Local History

Colonel John Francis Hamtramck, under General Anthony Wayne, commanded the troops which took possession of Detroit upon the evacuation of the British in 1796 and this township, when erected in 1798, was named for him.  It then started at the Detroit River and most of its first settlers were French families spreading out from Detroit.

The township was organized on April 12, 1827 and its village, southeast of present-day Hamtramck Township, was given a post office on October 3, 1828.

The village was platted largely on the land of J. Godfrey and recorded on January 12, 1847.  On April 5, 1899, present-day Hamtramck was given a post office named Kraft, for Christopher Kraft, the first postmaster, with the name of the office being changed to Hamtramck on October 15, 1905.  

Incorporated as a village in 1901 and as a city in 1921.  Hamtramck lies entirely within the city of Detroit, but it is politically independent.

Informational excerpts from Michigan Place Names, by Walter Romig, L.H.D.

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