Warren
Michigan
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City Of Warren
History of Warren
Settlers came to this area before Michigan was admitted to the union as a state in 1837. When Joseph Wampler surveyed the territory now know as Warren and Center Line in 1817, he found a lot of swamp occupied by a few squatters and some Indians. The land was placed on the market, but initial sales were slow.
Beebes Corners, as the Village of Warren was once called, is also older than Warren Township. The "corners" was settled in 1830 and the first known landowner to actually settle here was Charles Groesbeck. He was soon followed by his brother Louis and Charles Rivard. Louis, who settled at what became the northwest corner of 12 Mile and Mound, hosted the organization of Hickory Twp. (later Aba, then Warren) on April 3, 1837, the year Michigan became a state.
traveling north from Detroit. A tollgate was located at the corner where travelers and farmers paid to use the road. Some of it was a plank road when it passed through a marshy part of town. Beebe's Corners was an active place with a tavern, a distillery, a mill, and a trading post; all requisites for a meeting place.
This was to be the first seat of our town government and many years later, on April 28, 1893, became the Village of Warren. It was a one square mile area from 13 Mile Road to 14 Mile Road and extending one-half mile either side of Mound Road.
A contributing factor in bringing people to Michigan was the Erie Canal. It provided transportation from the Hudson River to Lake Erie. This was the brain child of DeWitt Clinton, whose name is perpetuated in Michigan by the township and river in Macomb County. A degree of prosperity in the eastern part of the country enable many farm families to try their luck further west. Along with these eastern families came many immigrants from Germany, Belgium and France.
The Great Depression of the 1930's ground all building and expansion to a halt. The election of Franklin Roosevelt in 1931 brought forth many programs to help. The WPA program provided public jobs, closed banks were reorganized and the general economy improved. During World War II, the Tank Arsenal (the "Arsenal of Democracy") was built. This was followed by the establishment of the GM Tech Center and Warren became the industrial center it is today.
October 27, 1956, was the date that Gov. G. Mennen Williams signed the charter designating Warren as a city. Official operations of the Chartered City of Warren began January 1, 1957. Between 1960 and 1970, Warren's population doubled, with new homes and shopping centers. But much of Old Warren remains and it is the goal of the Warren Historical Society and the two Historical Commissions to maintain the sense of history which we pass on to future generations.
Settlers came to this area before Michigan was admitted to the union as a state in 1837. When Joseph Wampler surveyed the territory now know as Warren and Center Line in 1817, he found a lot of swamp occupied by a few squatters and some Indians. The land was placed on the market, but initial sales were slow.
Beebes Corners, as the Village of Warren was once called, is also older than Warren Township. The "corners" was settled in 1830 and the first known landowner to actually settle here was Charles Groesbeck. He was soon followed by his brother Louis and Charles Rivard. Louis, who settled at what became the northwest corner of 12 Mile and Mound, hosted the organization of Hickory Twp. (later Aba, then Warren) on April 3, 1837, the year Michigan became a state.
traveling north from Detroit. A tollgate was located at the corner where travelers and farmers paid to use the road. Some of it was a plank road when it passed through a marshy part of town. Beebe's Corners was an active place with a tavern, a distillery, a mill, and a trading post; all requisites for a meeting place.
This was to be the first seat of our town government and many years later, on April 28, 1893, became the Village of Warren. It was a one square mile area from 13 Mile Road to 14 Mile Road and extending one-half mile either side of Mound Road.
A contributing factor in bringing people to Michigan was the Erie Canal. It provided transportation from the Hudson River to Lake Erie. This was the brain child of DeWitt Clinton, whose name is perpetuated in Michigan by the township and river in Macomb County. A degree of prosperity in the eastern part of the country enable many farm families to try their luck further west. Along with these eastern families came many immigrants from Germany, Belgium and France.
The Great Depression of the 1930's ground all building and expansion to a halt. The election of Franklin Roosevelt in 1931 brought forth many programs to help. The WPA program provided public jobs, closed banks were reorganized and the general economy improved. During World War II, the Tank Arsenal (the "Arsenal of Democracy") was built. This was followed by the establishment of the GM Tech Center and Warren became the industrial center it is today.
October 27, 1956, was the date that Gov. G. Mennen Williams signed the charter designating Warren as a city. Official operations of the Chartered City of Warren began January 1, 1957. Between 1960 and 1970, Warren's population doubled, with new homes and shopping centers. But much of Old Warren remains and it is the goal of the Warren Historical Society and the two Historical Commissions to maintain the sense of history which we pass on to future generations.