Surrounded by Posen Township, in east Presque Isle County, in the northeast Lower Peninsula of Michigan, the village of Posen is home to the Posen Potato Festival.
M-65 and County Road 634 intersect in the center of the village, and these are pretty much the only routes in or out of the village, except for the North Eastern State Trail, which intersects the city diagonally. The North Eastern State Trail is a 71-mile bicycle and hiking trail that uses a section of the former track of the Detroit and Mackinac Railway, joining Alpena with Cheboygan, and passing through Posen, Onaway, Aloha State Park, and Mullett Lake.
Cities and villages within twenty-five miles of Posen include Rogers City, Millersburg, Hillman, and Alpena, although the unincorporated communities of Leer, Metz, and Long Rapids are within ten miles of the village.
Although various Native American tribes certainly passed through the area prior to its settlement by European-Americans, there is no evidence of a village in the area that is now Posen, probably because there are no lakes or waterways in Posen.
In 1840, the state legislature set off a larger area that included the land that would later become Posen, and attached it to Mackinac County. In the following years, it became part of Cheboygan County, and then Alpena County, before Presque Isle County became a separate entity in 1875, and the county seat was established in Rogers City.
While the southern part of the Lower Peninsula was settled decades before, this part of the state wasn't settled until the 1870s, when a few hundred Polish immigrants were brought in to work in the growing lumber industry. Acknowledged as the first settler in the area was Lawrence Kowalski, who came in 1870.
When the timber resources were exhausted, the Polish laborers remained to become farmers, buying the land they lived on and clearing it for agriculture. Most of the Polish settlers were from a German-occupied part of Poland and spoke both German and Polish. The name of Posen, which became the name for the township, was the German spelling for the Polish Province of Poznan, from which many of the settlers had come.
On February 24, 1875, a post office was established as Posen, with Frank Roshek as postmaster. The office was closed on January 16, 1877, but reopened on October 14, 1881.
The Alpena & Northern (Detroit & Mackinac) Railroad established a station there in the early 1890s, naming it Vincent. On November 10, 1893, the settlement was incorporated as the village of Vincent, for Vincent D. Vincent, a large property owner who ran the Vincent Place Hotel, a general store, planing mill, and a factory that manufactured lumber and shingles.
In 1907, however, the village was reincorporated as Posen, taking the name of the township.
Posen is a small town of fewer than three hundred people. Its peak population was 341 in 1960, and its population at the time of the 2020 census was 270.
Largely agricultural, the village hosts the Posen Potato Festival, which includes activities with potato pancakes, polka dancing, music, a carnival, arts and crafts, and a parade.
The focal point of this portion of our guide is on the small village of Posen, Michigan. Online resources for the municipal government or any other governmental entities located within the village, as well as local businesses, industries, schools, churches, organizations, attractions, events, entertainment venues, and recreational opportunities, are appropriate for this category.
Recommended Resources
Catholic Community of St. Casimir, Posen & St. Dominic of Metz
Representing the parish of St. Casimir of Posen, Michigan, and the parish of St. Dominic in Metz includes addresses, Mass times, schedules of religious education classes, and other events, as well as a staff directory, parish office hours, telephone numbers, email addresses, announcements, and a feature for online contributions. Also included is a history of the two parishes, as well as others that have served the community, and links to other Catholic resources.
https://stcasimir-stdominic.org/
Posen Consolidated School District
Located on one campus in the village of Posen, Michigan, the public school district operates an elementary school and high school, serving a K-12th-grade population. The district office staff are introduced, with contacts provided, the elementary and high school staff are introduced, and a school calendar is displayed. Online (PowerSchool) contacts for teacher, students, and parents are provided, and district extracurricular activities are highlighted. Food services are outlined.
https://www.posen.k12.mi.us/
Hosted on the former Posen Chamber of Commerce website, the site features archived pages relating to the Posen Potato Festival, as well as information and photos from outside sources providing a glimpse of past festivals. Includes are reminiscences from long-term local residents, photos, videos, and descriptions of festival activities, as well as dates and names of festival participants, artists, sponsors, and other performers shown in the photos. Business sponsors are also acknowledged.
https://www.posenpotatofestival.com/
Specializing in the storage of campers, recreational vehicles, motorcycles, snowmobiles, all-terrain vehicles, jet skis, personal watercraft, buses, cars, boats, trucks, and other items, the professional storage facility offers seasonal or all-year indoor and outdoor storage for personal or commercial purposes. Seasonal rates are listed on the site, photographs of the facilities are provided, the address of the facility, and a telephone number are listed, and bills may be paid online.
https://posenstoragemi.com/
The official municipal website for the Posen Township, Presque Isle County village includes a history of the village and neighboring communities, the names of village officials, meeting schedules and minutes for village and township meetings, and an online contact form for the village. Other resources include historical maps and photographs of Posen businesses and events, and links to local facilities, civic organizations, and businesses. Other local entities may request a link.
http://www.posenmi.org/
