A fire ( possibly related to the Great Chicago Fire or Great Michigan Fire ) destroyed the village in October 1871 . About that time , the paperwork ( timetables and such ) for the recently completed Chicago and Michigan Lake Shore Railroad arrived which identified the community 's station as " Fennville . " This was thought by some at the time ( including Hutchins ) to have been the result of clerical error . However , Fenn himself recorded that the change in name had been suggested by and mutually agreed upon among certain leaders of the community in conjunction with the establishment of the new railroad station . The post office name was then changed to " Fennville " to match the station 's name . The community was officially incorporated as the village of Fennville on February 20 , 1889
Great Chicago Fire
Great Chicago Fire
Fennville, Michigan