Near Spring Arbor in Jackson County, Michigan — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

Huron Potawatomi Village
⎯⎯⎯
Spring Arbor

Photographed by J.T. Lambrou, December 9, 2022

1. Huron Potawatomi Village / Spring Arbor Marker

Inscription. Huron Potawatomi Village
As early as 1825 large numbers of Potawatomi encamped at this location. One of the most prominent Huron Potatwatomi located here was Wabkezhik (Whapcazeek), who was wounded during the 1811 Battle of Tippicanoe Creek when General William Henry Harrison's troops dispersed a concentration of Indians near present-day Lafayette, Indiana. At negotiations for the 1833 Chicago Treaty, Wabkezhik was one of many Michigan Potawatomi who opposed federal government resettlement plans.

Spring Arbor
White settlers arrived in Spring Arbor Township around 1831. In May 1835 Methodist deacon William Smith and Dr. Benjamin Packard platted the 128-lot village of Spring Arbor on the site of a Potawatomi Indian settlement bounded by present-day South Cross and Hammond Roads. The men then established a Methodist seminary in the village. The panic of 1837 discouraged investment and led to the demise of the school. In 1839 Methodists moved the Seminary to Albion. In 1845 the present village was founded one mile northeast of here.

Erected 1994 by Bureau of History, Michigan Department of State. (Marker Number L1910.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Indigenous Peoples and Communities

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• Settlements & Settlers. In addition, it is included in the Former U.S. Presidents: #09 William Henry Harrison, and the Michigan Historical Commission series lists. A significant historical month for this entry is May 1835.

Location. 42° 11.371′ N, 84° 34.481′ W. Marker is near Spring Arbor, Michigan, in Jackson County. It is at the intersection of Hammond Road and Cross Road, on the right when traveling east on Hammond Road. On the grounds of the Falling Waters Park. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Spring Arbor MI 49283, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Mid-Michigan.

It is also in the American Midwest

and on the Great Lakes.

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 walking distance of this marker: No They Are Not Here (a few steps from this marker); 1835 Spring Arbor Village (within shouting distance of this marker); Potawatomi Indians (within shouting distance of this marker); Methodist Episcopal College (within shouting distance of this marker); 70th Year of Pearl Harbor Day (within shouting distance of this marker); Letter From Mrs Matilda of Albion... March, 1914 (within shouting distance of this marker); Potowatomi Burial Site (within shouting distance of this marker); Free-Will Baptist College (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Spring Arbor.

Photographed by J.T. Lambrou, December 9, 2022

2. Huron Potawatomi Village / Spring Arbor Marker

Photographed by Joel Seewald, October 5, 2014

3. Huron Potawatomi Village / Spring Arbor Marker

Engraving of indian head image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Michael St. John, 1996

4. Engraving of indian head

Michael St. John, owner of Sandblast Plus+, was recruited to engrave a Potawatomi Indian head on the original cornerstone of Spring Arbor Township back in 1996. This was done through a technique called portable sandblasting.

Credits. This page was last revised on April 26, 2025. It was originally submitted on June 26, 2015, by Joel Seewald of Madison Heights, Michigan. This page has been viewed 1,607 times since then and 70 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on December 9, 2022, by J.T. Lambrou of New Boston, Michigan. 3. submitted on June 26, 2015, by Joel Seewald of Madison Heights, Michigan. 4. submitted on April 26, 2025, by Michael St. John of Jackson, Michigan. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.

Huron Potawatomi Village⎯⎯⎯Spring Arbor

Huron Potawatomi Village
⎯⎯⎯
Spring Arbor