Lawton

History

The Village of Lawton came into existence in 1848. Nathan Lawton who the village is named after, was from Waterford, New York and had purchased property when it became available when Michigan received statehood. Upon the railroad reaching here in 1848, Mr. Lawton donated several acres of land for the construction of a depot that was originally named Paw Paw Station. In 1851 when a post office was being established the name of the town was named for Mr. Lawton. Though Nathan Lawton never lived here two of his sons, George and Charles moved here and made this town their home. Around 1860 a few local men including both of the Lawton brothers began experimenting with growing grapes. In 1868 A.B. Jones delivered the first grapes that were taken to market in Lansing, MI. From there the grape industry took off and is now one of Southwest Michigan's largest industries with several wineries in the area as well as a Welch Grape Juice Factory located in Lawton that has been part of Lawton since 1919.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of , of which is land and is water.

Race & ethnicity