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Berrien Springs, Michigan
Berrien Springs is a village in Berrien County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 1,910 at the time of the 2020 census. The village is located within Oronoko Charter Township.
Berrien Springs, like Berrien County, is named for John M. Berrien. "Springs" was added after mineral springs were discovered in the area.
The village is the site of the earliest European-American settlement in Oronoko Township. It was first known as "Wolf's Prairie" in reference to the 1,000-acre prairie in which it was situated. The site had been a village under the leadership of a Potawatomi chief named Wolf.
The first permanent settlers (according to European-American terms), John Pike and his family, did not arrive until 1829.
Francis B. Murdoch was a co-founder of the village and the first lawyer in the county. (His surname was spelled as 'Murdock' in some records.) In 1831 he built a two-story log house, which is the oldest surviving example of its kind in Michigan. In 1973 this house was moved near courthouse square, to be part of that historic complex.
Murdoch was known in the Antebellum period for representing enslaved African Americans in freedom suits, in which they tried to gain freedom. Michigan was established as a free territory and later state. It went by the principle of "once free, always free". If slaveholders brought enslaved people to the state, the latter were judged to be free.
The village of Berrien was platted in 1831. The Berrien Springs post office opened with the name "Berrien" on December 4, 1832; this was changed to Berrien Springs on April 18, 1836.
Berrien Springs served as the county seat from 1837 until 1894, when St. Joseph was designated as the county seat.
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Berrien Springs, Michigan
Berrien Springs is a village in Berrien County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 1,910 at the time of the 2020 census. The village is located within Oronoko Charter Township.
Berrien Springs, like Berrien County, is named for John M. Berrien. "Springs" was added after mineral springs were discovered in the area.
The village is the site of the earliest European-American settlement in Oronoko Township. It was first known as "Wolf's Prairie" in reference to the 1,000-acre prairie in which it was situated. The site had been a village under the leadership of a Potawatomi chief named Wolf.
The first permanent settlers (according to European-American terms), John Pike and his family, did not arrive until 1829.
Francis B. Murdoch was a co-founder of the village and the first lawyer in the county. (His surname was spelled as 'Murdock' in some records.) In 1831 he built a two-story log house, which is the oldest surviving example of its kind in Michigan. In 1973 this house was moved near courthouse square, to be part of that historic complex.
Murdoch was known in the Antebellum period for representing enslaved African Americans in freedom suits, in which they tried to gain freedom. Michigan was established as a free territory and later state. It went by the principle of "once free, always free". If slaveholders brought enslaved people to the state, the latter were judged to be free.
The village of Berrien was platted in 1831. The Berrien Springs post office opened with the name "Berrien" on December 4, 1832; this was changed to Berrien Springs on April 18, 1836.
Berrien Springs served as the county seat from 1837 until 1894, when St. Joseph was designated as the county seat.