This Clinton County Town Had Five Different Names
Up near the borderline of Clinton and Gratiot Counties lies the quaint little town of Eureka, nestled within Greenbush Township.
Eureka just might hold the title of having the most town names in Michigan; the area was named after different early settlers; it was originally called "Williamsport" after Clark Williams, "Barrington" for J.A. Barrington, and "Swizzletown".
The town was platted in 1857 by the above-mentioned Mr. Barrington and Isaac Eagles and given the name "Greenbush", same as the township, which had been previously established in 1844.
Finally, on May 9, 1867, the town name was changed for the last time to "Eureka", supposedly named for the exclamation that may have been uttered by settler Edward Stark as "a fine place for doing business."
From the 1800's through 1913 Eureka had grown to include three churches, hardware store, schoolhouse, doctor's office, hotel, sawmill, grist mill, post office, and a nice handful of shops and stores.
A few old buildings still stand in the downtown area to this day...and there are PLENTY of old original houses that are cool to drive by and see. For such a small town, the Eureka Cemetery is a pretty decent size - it's separated by East Hyde Rd just south of town.
Take a trip thru the historic village of Eureka on your next Michigan roadtrip and remember: always seek permission to enter any abandoned structures you may come across...enjoy our state!
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