Brownstown Charter Township is a charter township in Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. Its population was 33,194 at the 2020 census. Brownstown was established in 1827, a decade prior to Michigan's admission to the Union.
Brownstown has three separate but connected segments due to the incorporation of the cities of Flat Rock, Rockwood, and Woodhaven in the early 1960s.
History
Prior to the township's organization, the area was involved in the War of 1812, and the battles of Brownstown and Maguaga took place in the area.
The region now known as Brownstown was, like surrounding areas in Michigan, once a part of the French colony of New France (Mid France). The area eventually fell into hands of the British and finally came under American rule in the 18th century. The original area of land south of Detroit was designated a township by the Michigan Territorial Council on April 5, 1827, when Moses Roberts was elected its first supervisor. This made Brownstown one of Wayne County's nine original townships.
Research from local historians has found that the township was named for Adam Brown, who was kidnapped by the Wyandot Indians. Brown was raised by the Wyandots, married a native woman, and grew to become a tribal leader. As time passed, settlements spread out from the lakeshore to begin changing the swampy, sandhill countryside into productive farmland. Established in 1893, Kurtzhals Farm is one of the largest remaining farms in the township.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of , of which (27.58%) are covered by water.
The township is divided into three different segments. The Huron River forms the southernmost boundary of the township with Berlin Charter Township in Monroe County. The southernmost point of the Detroit River is within the township, which leads to Lake Erie. Brownstown borders the cities of Flat Rock, Gibraltar, Riverview, Rockwood, Southgate, and Taylor, as well as touching corners with the cities of Romulus and Trenton. Huron Charter Township borders to the west. Brownstown shares a water boundary with Grosse Ile Township and across the international border with the city of Amherstburg in Ontario.
Demographics
Racial and Ethnic composition
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center;"
|+Brownstown Charter Township, Michigan – Racial and ethnic composition<br><small></small>
!Race / Ethnicity <small>(NH = Non-Hispanic)</small>
!Pop 2000
!Pop 2010
!style="background-color: #ffffb3;" |Pop 2020
!% 2000
!% 2010
!style="background-color: #ffffb3;" |% 2020
|-
|White alone (NH)
|19,915
|24,181
|style='background: #ffffe6; |23,597
|86.63%
|78.95%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |71.09%
|-
|Black or African American alone (NH)
|867
|2,615
|style='background: #ffffe6; |3,639
|3.77%
|8.54%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |10.96%
|-
|Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)
|99
|98
|style='background: #ffffe6; |86
|0.43%
|0.32%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.26%
|-
|Asian alone (NH)
|879
|1,578
|style='background: #ffffe6; |2,015
|3.82%
|5.15%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |6.07%
|-
|Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)
|0
|3
|style='background: #ffffe6; |2
|0.00%
|0.01%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.01%
|-
|Other race alone (NH)
|40
|19
|style='background: #ffffe6; |106
|0.17%
|0.06%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.32%
|-
|Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)
|365
|540
|style='background: #ffffe6; |1,557
|1.59%
|1.76%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |4.69%
|-
|Hispanic or Latino (any race)
|824
|1,593
|style='background: #ffffe6; |2,192
|3.58%
|5.20%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |6.60%
|-
|Total
|22,989
|30,627
|style='background: #ffffe6; |33,194
|100.00%
|100.00%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |100.00%
|}
2000 census
At the 2000 census, 22,989 people, 8,322 households, and 6,249 families resided in the township. The population density was . The 9,008 housing units had an average density of . The racial makeup of the township was 89.02% White, 3.82% African American, 0.53% Native American, 3.83% Asian, 0.86% from other races, and 1.95% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 3.58%.
Transportation
Highways
- (Telegraph Road)
- , U.S. highway that was decommissioned in 1973. It ran along the current Dix–Toledo Road, which runs through the northern portion of the township.
- (Fort Street)
Other roadways
- Hull's Trace North Huron River Corduroy Segment, built in 1812, is a historic roadway that was the first military road and first federal road in the United States.
- Jefferson Avenue runs along the southeastern portion of the township.
Bridges
- Jefferson Avenue–Huron River and Harbin Drive–Silver Creek Canal Bridges is a bridge listed on the National Register of Historic Places that carries Jefferson Avenue over the Huron River, as well as the connected Harbin Drive bridge over the Silver Creek.
Economy
thumb|right|Kurtzhals Farms
thumb|right|Brownstown battery assembly plant
The township is also home to the Chevrolet Volt Battery Pack Assembly Plant. GM converted an empty warehouse on Sibley and King Roads between I-75 and Allen Road into a temporary plant.
Amazon opened a distribution center in Brownstown in 2015.
Education
Most of the township is served by the Woodhaven-Brownstown School District. The district includes eight separate schools and students from both the City of Woodhaven and Brownstown Township may attend the district. Woodhaven High School is the high school for the district.
A portion of the township is within the Gibraltar School District.
Students in the small neighborhood south of Pennsylvania Road and west of Telegraph within Brownstown attend Taylor School District schools. These students are assigned to Eureka Heights Elementary School, West Middle School, and Taylor High School, all in Taylor.
Residents in the northern section were once served by the Bacon Memorial Library in Wyandotte, but now all residents are served by the Trenton Veterans Memorial Library in Trenton.
References
External links
- Brownstown Township
- Southeast Michigan Council of Governments
- Travel Treasures and Tours