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Sherwood, Michigan is a small village in southern Sherwood Township, in the northwest quadrant of Branch County, near the Indiana border, and southeast of the St. Joseph River.

No major highways enter the village limits. The chief routes through the village are Athens Road (Main Street), Division Road (Division Street), and Dunks Road. The closest highway is M-60/66 (Mendon Road), a few miles to the north.

Cities and villages within twenty-five miles of Sherwood include Athens, Colon, Union City, Bronson, Burlington, Burr Oak, Coldwater, Mendon, Tekonsha, Centreville, Sturgis, Quincy, Battle Creek, Vicksburg, and Climax, while the unincorporated communities of Factoryville, Batavia Center, and Hodunk are within ten miles. The Indiana communities of Greenfield Mills and Millgrove are also within twenty-five miles of Sherwood.

First appearing on a census roll in 1880 with a population of 211, Sherwood hit its peak population of 447 in 1890, jumping between 250 and 400 since. At the time of the 2020 census, its population was 285.

Originally known as Hazenville, the village was laid out in 1832 on the farm of E.F. Hazen. When a post office was established on March 8, 1833, it was named Durham. Lot Whitcomb was the first postmaster.

One of the first farms established in Sherwood was the Stanton family farm, which began in 1835. Today, the 500-acre farm is still operated by members of the Stanton family.

On June 10, 1839, the post office was renamed Sherwood in honor of its first settler, Alexander E. Tomlinson, who had come from Sherwood Forest, England. The post office was closed on December 4, 1866, but the Newstead post office was transferred to and renamed Sherwood on April 16, 1868.

The Air Line division of the Michigan Central Railroad came through in 1871, establishing a station in Sherwood, and the village was incorporated in 1887. The first store in the village was operated by Frank M. Warner, who opened for business in 1870. However, he soon sold the store to Jerome J. Studley who, in turn, sold it to Isaac Maltby not long after. In the mid-1870s, the building was converted into a hotel.

In the 1870s, a few more stores had opened, but the economy of the village was centered around a sawmill, a grist mill, and a planing mill. In the 1870s and 1880s, the village enjoyed steady growth. A brick schoolhouse was built in 1876, and by the time the village was incorporated in 1887, it had a bank, an opera house, a couple of churches, a newspaper, and several other small businesses, including a millinery, a shoe and harness maker, a blacksmith, a meat market, a clothing store, a barbershop, a saloon, and a doctor's office. By the early 1900s, a pickle factory had opened.

Today, Sherwood is a residential community with little to no industrial or commercial development, other than a small wood crafting shop, an auto repair shop, and a furniture store. The brick school still exists, but it is used as a Masonic Lodge. The only church in the village is the Sherwood Free Methodist Church. Organized in 1867, the Sherwood FMC is the oldest Free Methodist Church in the state.

In this portion of our web guide, we are focused on the small village of Sherwood, Michigan. Websites representing the village or any businesses, industries, schools, churches, organizations, attractions, events, entertainment venues, or recreational opportunities in Sherwood are appropriate for this category.

 

 

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