New Baltimore History

The first evidence of human inhabitants in our area was the Native American tribes who settled here thousands of years ago, sometime after the waters of the last ice age began to recede from the Great Lakes.

The earliest non-Native American settlers were French trappers and traders, who co-existed with the Native Americans for many years to come.

Pierre Yax first settled this area in 1796, and in 1820 Fabian Robertjean made the first government land purchase.

Alfred Ashley, who came here from Mount Clemens in 1845, built the town's first sawmill and first dock. In 1851, he platted the village as Ashley, and on September 20, 1851 was given a post office called Ashleyville, with him as it's postmaster. On March 7, 1855 the post office was renamed New Baltimore. The settlement was officially incorporated as a village in 1867. In 1931, the village transitioned into a city government.