On a warm summer day in 1839, Charles Lamb and his wife decided to leave their home in Vermont. They packed their few belongings and, with their infant daughter, headed west to St. Joseph, Michigan. After working on the St. Joseph docks for a short while, Lamb purchased a canoe and traveled up the Paw Paw River into what is now Hagar Township. The Lambs built a log cabin and the young family became the first permanent settlers.

After helping the Lambs move and build their cabin, Mathias Farnum felt the attraction of the dense woods and beauty of the area. In the fall of 1839, he filed a claim on 160 acres and became the second permanent settler. More people soon followed and the decision was made to form a separate township. On March 25, 1846, the community was officially incorporated as Hagar Township.

Hagar Township is located in northern Berrien County along the shoreline of Lake Michigan. As with most lakeshore communities, the majority of lakefront properties have been purchased by affluent Chicagoans. The Township is not as densely populated, as some of the other lakeshore towns and the cost of living in Hagar Township are generally lower. Despite the growing number of second-home owners, the Township is still dominated by grain and fruit farmers. The community is beautifully located amidst dense woods and along sandy beaches. It is easily accessible from I-196 and M-63. Industrial entrepreneurs are welcomed into Hagar Township, although there is no municipal water or sewer.

Hagar Township is beautifully located, very quiet, and within proximity of several shopping and recreational areas in Berrien County and neighboring Van Buren County. The Township has its own small shopping area, and a small community called Riverside forms the heart of Hagar Township. These characteristics make the community a welcome place to live.

A. Maintain the status quo of a rural, farming community.

B. Attract some clean, light industry to increase the community's tax base.

Hagar Township Hall

3900 Riverside Road

P.O. Box 135

Riverside, MI 49084

Phone: (269) 849-0455

Fax: 269)849-2454

Website: www.hagartownship.org

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