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History · Belleville

Belleville’s history is
mostly unwritten

The public archives hold no old photos of Belleville. The rest are in attics, shoeboxes and the historical society. Help start the collection.

1905established
0old images & papers
24recent photos

The story

from WikipediaRead it all ↗

The community was named in honor of landowner James Bell by adroitly choosing the French word for "beautiful town". The hamlet was platted in 1847 with the main thoroughfares still used today designated Main, Liberty, and High Street. About 1881, the Belleville depot on the Detroit line of the Wabash Railroad began serving travelers from across the region and the country.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Be one of the first

Start Belleville’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Belleville’s history is told.

0 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10

Famous people from Belleville

See all 6 →
KHKevin HarrisonSportsKPKristy PaganPolitics & LawDSDaniel SydlikNotableHLHenry LewisNotableBDBraeden DavisSportsFrank CodyFrank CodyPolitics & Law
By decade

Belleville, decade by decade

Before
2000
No old photos in the archives yetWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
📷 Add from your album
Today24 photos
Saint Anthony's Catholic Church, 409 West Columbia AvenueCommonsSaint Anthony's Catholic Church, 409 West Columbia Avenue2011Old Rawsonville Village historical markerCommonsOld Rawsonville Village historical marker2011NRCSMI73001 - Michigan (4723)(NRCS Photo Gallery)CommonsNRCSMI73001 - Michigan (4723)(NRCS Photo Gallery)2011Dukes Veterinary Mobile ServiceCommonsDukes Veterinary Mobile Service2011Cool Cone, 644 East Huron River DriveCommonsCool Cone, 644 East Huron River Drive2011Cocoa Beach Tanning Salon, 573 East Huron River DriveCommonsCocoa Beach Tanning Salon, 573 East Huron River Drive2011Church of God Mountain Assembly, 494 West Columbia AvenueCommonsChurch of God Mountain Assembly, 494 West Columbia Avenue2011Belleville, Michigan skyline (35mm)CommonsBelleville, Michigan skyline (35mm)2011Belleville Freewill Baptist Church, 750 East Huron River DriveCommonsBelleville Freewill Baptist Church, 750 East Huron River Dr…2011Lower huron metropark turtle cove aquatic centerCommonsLower huron metropark turtle cove aquatic center2010Lower huron metropark huron river bridgeCommonsLower huron metropark huron river bridge2010Historical Marker, Old Van Buren Township Hall, 405 Main StreetCommonsHistorical Marker, Old Van Buren Township Hall, 405 Main St…2010Bellville Michigan Old Van Buren Township HallCommonsBellville Michigan Old Van Buren Township Hall2010Belleville Michigan Victory ParkCommonsBelleville Michigan Victory Park2010Belleville Michigan Victory Park & Sieur De La Salle StatueCommonsBelleville Michigan Victory Park & Sieur De La Salle Statue2010Belleville Michigan Old Van Buren Township Hall Historical MarkerCommonsBelleville Michigan Old Van Buren Township Hall Historical …2010Belleville Michigan Main StreetCommonsBelleville Michigan Main Street2010Belleville Michigan Fishing on Lake EdisonCommonsBelleville Michigan Fishing on Lake Edison2010Belleville Michigan Edison Lake viewed from Doane's LandingCommonsBelleville Michigan Edison Lake viewed from Doane's Landing2010Belleville Michigan 4th Street SquareCommonsBelleville Michigan 4th Street Square2010Belleville Masonic TempleCommonsBelleville Masonic Temple2010Belleville Lake from Belleville Road bridgeCommonsBelleville Lake from Belleville Road bridge2010Bayou Grill ^ Main Street Square, 404 Main StreetCommonsBayou Grill ^ Main Street Square, 404 Main Street2010American Tower wireless towerCommonsAmerican Tower wireless tower2010
National Register of Historic Places

Nothing in Belleville is on the National Register yet

That’s true of most small towns. It doesn’t mean Belleville has no history, only that no one has written up a nomination. The closest listed place is Marwood Apartments in Romulus, 4.3 miles away.

Belleville and the nearest listed places

Dashed line = Belleville. Tap a dot.
Marwood ApartmentsSaint Rita ApartmentsWaltz Road-Huron River BridgeJohn and Edna Trusdell Fischer FarmsteadSheldon InnGeorge and Mary Pine Smith House

Closest to Belleville

Marwood ApartmentsRomulus · Built 19254.3miSaint Rita ApartmentsRomulus · Building4.3miWaltz Road-Huron River BridgeHuron · Built 19244.7miJohn and Edna Trusdell Fischer FarmsteadCanton · District4.9miSheldon InnCanton · Building5.3mi

How a place gets listed

1Talk to the stateEvery nomination goes through the State Historic Preservation Office. Owners, towns and historical societies can start one.
2Try a local or state list firstMany states keep their own register with a shorter form, a common first step for old barns, halls and schoolhouses.
3Write it upA nomination covers the history, photos and a map. Marwood Apartments’s page links to a real one.
Know an old place in Belleville?A mill, a schoolhouse, a cellar hole, a church: add a photo of it to Belleville’s story, or a memory of it.
📷 Add a photo of an old place
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places · photos from Wikimedia Commons

Then & now

When neighbors add old photos, retakes from the same spot appear here side by side.

Stories next door

nearby towns’ history
📜 Van Buren📜 Sumpter📜 Romulus📜 Ypsilanti

From Wikimedia Commons (24). Images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.

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