Yes, There Was Once a Michigan Village Called Florida: 1837-1862

Once known as ‘Florida’, that particular name of this village lasted from 1837 to 1862, then just faded away and out of people’s memories.

In 1837 the legislature named this Hillsdale County area ‘Florida Township’ with a post office named "Florida" opening up in 1839. Ten years later in 1849, the township name was changed to ‘Jefferson’ which it remains to this day. Twenty-four years later in 1861, the Florida post office name was switched and named after an Indian chief, ‘Osseo’. From then on, the original name of ‘Florida’ would only be known by dedicated historians and forgotten by the general public..... and now by you.

Osseo, however, grew from a postal station into a regular village. Osseo was the legal county seat but it was never recognized as such – mainly because two other communities were competing for that title: Hillsdale and Jonesville.

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In a typical sneaky political move, a few Jonesville residents formed The Osseo Village Company pretending to side with Osseo, but in reality, was a way to keep the County seat from being handed over to Hillsdale. When Osseo officials discovered the deception, the town and residents all sided with Hillsdale; they didn’t seem to mind giving the title away. With that, Hillsdale became the victor and the county seat.

In 1864, Osseo also became a stop on the Lake Shore & Southern Michigan Railroad. With some sawmills operating in Osseo, the railroad was necessary for shipping. Operating mills included the Sloan Sawmill on W. Beecher Street, and the Sherm Cox Mill on the east side of Lake Pleasant Road.

A few old buildings still exist in downtown Osseo, which has retained its small-town look and atmosphere ever since the early 1900s.