Ingham County’s “Lost” Town of Meridian

Just about everyone in Ingham County knows about Meridian Township.
And Meridian Road.
And the Meridian Mall.
But was there an actual town called Meridian?

Sort of.

There was indeed a post office on the Detroit, Lansing & Lake Michigan Railroad (later part of the Pere Marquette Railroad) alongside Meridian Road just north of Jolly Road.

It was called the Red Bridge post office, originally built in a location a little ways north to be a hotel, but eventually used for a home and post office. It was moved to the location at the railroad track at Meridian Road in 1871. The name was then changed from “Red Bridge P.O.” to “Meridian P.O.” (the original title ‘Red Bridge’ was named after a red-painted bridge over the Red Cedar River not far from the post office’s original location).

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Like hundreds of other Michigan towns that had their beginnings as simple post offices, the town of Meridian never happened.

So why was the township named “Meridian”?
It was named for the north & south survey line – the Michigan Meridian line – which is also the eastern borderline of the township.

Today, there are only five houses - two above the tracks, three below - on Meridian Road, closeby the former location of the post office. It seems out-of-place in its location with its quaint, country-ish, 1800’s-type of feel, just a few feet from more modernized surroundings and expensive homes.

The atlases below show Meridian when it was still a glimmer of a village.

If you’re curious, it’s worth a drive over there for a few minutes...and if anyone has more info on the almost-town of Meridian, please let me know so I can update!