife in the summer of 1832. Mrs. Bolton gave birth to a daughter, Caroline, in November of that year. Others who came between 1832 and 1833 were the brothers, Chauncy and Lyman Hawley, Samuel Quigley, Harvey Austin, Morgan Chase, Rockwell Rexford, Calvin and Louisa Swain, and other families named Squire, Ford, Hunt, and Dean.
In March of 1833, Napoleon Township was organized, and named for Napoleon Bonaparte. The first township meeting was held in Mr. Goodwin's home, and Harvey Austin was elected to be the first township supervisor. Calvin Swain, a Baptist minister, came from New York with several members of his congregation, and founded the Napoleon Baptist Church and, later, the village of Swainsville, which is known as Brooklyn today.
A post office was established in Napoleon on January 5, 1833, with Mr. Goodwin as postmaster. By the mid-1840s, Napoleon had a Baptist and a Methodist church, and there were six schools in the township. General stores, hardware stores, and mills were built, as well as several farms. When the Jackson Branch of the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern Railroad came through in 1857, a depot was opened in Napoleon. Shortly afterward, a grain elevator, a beanery, and a couple of hotels were opened.
73 Napoleon Township residents served in the American Civil War, and 23 lost their lives in the conflict.
As Napoleon became a census-designated place in 2010, at which time it had a population of 1,258, there are no figures for the population of the community itself prior to that time, but there were 820 people in the township by 1870, growing to 1,177 by 1880.
A major forest fire devastated the area's lumber industry in the early 1880s, burning more than 3,000 buildings and killing around 300 people. By 1900, the township's population had decreased to 948. By that time, Napoleon has a public hall, several schools, two churches, two hotels, a coal dealership, a livery, feed and sawmills, a blacksmith shop, a woodworking shop, a drug store, a meat market, a grocery store, three general stores, a shoe shop, a millinery, and telephone and telegraph connections.
The population had declined to 867 by 1910, and to 849 by 1920. The Newhauser Brothers opened a 359-acre chicken hatchery, furnishing chicks for Sears & Roebuck and Montgomery Ward.
In the 1920s, the State passed the School Consolidation Act, and a new school building was completed by 1921, consolidating the several township schools into one. Steam power from an engine at a cider mill supplied DC electric power to the village during the day, although it was shut down each night. Later, a gas-powered generator extended electric service. In 1926, AC power reached Napoleon.
In 1924, a homemade fire truck, built onto the chassis of a Model A Ford, was put into service. By 1947, a two-bay fire station was constructed. By 1928, Brooklyn Road (M-50) was paved from Brooklyn to Jackson, and the township's population climbed to 1,204 by 1930.
By 1950, the township's population was 2,549, and it is estimated that the village itself had a population of about a thousand people. A library was built onto the fire station in the early 1950s and was also used for township board meetings.
By 1970, the township's population had risen to 5,500. Federal funding allowed for two new tankers and a pumper to be purchased for the fire department, and federal funding paid up to 80% for sewer installations, which were extended to about 300 homes around Ackerson Lake. The township hired a full-time fire chief and a full-time police chief.
By 1980, the population had increased to 6,141. However, only 132 people were added to the township census figures for 1990.
 
 
Recommended Resources
Established in 1996, the Napoleon, Michigan company provides full truck and automobile repair services, specializing in diesel performance and repair. Offering tires, wheels, preventative maintenance, automobile repair, and collision repair services to customers in Napoleon, Brooklyn, Leoni, and the surrounding areas. Its location, hours of operation, and an overview of available tires, services, coupons, customer reviews, hours of operation, and contacts. Text messages are also accepted.
https://www.freyandsonautomotive.com/
Specializing in pizza, the Napoleon, Michigan restaurant offers delivery and take-out services. Besides several varieties of pizza, the restaurant also includes a selection of starters, such as jalapeƱo poppers, onion petals, and curly fries, as well as salads, sub sandwiches, wraps, quesadillas, burgers, sandwiches, chicken strips, boneless wings, chicken fries, desserts, ice cream, and beverages. Its full menu is published on the site, along with a telephone number and map.
https://www.thegalleynapoleon.com/
Founded in 1977 as a lawn sprinkler installation and service company, the company later expanded to include lawn care and pest control services. Based in the village of Napoleon, Michigan, the company's address, phone number, email address, and office hours are posted, along with an overview of its services, sprinkler systems, 5-step lawn care services, and structural pest control services. Client testimonials are published on the site, which includes a gallery of photographs.
https://haligus.net/
Located on West Brooklyn Road in Napoleon, Michigan, the restaurant offers dine-in and to-go services. Its address is posted, and shown on a map, and its menus are displayed, including its menu of homemade pies, along with a telephone number to call to place orders or for additional information, and an 11" pie may be ordered online. An overview of the restaurants, their hours of operation, special offers, several photographs, and customer comments are included on the site.
https://napoleoncafepies.com/
Headquartered in the village of Napoleon, Michigan, the public school district serves the township, offering a PK-12th-grade curriculum through an elementary school, middle school, and high school in Napoleon, as well as Ackerson Lake High School & Community Center, within the township but with a Jackson mailing address. Its campuses are highlighted, including its Pirate's Cove Child Care and Preschool. School schedules, online enrollment, departmental and staff contacts are included.
https://napoleonschools.org/
Napoleon Livestock Commission Company
The family-operated business provides for livestock procurement, marketing, and trucking services, using either a semi-truck and trailer or a gooseneck trailer, as well as on-farm appraisals, direct bids, farm-to-packer, and feeder cattle. The Napoleon, Michigan company also offers trailers, trailer parts, farm gates, livestock equipment, and supplies for sale. Auction schedules and information, gates and chutes, market reports, contacts, and a calendar of events are posted.
http://www.napoleontack.com/
Chartered by the Grand Lodge of Michigan in January of 1872, the Masonic Lodge in Napoleon, Michigan is part of District #033 (2019), along with the Jackson Lodge, the Brooklyn Lodge, and the Cement City Lodge. The Lodge's address, a map, and meeting times are specified on the site, and its mailing address and contacts are provided, along with links to other local or regional Masonic resources, including other member lodges. A member portal is available to members of the Lodge.
https://301-mi.ourlodgepage.com/
The civil township is in southeast Jackson County, Michigan. The unincorporated village of Napoleon is the only named community within the township. The official township website posts the schedules of township board meetings, as well as special board meetings, agendas, and minutes. Public officials are identified, and township department contacts are provided. General information, demographics, and a history of the township are presented, and township programs and projects are outlined.
http://www.napoleontownship.us/