Community Information

Please use the community links below for more information on our educational systems, municipalities, utilities, community organizations, and media outlets.  For tourism information, click here.  A brief history of the area can be found here. 

History

Branch County was sold to the US Government in 1821 by the Potawatomi Tribe, the original settlers of the area.  Early European settlers discovered the same rich soils, water and forests for which the county is still known. 

The county was named after John Branch, Secretary of the Navy under President Andrew Jackson.  The first white settler, Jabe Bronson built a log cabin and opened a tavern along the Sauk Trail (now known as US 12/Chicago Road), a trail linking Detroit and Chicago. 

The governor named Jabe Bronson the county's first justice of the peace, and the federal government appointed him its first postmaster.  Bronson's tavern served as the office for both. Soon after, other small settlements began to spring up along Chicago Road and the major waterways of the county, including Quincy and Coldwater in 1830 and Union City in 1833. 

Today, Branch County is a diverse and thriving rural area with a large agricultural and manufacturing base.  Its citizens are committed to family, education and community.  The county is also very well known for its preservation for some of the most beautiful turn-of-the-century architecture.