Freeport's origins trace back to families who journeyed along an Indian trail from Battle Creek. They established the first school, Fish school, in 1854. William Yule purchased the land in 1856, later sold to Mr. Hinckley and then to John Roush Sen, whose sons envisioned a railroad. The town, officially platted as Freeport in 1874 by the Roush family, saw rapid growth with businesses and infrastructure anticipating the railroad. By 1884, it boasted 500 residents and various establishments. The arrival of the railroad in 1889 spurred further growth, but with the rise of automobiles, the decline of the train was inevitable.