Welcome to Benzonia Township
Welcome to Benzonia Township
Benzonia Township Calendar
We have added a new feature to the Benzonia Township website. Our new calendar will have all meeting and event dates marked. When you click on any highlighted dates, if available, you will be able to see the details of the meeting or event and links to the pertinent documents for the meeting. For example, meetings will have Agendas and other materials relevant to the topics to be discussed.
Benzonia Township Calendar
We have added a new feature to the Benzonia Township website. Our new calendar will have all meeting and event dates marked. When you click on any highlighted dates, if available, you will be able to see the details of the meeting or event and links to the pertinent documents for the meeting. For example, meetings will have Agendas and other materials relevant to the topics to be discussed.
What’s Happening!
Township Hall & Fire Station Build
Our crews are working hard to put the finishing touches on our new building. These are exciting times for Benzonia Township.
Our History
According to J.B. Walker, one of the first settlers of Benzonia Township, the name Benzonia is from the Latin and Greek words that mean “good air” or “good area (zone).” The use of Latin and Greek in its name name is appropriate as the Congregationalist pioneers came to found a religious colony and sought to start a new college in the untamed wilds of northwest Michigan.
These first families were largely from Ohio, and the oldest maps of the area list Benzonia Township as the “Ohio Colony Lands.” Most had connections through Oberlin College in northeast Ohio. Oberlin College was the first college in the United States to admit women, and was dedicated to abolition (the freeing of the slaves).
In 1858, inspired by the high ideals of Oberlin College, Charles E. Bailey led a group of Oberlin Alumni including ministers, teachers, farmers, and business people, to what is today Benzonia Township. The colonists’ “Articles of Agreement and Plans for a Christian Colony and Institution of Learning” provided that a quarter of the stockholdrers’ lands were to establish and endow the college.
The original political organization of government for the colony was Crystal Lake Township, and part of Grand Traverse County. In 1861, Benzonia Township was organized from this, and so the new college chartered in 1863 was named Grand Traverse College. Over time, the name of the college was changed to Benzie College (1890-1899), and finally, the Benzonia Academy (1900-1918).
In addition to the college, the main industries of Benzonia Townhip have included lumbering, farming, and after the lowering of Crystal Lake in 1873, tourism. With the arrival of the railroad in 1887, resorters began to visit the area’s resorts and build cottages on Crystal and Platte Lakes. When automobiles became affordable, and roads improved, tourism as an industry continued to grow, especially along the north shore of Crystal Lake and the south shore of Platte Lake.
Today, except for the college which closed in 1918, that which attracted the original settlers to Benzonia Township can still be found. The many small businesses, agricultural products, and recreational activities in the woods and on the water, still attract visitors and residents to Benzonia Township.
Our History
According to J.B. Walker, one of the first settlers of Benzonia Township, the name Benzonia is from the Latin and Greek words that mean “good air” or “good area (zone).” The use of Latin and Greek in its name name is appropriate as the Congregationalist pioneers came to found a religious colony and sought to start a new college in the untamed wilds of northwest Michigan.
These first families were largely from Ohio, and the oldest maps of the area list Benzonia Township as the “Ohio Colony Lands.” Most had connections through Oberlin College in northeast Ohio. Oberlin College was the first college in the United States to admit women, and was dedicated to abolition (the freeing of the slaves).
In 1858, inspired by the high ideals of Oberlin College, Charles E. Bailey led a group of Oberlin Alumni including ministers, teachers, farmers, and business people, to what is today Benzonia Township. The colonists’ “Articles of Agreement and Plans for a Christian Colony and Institution of Learning” provided that a quarter of the stockholdrers’ lands were to establish and endow the college.
The original political organization of government for the colony was Crystal Lake Township, and part of Grand Traverse County. In 1861, Benzonia Township was organized from this, and so the new college chartered in 1863 was named Grand Traverse College. Over time, the name of the college was changed to Benzie College (1890-1899), and finally, the Benzonia Academy (1900-1918).
In addition to the college, the main industries of Benzonia Townhip have included lumbering, farming, and after the lowering of Crystal Lake in 1873, tourism. With the arrival of the railroad in 1887, resorters began to visit the area’s resorts and build cottages on Crystal and Platte Lakes. When automobiles became affordable, and roads improved, tourism as an industry continued to grow, especially along the north shore of Crystal Lake and the south shore of Platte Lake.
Today, except for the college which closed in 1918, that which attracted the original settlers to Benzonia Township can still be found. The many small businesses, agricultural products, and recreational activities in the woods and on the water, still attract visitors and residents to Benzonia Township.
