When we listen to history, we learn how to build a wiser tomorrow.
History of Banks Township
This historic photo of Ellsworth, taken between 1895 and 1912, features the first Ellsworth School on High Street. Also visible are the New Orient Hotel and the large store with a basement used for storing potatoes.
Before it was named Ellsworth, the village was known as Ox Bow, with the area farther south called Needsmore. The name Ellsworth was given by Louis DeLine in honor of Colonel Elmer E. Ellsworth, DeLine’s commanding officer during the Civil War. Colonel Ellsworth, a close friend of Abraham Lincoln, was killed early in the conflict, and DeLine chose to commemorate him by naming the town after him.
Banks Township, located in northern Antrim County, was officially organized by the Michigan Legislature on March 11, 1863. A 1910 plat map shows the layout of schools, churches, and roads designed to navigate the township’s hilly terrain. Notable roads included Essex Road at Peebles Road and the Ellsworth-Atwood Road, which bypassed Bentley Hill via Friske Road and near the Doctor School. Many property owners from this era are remembered by longtime residents.
Elsie Timmer’s Gleanings from Ellsworth’s Yesteryears offers detailed stories about the schools in Banks Township.
Banks Township Map (1910 Plat Book)
Click Here to view historical Plat Maps.
Two key historical references for Banks Township include Elsie Timmer’s Gleanings from Ellsworth’s Yesteryears (Petoskey, MI, Review Printing Company, Inc., circa 1966) and Grace Hooper’s Pioneer Notes (Elk Rapids, MI, Fen’s Rim Publications, 1993). Additional insights come from personal recollections shared by members of the Banks Township Historical Society.
“Gleanings” by Elsie Timmer
Click Here to view
“A FOREWORD TO THE READER”
This history is dedicated to the former residents of Ellsworth.
. . .To those who lived here when this village was Young.
. . .And from their keen memory we learned how our pioneers strived to conquer the forest and wilderness.
. . .To make a home, and eke out a livelihood for their families.
This is written in appreciation for the many fine friendships acquired during my life here.
Especially do I want to mention the assistance of Mrs. Margaret Skow Clow; Mrs. Kittie Eastcott Black McPherson; Mrs. Hazel De Line McPhee;. Mrs. Grace Harroun McElroy; W.P. Smith; and the late Mr. and Mrs. Eugene Best; Tracy Boss; Arthur Ruis; Mrs. Mary Dean Moblo; also Jud Hardy.
As well as many others who gave freely of their time in suppling me with information.
These pages of the past are written to keep alive the heritage that is ours. Left to us by our forefathers who pioneered the forests we now call our home – The Village of Ellsworth.