Salem Township, Allegan County, Michigan
township in Allegan County, Michigan
Salem Township is a civil township of Allegan County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 5,156 at the 2020 census, up from 3,486 at the 2000 census.
Communities
Burnips is an unincorporated community near the center of the township at 42°43′55″N 85°50′22″W. It was first known as Salem Center. James Burnips was a local landowner and built the first store there in 1856. He began to sell lots of land for building in 1858. A post office named "Burnip's Corners" opened in 1868, and the name was changed to "Burnips" in 1915. The ZIP code is 49314.
Diamond Springs is an unincorporated locale in the southwest corner of the township on the Rabbit River at 42°40′50″N 85°53′49″W. It was first settled in 1867 and had a post office from 1871 until 1875, and then reopened six months later until closing in 1905.
New Salem is an unincorporated community in the northeast corner of the township at 42°45′14″N 85°48′07″W. A post office first opened there in 1857 and opened and closed several times until 1865, after which it remained in operation until closing in 1905. New Salem is the home of St.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Salem Township, Allegan County, Michigan” as township in Allegan County, Michigan. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
Why this record matters
The subject matters to the places & architecture register because the source frames it as township in Allegan County, Michigan. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
Maps, plans, fabric surveys and administrative records can establish how the site’s name, extent and function changed over time. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 6, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q7404191. Authority coordinates are 42.718, -85.830. 2 of 2 selected statements include explicit references; 1 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 2020, 2000, 1856 and 1858.
A single description cannot reconcile every naming convention, rebuilding phase or administrative transfer associated with a place. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Salem Township, Allegan County, Michigan”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Salem Township, Allegan County, Michigan primary sources, Salem Township, Allegan County, Michigan archive and Salem research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Salem Township, Allegan County, Michigan”?
- Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
- What physical evidence or contemporary plan supports the description?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Salem Township, Allegan County, Michigan” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.