davisburg road is now open to traffic

Springfield Township was established on March 2, 1836 by the Legislature of the State of Michigan. One of the very first settlements was developed along the Detroit and Saginaw Turnpike, now known as Dixie Highway. The settlement was known as Springfield. Andersonville, located at the intersection of Andersonville Road and Big Lake Roads, was settled shortly thereafter in 1833 with the Hamlet of Davisburg being settled in 1836.

The first Township meeting was held in the spring of 1837. Early Township meetings focused on surveying and maintaining roads, organizing and financing schools and solving problems of a rapidly growing community. The first post office was located in the Village of Springfield on the Detroit to Saginaw Trail in 1835. The post office in Andersonville operated from 1895 until 1912. The Davisburg Post Office, established in 1857, still operates today.

The Detroit and Milwaukee Railroad now Canadian National was built in 1856. Springfield boasted two stations. One was opened in Andersonville and another built in Davisburg. The railroad provided a major impetus to growth in the Township. Agriculture was the mainstay of the local economy and trains allowed the farmers to ship produce and livestock to market and to receive supplies and equipment.

In 1924 Dixie Highway was paved from Pontiac to Flint. Agriculture was already declining as a major economic activity in the Township and this paved road allowed many residents to travel to Pontiac and Flint for employment in the developing automotive factories. Even more changes occurred in the 1960’s with the construction of I-75. The accessibility provided by two interchanges accelerated residential growth in the late 1960’s and 1970’s.