Frankenmuth was settled in 1845 by 15 Germans, led by the Reverand August Craemer, a Lutheran minister. The small band of settlers came to the area from Neuendettelsau, Germany, for the expressed purpose of evangelizing to the Native Americans. The first structure built was a church, and the second a school. Only seven years after their arrival, Frankenmuth boasted 80 cabins and farmhouses.  On January 3, 1854, Frankenmuth residents formally organized as a Township.