
It’s Sunday and time for another historic church post. This is the tall and graceful Methodist Episcopal Church in Caseville. The historical marker standing nearby gives a little history and reads:
In 1868 the Reverend Manasseh Hickey and twelve settlers organized a Methodist Episcopal Church in Caseville. Services were held in a schoolhouse until the present church was built. Upon its dedication on November 15, 1874, the Gothic-inspired structure, with its 70-foot-high steeple, became a focal point for the community. Local contractor William Ormiston built the church, which contains stained-glass windows by McFadden and Reed of New York City. In 1907 a basement was excavated, and in 1940 the memorial windows were installed Over the years the steeple, which provided a landmark for Saginaw Bay boaters, was racked by structural problems and lightning, and had to be continually repaired. In 1974 the spire was replaced with a duplicate of the original.
I have never gone out fishing from Caseville, but I imagine back before GPS many fishermen would look for the steeple to help find the entrance to the Caseville harbor. I also wonder how long the pine tree has been growing next to the church. It is almost as tall as the steeple reaching into the sky.
Don’t forget to order your copy of Lost In Michigan Volume 3. t makes for a perfect Christmas gift for the person who loves Michigan.
Thank you for Subscribing to Lost In Michigan, If you have not subscribed yet, It would mean a lot to me if you did.