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History of Lima Township

A post office was established in Lima Township in 1832, and was first called Mill Creek, the name being afterwords changed to Lima Center. Asa Williams was the first postmaster and the village was platted here in 1838 by W.A. Shaw, J.E. Freer, and Abram Arnold.

The first township meeting in Lima was held in April, 1834, and called to order by elected Supervisor Russell Parker, with John K. Bingham chosen as clerk, and Oliver L. Cooper judge of elections. The Assessors were Elijah Cooper, Darius Pierce, and Lemuel S. Scott; constable and collector, Elias Easton; Commissioner of Highways, Rodney Ackley, Samuel Cooper, and John Davis; Commissioner of Common Schools, Frederick S. Sheldon, Solomon Sutherland, and Oliver S. Cooper; Director of the Poor, Samuel Clements and John Davis; Inspectors of Common School, Samuel Bradley, Oliver L. Cooper, Darius Pierce, Elkanah Downer, and Deacon G. Willits; Poundmaster, John Harford; Fence Viewers, Curtis Hurd, Joseph P. Riggs, and John K. Bingham.

This meeting was held at the house of John Harford and the first act of the electors of the township was to pass a resolution that the town would pay a bounty on wolf scalps.

The Michigan Gazetteer of 1837 described the township as: Lima Center, village and post office, Washtenaw County and Township of Lima, pleasantly situated on the branch of Mill creek has grown up. The territorial road from Ann Arbor to St. Joseph passed through it. This place is quite thriving and there are large quantities of hydraulic power that might be used to advantage in the vicinity.

It was the completion of the Michigan Central Railroad through Dexter and Chelsea to Jackson that side-tracked Lima Center and led to the decline of the hamlet and the building up of the thriving community.

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