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The area now known as Eastpointe was founded in the early part of the 19th century by the European immigrants who came to establish homes in the New World. Originally known as Orange Township in 1837, by 1843 the area was renamed Erin Township; both names indicating that the earliest settlers were Irish. The Irish were followed by pioneers from Bavaria, Macklenburg, Saxony and other provinces of Germany. The German migration began in the early 1830's and soon became the majority of the settlement.
What is now Gratiot Avenue was once an Indian trail cut through the wilderness. In the early 1800’s, the army surveyed the roadway and shortly after built a plank road. Logs were cut horizontally and laid across to elevate the road above water. This military road led from Fort Wayne in Detroit to Fort Gratiot (now Port Huron). In 1850, a plank toll road replaced the original road. The toll was one cent for each horse.
The Township form of government lasted until December 8, 1924, when the Village of Halfway was incorporated. The name Halfway was first officially recorded in 1895, with the opening of the Halfway Post Office. This name was given to the community in the early days when the Halfway House, located at what is now the Eastbrooke Commons shopping center at 9 Mile and Gratiot, was a regular stopping place for stagecoaches traveling between Detroit and Mount Clemens. The phenomenal growth in the village during the next five years qualified Halfway for city status. The name was changed to the City of East Detroit on January 7, 1929, by first a vote of the people followed by the approval of the Michigan State Legislature.
In 1992 the city of East Detroit was once again renamed by a vote of the people to the City of Eastpointe.
Read (and see) more about the history of the City of Eastpointe in two wonderful books: The Halfway/East Detroit Story by Robert S. Christenson, and Eastpointe, Michigan (Images of America) by Suzanne DeClaire Pixley.
Both books are available through the East Detroit Historical SocietyPO Box 110, Eastpointe, MI 48021
And the address of the Schoolhouse is:
15500 9 Mile Road Eastpointe, Michigan 48021 586-775-1414 |
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