Union City is located partially in Burlington township and partially in Union township between Battle Creek and Coldwater. The land on which Union City was built was surveyed by Robert Clark in 1826. It was purchased from the government by Isaiah W. Bennett in 1831. The site was first settled by Justice/Justus Goodwin who bought 600 acres from Bennett in 1833 and built a mill there.
The settlement which subsequently grew up around the place became known as P. O. Goodwinville which Goodwin was named the first postmaster of on November 9, 1834. In 1835 E. W. Morgan bought 322 acres which he officially platted and recorded and renamed as Union City. He is said to have gotten that name from the fact that the two rivers of St. Joseph River and Coldwater form their union there. The post office was renamed on January 23, 1840.
During the Civil War, the farm known as The Plantation, served for a stop on the Underground Railroad and was visited by then President Abraham Lincoln. In 1866 it was incorporated as a city.
Notable Residents of Union City have been -
Joslin "Josh" McDowell (1939-), Christian apologist, evangelist and writer.
Patricia Polacco (1944-), children's writer
(Compiled by K. L. Ortman from various sources)
