Waldron, Michigan is the only incorporated village in Wright Township. Situated in the southeast corner of Hillsdale County, the village is near the Ohio border.
Waldron is served largely by Waldron Road (Main Street) and Broom Road (Church Street). Lesser routes include Center Road (Center Street), South Road (which forms the southern boundary of the village), and Lee Road (which forms its eastern boundary) and continues into Ohio, where it becomes County Road 2150.
Incorporated Michigan cities and villages within twenty-five miles of Waldron include Morenci, Hudson, Clayton, Camden, Addison, North Adams, Hillsdale, Montgomery, and Reading, while the unincorporated communities of Betzer, Prattville, and Ransom are within ten miles.
Incorporated Ohio cities and villages within twenty-five miles are Fayette, Pioneer, West Unity, Holiday City, Stryker, West Jefferson, Montpelier, and Bryan, while the census-designated places of Alvordton and Kunkle are within ten miles of Waldron.
Waldron has never been a large town. It first appeared on a census roll in 1890 with a population of 365. Except for a significant decline in 1930, buoyed by a large increase in 1970, its population had increased gradually to a peak of 590 in 2000. Since then, it has declined to 505 in 2020.
Reportedly, Russell Coman became the first European-American settler in the area when he came from New York in 1835. As a settlement began to form there, early settlers proposed to list the new settlement as Coman, for its first settler. However, due to a clerical error, it was recorded as Canaan. In 1844, it was renamed Wright, for the township. When a post office was established on November 2, 1855, it was named South Wright, for its location in the township. Joel S. Hubbard was the first postmaster.
In 1877, the north section of the village was platted and named for Henry Waldron, a Hillsdale resident who served in the US House of Representatives from 1855 to 1861, and again from 1871 to 1877. According to some reports, Congressman Waldron was so honored because he donated a bell for the schoolhouse. Waldron was incorporated as a village in 1905.
The New York Central Railroad once had a depot in Waldron. The most recent depot building still exists, but is used as a grain storage building.
Although the village's population has not declined significantly, it has shifted from a manufacturing base to a bedroom community. A website maintained by a Waldron native (who operates an N-scale model railroad layout based on the NYCR line in Michigan) states that the town "went from a stop light to a blinking light, and now a four-way stop."
Waldron Area Schools provides K-12 education to the village, although its campuses are just north of the village limits.
The focus of this portion of our web guide is on the village of Waldron, Michigan. Online resources for the municipality or any other government entity in the village, as well as local businesses, industries, schools, churches, organizations, attractions, events, entertainment venues, and recreational opportunities, are appropriate for this category.
Recommended Resources
Open year-round by chance or by appointment, the family-owned business has six buildings full of items and also sells items on eBay. Located along Tripp Road in Waldron, Michigan, its address, telephone numbers, and email address are published on the site. Besides offering a frequently-changing selection of products for sale, including collectibles, antiques, tools, furniture, and primitives, the business also buys items, from a single item to a house full of stuff, including smoking pipes.
https://funksjunk.com/
Situated along Seeley Road in Waldron, Michigan, the farm serves all of lower Michigan, northwestern Ohio, and northern Indiana, with drop-off points in Battle Creek, Brighton, Canton, Dexter, Dundee, Grand Rapids, Jackson, Lansing, Mason, and Milan, Michigan, a well as Toledo, Ohio, and Angola and Bristol, Indiana, offering beef, pork, and chicken. Its products and prices are described here, including bulk orders and cut sheet orders. A phone number, email, and online contact form are included.
http://www.jmhigginsfarms.com/
Move It On (MIO) Railroad System
Owned, built, and operated by Redford "Rad" Jones, a Waldron, Michigan native, and member of the National Model Railroad Association and the Stoney Creek Model Railroad Club, the MIO Railroad System is a layout with locations and towns built after actual locations, including Waldron, in Hillsdale County, Michigan. Loosely modeled on the New York Central Railroad, its layout is described, including the towns and facilities depicted. Modeling hints and the history of the project is included.
http://miomodelrailroad.com/
Affiliated with the Ohio Conference of the Mennonite Church USA, the congregation meets at its facilities near Waldron, Michigan. The church was founded in 1953 by six couples from the Lockport Mennonite Church in Stryker, Ohio. They met in, and later purchased a building that formerly belonged to the Evangelical United Brethren Church, and has since been remodeled and enlarged it. The site introduces the Mennonite faith, as well as the local church's history, leadership, contacts, and programs.
http://www.frontiernet.net/~salemc/
Located along Broom Road near the village of Waldron, Michigan, the 1,530-acre crop farm is a family operation that raises corn, soybeans, alfalfa, and wheat, as well as providing custom tillage and planting services. Currently operating in Hillsdale and Lenawee counties, the owners are seeking additional farmland in these areas, as well as in Fulton and Williams counties in Ohio. School groups and others interested in American agriculture are welcome to visit.
http://www.stoneyridgefarms.com/
The public school district serves the village of Waldron and Wright Township through an elementary school and a combined middle school and high school, which are located just north of the village limits. The district administration, board, and staff are introduced, along with the district's curriculum, budget data, and enrollment information. District schedules, school calendars, an overview of its athletics program, breakfast and lunch menus, and various reports and documents are available.
https://www.waldronspartans.org/
Headquartered in Waldron, Michigan, the company offers wired telephone installations, maintenance, and services, as well as voicemail options, long-distance services, and a selection of custom calling features, which are listed here. Also offered are low-cost dial-up Internet services, various speeds of DSL Internet, and satellite DSL service. The company also offers a variety of products, such as business phone systems, models, filters, and splitters. Contacts are posted on the site.
http://www.waldrontel.com/
