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History of Otisville


Henry Heister and his family came from New York State were the first settlers in 1837. Stephen and Amos Biegel and Matthew McCormick already lived here when John Hayes arrived in 1851. Began as a lumbering town when Francis Otis and his two brothers bought out Mr. Hayes for a lumber mill in 1852. Named Forest in 1855, renamed Otisville in 1861. Incorporated into a village in 1877.


Otisville is located at the junction of M-57 and M-15 in northeastern Genesee County approximately 19 miles north east of Flint. This small town is composed of several stores and small businesses. Its economy is supported by agriculture and commuter residents who work in Flint.  Otisville began as a lumbering town. It was named after Francis Otis who, along with his two brothers, owned 5000 acres of woodland in the township. They bought out the local sawmill in 1852 from John Hayes, who had built it a year earlier. Other early settlers to the area include Stephen and Amos Biegel and Matthew Mc Cormick.

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