Situated along M-72 and its crossings with Elk Lake Road and Williamsburg Creek, Williamsburg is in central Whitewater Township, which is in eastern Grand Traverse County, in the northwestern Lower Peninsula of Michigan.
Other routes to and from the community are Cook Road, Broomhead Road, Vinton Road, Williamsburg Road, and Old M-72.
Cities and villages within twenty-five miles of Williamsburg include Elk Rapids, Traverse City, Kalkaska, Fife Lake, Kingsley, Bellaire, and Mancelona, while the unincorporated communities of Mabel and Barker Creek are within ten miles.
Artifacts found on Skegemog Point on Lake Skegemog and Elk Lake suggest that the region was inhabited as early as 10,500 BC. and a branch of the Algonquin people, known as the Mascoutin, were there until the 1630s, after which the Ottawa and Ojibwa people came.
European-American settlers began coming to the area in the early 1800s, although the earliest ones didn't remain long, and their names are lost. Three families came from Monroe County, New York, but their names have also not been recorded.
In the late 1850s, the creek was dammed to provide power for a grist mill operated by Truman Scofield, and creating what is now known as Bissell Pond. The grist mill still stands.
The community has been known by four different names. After the mill was built, it became known as Mill Creek, for the stream that is now known as Williamsburg Creek. On March 29, 1867, a post office was established as Dunbar, for its first postmaster, Eber J. Dunbar. Around 1860, the post office was moved about a quarter of a mile south to be near the railroad, after the Chicago & West Michigan (Pere Marquette) Railroad opened a station in the community. At that time, the post office was renamed Williamsburgh. On June 18, 1869, it was shortened to Williamsburg.
Around 1880, A.W. Eaton, David Vinton, and Kossuth Stites built a steam sawmill on the site of a flowing Artesian well just east of town.
In 1973, as many as a hundred and fifty sinkholes developed around the community, caused by natural gas leaks resulting from an underground blowout of an Amoco gas well south of town. Natural gas leaked through a crack in the drilling shaft, seeping into the limestone rock and into the groundwater, eventually erupting through water wells, abandoned test wells, Artesian wells, and streams. The entire village was evacuated and cordoned off, and that section of M-72 was closed.
This lasted for a hundred days, while Amoco workers plugged the shafts, drilled relief holes south of town, and filled in most of the blowholes. Later, the company drilled new water wells for residents, as water from the old ones wasn't fit to drink. However, it was months and, in some parts of town, years before residents were allowed to return.
Williamsburg recovered, however. The small town was never incorporated. Largely residential, the community's post office remains open, there is a church, a few commercial businesses along the state highway, and even a butterfly house and bug zoo.
As the focus of this portion of our guide is the unincorporated community known as Williamsburg, Michigan, online resources for governmental entities, businesses, industries, schools, churches, organizations, attractions, events, entertainment venues, and recreational opportunities within the community are appropriate for this category.
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Services & Industries |
Recommended Resources
ACTS is a local non-profit thrift store and food pantry in Williamsburg, Michigan, although its business office is in Traverse City. Its location, telephone numbers, and email address are published on the site, along with its hours of operation, and its board and staff are introduced. Weekly flyers may be viewed online, and interested visitors may sign up for its email flyer. Volunteer opportunities and information on making non-cash or charitable donations are included.
https://www.acmechristian.org/
Butterfly House & Bug Zoo, The
Situated in Williamsburg, Michigan, the locally owned educational facility serves to educate, engage, and entertain, particularly surrounding butterflies and other insects, with about ninety percent of its animals being arthropods. Admission rates, group policies, garden rules, and photos and descriptions of several of its exhibits. Other resources include an introduction to GT Butterfly Charities, dedicated to teaching the importance of arthropods through direct community involvement.
https://gtbutterflyzoo.com/
Meeting at its facilities on Bethesda Court in Williamsburg, Michigan, Sunday services are held at 8:00 am and 10:00 am. Its address, telephone number, and email address are included, and an overview of its ministries and missions are outlined. Other resources include several video archives, live streaming of Sunday services, and sermon archives. The history of the congregation is stated, along with a statement of beliefs, announcements, membership information, and information about baptism.
https://newhope.cc/
The civil township is in Grand Traverse County, Michigan. The unincorporated communities of Angela, Mabel, and Williamsburg are located within the township. The official township website names the township board and administrative personnel, a brief history of the township, board agendas and minutes, and an overview of the township parks and recreation facilities and programs. Emergency service departments, cemeteries, and a calendar of events are set forth.
https://www.whitewatertownship.org/
Williamsburg United Methodist Church
The UMC congregation meets at its facilities along Williamsburg Road in Williamsburg, Michigan. The church office address, telephone number, and email address are set forth, an introduction and contacts for its lead pastor, and an overview of its ministries and missions are highlighted, including notices of upcoming events, a church newsletter, a church bulletin, a calendar of events, and links to other United Methodist Church denominational links are included.
http://www.wumctoday.com/
