Brethren, Michigan

Brethren is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in the U.S. state of Michigan. The community is located within Dickson Township, Manistee County, and is in the Northern Lower Peninsula of Michigan. The community had a population of 331 at the 2020 census,^[2] down from 410 in 2010. The community is located in the Manistee National Forest, 18 miles (29 km) northeast of Manistee. Brethren has a post office with ZIP code 49619.^[4][5]

Brethren, Michigan
Census-designated place
Brethren post office
Brethren Show map of Michigan Brethren Show map of the United States
Coordinates: 44°18′16″N 86°01′08″W
Country	United States
State	Michigan
County	Manistee
Township	Dickson
Area [1]
• Total	1.31 sq mi (3.40 km2)
• Land	1.28 sq mi (3.31 km2)
• Water	0.04 sq mi (0.09 km2)
Elevation	722 ft (220 m)
Population  (2020)[2]
• Total	331
• Density	258.80/sq mi (99.94/km2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code	49619
Area code	231
GNIS feature ID	621929[3]
FIPS code	26-10300

History

Brethren was founded in 1900 by Samuel S. Thorpe as a colony of the German Baptist Brethren Church. A post office was established in 1901 with Thorpe as the first postmaster. The Pere Marquette Railway established a station here in 1901.^[6]

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the community has an area of 1.31 square miles (3.4 km²), of which 1.28 square miles (3.3 km²) are land and 0.035 square miles (0.091 km²) are water.^[1] Boswell Creek forms the northern edge of the community, flowing west to the Manistee River. Lake Eleanor and Center Lake are small water bodies on the east side of the community.

Notable resident

• James Earl Jones,^[7] actor and original voice of Darth Vader in the Star Wars franchise.

References

1. "2022 U.S. Gazetteer Files: Michigan". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 9, 2023.
2. "P1. Race – Brethren CDP, Michigan: 2020 DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171)". U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved August 9, 2023.
3. "Brethren". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
4. United States Postal Service. "USPS - Look Up a ZIP Code". Retrieved May 6, 2018.
5. "Postmaster Finder - Post Offices by ZIP Code". United States Postal Service. Archived from the original on October 17, 2020. Retrieved May 6, 2018.
6. Romig, Walter (1986) [1973]. Michigan Place Names. Detroit, Michigan: Wayne State University Press. ISBN 0-8143-1838-X.
7. Bandler, Michael J. (March 2008). "This is James Earl Jones". NWA World Traveler. Northwest Airlines. Archived from the original on March 20, 2008. Retrieved April 3, 2008.