Metro Detroit Wayne County Charter township
Brownstown Charter Township
From Adam Brown's Wyandot village to a Lake Erie shore with a wave pool
- People (2025 estimate)
- 32,680
- Land area
- 22.0 sq mi · 56.9 km²
- From downtown
- 18.0 miles · 29 km · southwest
- Incorporated
- 1827
Nothing on our calendar here this week yet.
01 / Why it matters
Why Brownstown Charter Township matters
Brownstown is older than Michigan: the township was organized on April 5, 1827, ten years before statehood, as one of Wayne County's nine original townships. It's named for a Wyandot village, which in turn was named for Adam Brown, the kidnapped boy who grew up to lead the Wyandot.
Two big moments in history happened here. On November 25, 1808, the Treaty of Brownstown was signed, with five Native nations granting the U.S. a road corridor across the swamps of northwest Ohio. And on August 5, 1812, Tecumseh and his allies ambushed an American supply escort at the Brownstown Creek ford; the defeat helped push Detroit to surrender eleven days later.
Today the township comes in three connected pieces, since Flat Rock, Rockwood and Woodhaven split off as cities in the 1960s. The best part is the Lake Erie shore: Lake Erie Metropark has three miles of shoreline, the Great Wave pool, a golf course, a marina and the Marshlands Museum and Nature Center, and it hosts HawkFest, all about the hawks.
02 / Known for
What Brownstown Charter Township is known for
The Treaty of Brownstown, November 25, 1808
The Battle of Brownstown, August 5, 1812, Tecumseh's ambush of an American supply escort bound for Detroit
Lake Erie Metropark with its wave pool, marsh museum and bird watching
Kurtzhals Farm, founded in 1893 and one of the township's largest remaining farms
GM's Brownstown battery assembly plant, where Chevrolet Volt battery packs were built
03 / What’s on
What’s on in Brownstown Charter Township
Nothing on our calendar in Brownstown Charter Township right now. Try the neighbors:
04 / What to do
If you’re in Brownstown Charter Township
Lake Erie Metropark
A Lake Erie park on West Jefferson with the Great Wave pool, an 18-hole golf course, a marina, a 3-mile paved hike-bike trail and the Marshlands Museum.
Official site ↗Brownstown Historical Museum
A restored farmhouse on King Road run by the historical society, open the second Saturday afternoon of each month.
Official site ↗
05 / History
Brownstown Charter Township through the years
- 1808
The Treaty of Brownstown is signed on November 25.
- 1812
On August 5, Tecumseh's forces ambush and defeat Major Thomas Van Horne's American detachment.
- 1827
The township is organized on April 5, with Moses Roberts as first supervisor.
- 1893
Kurtzhals Farm is established.
- 1961
Woodhaven breaks away as a village.
- 1993
The Brownstown Historical Society is founded in December.
06 / People
Famous names from here
- Adam Brown the boy taken by the Wyandot at eight who became a tribal leader; the village and township carry his name
Sources
Population and area are Census Bureau figures (Brownstown charter township).
- 2020 Census, Michigan (PL 94-171)
- Census Bureau population estimates: cities and towns
- brownstown-mi.org/residents/history.php
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brownstown_Charter_Township,_Michigan
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Brownstown
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Brownstown
- metroparks.com/parks/lake-erie-metropark
- brownstown-mi.org/residents/community_groups/historical_society.php
- woodhavenmi.org/community/history/index.php
- brownstown-mi.org
Change since 2020, per the Census Bureau estimate: −1.5 percent.
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