Union City

History

The area was first surveyed by Robert Clark in 1826, and Isaiah Bennett purchased the first plot of land from the government in 1831. Justus Goodwin bought a large piece of Bennett's land in 1833, and he built a mill and became the first postmaster when a post office began operating on November 9, 1834. The post office was named Goodwinville. In 1835, E. W. Morgan platted the community and named it Union City. The post office was also renamed as Union City on January 23, 1840. The name was believed to come from the "union" of the Coldwater River and St. Joseph River that ran through the area. Union City incorporated as a village in 1866. Union City was designated as Station No. 2 of the famous Underground Railroad, where John D. Zimmerman (1811-1879), formerly of Connecticut, was stationmaster. The slaves seeking refuge were taken into a home built around 1840 by Mr. Zimmerman, who arrived in Union City from Fairfield, Connecticut, in the spring of 1838. He brought with him a set of blacksmith tools to operate the blacksmith shop promised for him by Israel Ward Clark, one of the four proprietors of the village of Union City in 1837. In September 1839, Zimmerman returned to Union City with his family; he soon built a wagon factory, blacksmith shop, and a Greek Revival house. Outraged by the institution of slavery, Zimmerman became a stationmaster for the Underground Railroad, hiding escaped slaves in his house and assisting them in their flight to Canada and freedom. The home is on the list of Michigan State Historic Sites and is located at 119 East High Street. In the early 1920s Union City built a hydroelectrical plant to deliver cheaper electricity to the town. By 1923 Riley Dam was constructed on nearby St. Joseph River, and the backwater forms Union Lake.…

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the village has a total area of , of which is land and is water. The vast majority of the village's area and population is located within Union Township in Branch County. The Branch County portion of the village has an area of . The remaining of area is part of Burlington Township in Calhoun County to the north. The village lies at the junction of the Coldwater River and St. Joseph River. * runs along the northern edge of the village.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  1,180
• Red-winged Blackbird

  Agelaius phoeniceus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  1,107
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  1,103
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  993
• Song Sparrow

  Melospiza melodia (A.Wilson, 1810) · Aves
  958
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  956
• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  882
• Red-bellied Woodpecker

  Melanerpes carolinus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  833