Hamburg Township in Livingston County, Michigan — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

Hamburg
⎯⎯⎯
Edwin B. Winans

Photographed by J.T. Lambrou, June 4, 2021

1. Hamburg / Edwin B. Winans Marker

Inscription. Hamburg The year 1831 marked the arrival of Hamburg's first settlers--Felix Dunlavey, Jesse Hall, Calvin Jackson, Cornelius Miller and Herman Lake--and their families. In 1835, Ann Arbor merchant E.F. Gay and Amariah Hammond purchased thirty acres of land in this area, constructed a dam and built the area's first sawmill. By 1837 the two men had sold their interests to the Grisson brothers, who had emigrated from Hamburg, Germany, in 1834. The Grissons also managed a store, a gristmill and a hotel. in 1837 the village of Hamburg was platted, and in 1840 its post office was established. John Grisson was the first postmaster. One hundred and fifty years after its founding, the village of nine hundred residents boasted a historic Episcopal church, a volunteer fire department, several stores and factories, a library, a cemetery and a township hall.

Edwin B. Winans Edwin B. Winans (1826-1894), was the first Democrat to be elected governor of Michigan after the Civil War. Serving a two-year term starting in 1890, he instituted the secret ballot system. A native of New York, Winans moved to Livingston County, Michigan,

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at the age of eight. He attended Albion College and the University of Michigan Law School before leaving the state to seek his fortune in the California gold rush. In 1858 he returned to Michigan and purchased a 400-acre farm in Hamburg. He enjoyed an active political career, serving as state representative (1861-64), constitutional convention delegate (1867), township supervisor (1872-73), Livingston County probate judge (1877-81), and congressman (1883-86). He died at his Winans Lake estate in Hamburg Township in 1894.

Erected 1986 by Bureau of History, Michigan Department of State. (Marker Number S583.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Cemeteries & Burial Sites • Charity & Public Work • Industry & Commerce • Settlements & Settlers. In addition, it is included in the Michigan Historical Commission series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1831.

Location. 42° 26.609′ N, 83° 48.153′ W. Marker is near Hamburg, Michigan, in Livingston County. It is in Hamburg Township. It is at the intersection of Hamburg Road and Strawberry Lake Road, on the right when traveling

Edwin B Winans - Side B image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Dave Wilcox, August 27, 2010

2. Edwin B Winans - Side B

north on Hamburg Road. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Whitmore Lake MI 48189, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Southeast Michigan

and in Greater Detroit.

It is also in the American Midwest.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Northwest Territory.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 3 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Hamburg (approx. 0.3 miles away); Trains to Hamburg (approx. 0.3 miles away); Travelers Stop (approx. 0.3 miles away); St. Stephen's (approx. 0.4 miles away); Huron River (approx. 1.8 miles away); Homesite of Edwin B. Winans (approx. 2½ miles away); The Big Chill (approx. 2½ miles away); Chain of Lakes (approx. 2.7 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Hamburg.

Also see . . . Edwin B. Winans. Wikipedia article (Submitted on March 6, 2021, by Joel Seewald of Madison Heights, Michigan.)

Hamburg Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Tom Urich, June 10, 2012

3. Hamburg Marker

Edwin B. Winans Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Tom Urich, June 10, 2012

4. Edwin B. Winans Marker

Hamburg / Edwin B. Winans Marker and Hamburg Cemetery image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Dave Wilcox, June 6, 2012

5. Hamburg / Edwin B. Winans Marker and Hamburg Cemetery

Winans gravesite image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Tom Urich, June 10, 2012

6. Winans gravesite

Photographed by John Ridley, June 1, 2025

7. Hamburg / Edwin B. Winans Marker

Photographed by John Ridley, June 1, 2025

8. Hamburg / Edwin B. Winans Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on June 6, 2025. It was originally submitted on December 4, 2011, by Tom Urich of Hamburg, Michigan. This page has been viewed 1,370 times since then and 43 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on June 4, 2021, by J.T. Lambrou of New Boston, Michigan. 2. submitted on March 9, 2012, by Dave Wilcox of Grass Lake, Michigan. 3, 4. submitted on June 11, 2012, by Tom Urich of Hamburg, Michigan. 5. submitted on June 6, 2012, by Dave Wilcox of Grass Lake, Michigan. 6. submitted on June 11, 2012, by Tom Urich of Hamburg, Michigan. 7, 8. submitted on June 2, 2025, by John Ridley of Chelsea, Michigan. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.

Hamburg⎯⎯⎯Edwin B. Winans

Hamburg
⎯⎯⎯
Edwin B. Winans