Samaria, Michigan

Samaria is an unincorporated community in Monroe County in the U.S. state of Michigan.[1] The community is located within Bedford Township. As an unincorporated community, Samaria has no legally defined boundaries or population statistics of its own but does have its own post office with the 48177 ZIP Code.[2]

Samaria, Michigan
Unincorporated community
U.S. Post Office in Samaria
Samaria
Location within the state of Michigan
Samaria
Samaria (the United States)
Coordinates: 41°48′29″N 83°34′42″W
CountryUnited States
StateMichigan
CountyMonroe
TownshipBedford
Settled1872
Platted1884
Elevation
643 ft (196 m)
Time zoneUTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code(s)
48177
48182 (Temperance)
Area code(s)734
GNIS feature ID637149[1]

Geography

Samaria sits at an elevation of 643 feet (196 m) above sea level.[1] The community is located about 15 miles (24 km) southwest of Monroe in south-central Monroe County.[3]

The community is centered along Samaria Road about halfway between U.S. Route 23 to the west and U.S. Route 24 (Telegraph Road) and M-125 (South Dixie Highway) to the east.  M-151 ran through the center of Samaria east to U.S. Route 25 before M-151 was truncated in 1965, and both highways were soon after decommissioned altogether.[4]  

It is about 5 miles (8.0 km) north of the Ohio state border from the city of Toledo. The communities of Temperance and Lambertville are located just south of Samaria.

The community is mostly served by Bedford Public Schools, while some students in the northern portion may attend Mason Consolidated Schools.[5]

History

Bedford Township, where Samaria is located, was established on March 23, 1836 after previously being part of Erie Township since 1818. The community was previously known as Weeksville after early residents Samuel and Mary (Mason) Weeks. In May 1878, the Wabash Railroad built a railway station in Samaria.[6][7] The community was officially platted in 1884.[8]

The area received its first post office under the name Samaria on January 17, 1879 with Samuel Weeks serving as the first postmaster. The post office has remained in operation ever since, and the current office is located at 1344 Samaria Road.[9] The post office uses the 48177 ZIP Code and is primarily used for post office box only with a very small delivery area.[2][10] The majority of the surrounding area is instead served by the Temperance 48182 ZIP Code.[11][12]

The single railway line continues to run through the community. It is currently operated by Ann Arbor Railroad, connecting Ann Arbor to Toledo, but the line no longer contains a station in the area.[13]

Images
  • Grace United Methodist Church in Samaria, founded in 1894
  • Historic image of the former Samaria Station prior to 1920

References
  1. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Samaria, Michigan
  2. Google (November 19, 2020). "48177 ZIP Code map" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved November 19, 2020.
  3. Monroe County Convention & Tourism Bureau (2020). "Pure Michigan: Samaria". Retrieved November 5, 2020.
  4. Michigan State Highway Department (1965). Official Highway Map (Map). [c. 1:918,720]. Lansing: Michigan State Highway Department. § N13. OCLC 12701120. Retrieved October 17, 2019 – via Michigan History Center.
  5. Michigan Department of Information Technology (March 2008). "Monroe ISD public school boundaries" (PDF). Retrieved November 23, 2020.
  6. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Samaria Station
  7. Bedford Township (2012). "Township History". Retrieved November 22, 2020.
  8. "Some Historical Facts On Bedford Township". Toledo Blade. May 6, 1986. pp. N2. Retrieved 2 May 2015.
  9. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Samaria Post Office
  10. UnitedStatesZipCodes.org (2020). "ZIP Code 48177". Retrieved November 9, 2020.
  11. Google (November 19, 2020). "48182 ZIP Code map" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved November 19, 2020.
  12. UnitedStatesZipCodes.org (2020). "ZIP Code 48182". Retrieved November 9, 2020.
  13. Michigan Department of Transportation (March 2017). "Michigan's Railroad System: Railroads Operating in Michigan" (PDF). Retrieved November 3, 2020.
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