In the small town of Bliss in northern Michigan stands this beautiful white church. The historical marker proudly posted in front of it gives some of the history of this old building. It reads:

The congregation of the East Bliss United Brethren Church was organized in 1880. During the pastorate of the Reverend Edward McFarland, this Carpenter Gothic style church was erected. It was dedicated on May 4, 1903. The congregation flourished until 1923, then declined. Financial difficulties forced it to disband in 1949. Former members purchased the church from the United Brethren Conference in 1965 and renamed it Bliss Pioneer Memorial Church. Memorial Day and fall homecoming services are held in it annually.

If you are wondering the town of Bliss is between Mackinaw City and Cross Village and it’s south of Wilderness State Park. It has an old general store and is a nice stop while out sightseeing.

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Built on a site that once had a log cabin for service the sandstone steeples of St. Peter Cathedral can be seen towering over downtown Marquette.  Bishop Frederic Baraga laid the cornerstone for this heavenly looking church in 1864 and it became the mother church of the Diocese of Marquette. It has survived two devastating fires. The first in 1879 and the second in 1935 that destroyed everything but the sandstone walls.

Two years after Bishop Baraga dedicated the Cathedral he died and his remains were placed in a plain pine coffin and interred under the cathedral altar. After the first fire, a crypt with six niches was built in the southwest corner of the cathedral.  After the second fire, A bishops’ chapel was added to the restored cathedral. A decision was made at this time to excavate the space under the chapel and build a crypt where the bishop’s remains are laid to rest to this day.

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I see a lot of old churches with Michigan historical markers, and this one along the St Clair River in Marine City was exceptional.  Father Gabriel Richard received this triangular plot of land by way of a grant from President John Quincy Adams on April 1, 1825. This area, known as Catholic Point, contains, among other buildings a church, a rectory, a convent, the former high school, a new high school, and a grade school. The present church edifice, the second to stand on the site, was built in 1903. A bell, which formerly hung in the original church, was cast in Normandy, France in 1825. The tracker organ in the church was built in 1861 and is one of the earliest American built models in Michigan. Among former pastors of Holy Cross Parish, in addition to Father Gabriel Richard, were the saintly missionary Bishop Frederic Baraga, and a pioneer priest of St. Clair, Father Lawrence Kilroy. Holy Cross Parish has remained in continuous use and service to the people for over 150 years.

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North of Manistee on M-31 is this beautiful old white wooden church. If you have ever driven past it and never stopped to read the historical marker, here is what is written on it:

In 1864 Norwegian and Swedish immigrants created the Scandinavian Evangelical Lutheran Society of Brown Town. The congregation alternated the language of services between Norwegian and Swedish to satisfy both groups. In 1884 Ole and Mary Johnson donated this land for the construction of the society’s first church and cemetery. The church was built circa 1888. The society began using the cemetery around 1893. Many of those buried here were descendants of the society’s founders.

In 1916 the Scandinavian Evangelical Lutheran Society of Brown Town’s first church burned down. That same year, they began to build this church, based on plans drawn by Reverend Ole Stenson and an unknown carpenter. Craftsman John Olson led the construction effort. He made the altar, baptismal font, pulpit, lectern and window frames in his basement. The building was dedicated in 1920. It later became known as Norwalk Lutheran Church and has been renovated several times.

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St. Stanislaus Kostka Roman Catholic Church stands in the south side of Bay City. It’s twin spires stand tall overlooking the houses like guardian angels. A historical marker in front gives a little bit of history about the church and reads:

In the second half of the nineteenth century, Polish refugees who escaped Prussian domination settled in Bay City. In 1874 they formed a society under the patronage of St. Stanislaus Kostka of Poland. To fill the needs of this Polish-speaking community, a wooden church was built and dedicated on December 13, 1874, on a site donated by William D. Fitzhugh. During the pastorate of Father Marian Matkowski, this grand Neo-Gothic church was erected at a cost of over $60,000. Bay City architects Pratt and Koeppe provided the plans. The cornerstone was blessed on June 24, 1890, and the church was dedicated on July 17, 1892, by Bishop Henry J. Richter of Grand Rapids.

The beauty and detailed work of these old churches always amaze me. I can’t imagine how difficult it was to build way back before modern construction techniques.

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Dutch immigrants first settled in Holland, Michigan in 1847, and they immediately established The First Reformed Church with the Reverend Albertus Van Raalte as pastor. Over the next few years, a second Reformed congregation was established, but by the mid-1860s, the continued influx of Dutch immigrants strained the capacity of both churches. By 1866, Van Raalte recommended that the First Reformed Church be split. In 1867, the Third Reformed Church was organized and construction started on a new church building at this site. The church building was dedicated on February 14, 1868.

However, on October 8, 1871, two-thirds of Holland was destroyed by forest fires which had been burning for several weeks in areas surrounding the town. The recently constructed church was one of the first buildings destroyed. The congregation resolved to rebuild, and hired local architect John R. Kleyn to design this building. Despite setbacks, the new church was dedicated on November 25, 1874. The church has been continuously used by the congregation, and underwent a major renovation in 1967-68.

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When I say the church in Hersey, you might think of chocolate since it is the most well-known chocolate bar in the country. People even know there is a town in Pennsylvania named Hershey, but there is a town in central Michigan called Hersey. The town was named after Nathan Hersey a trapper and the first white man to visit the area. In town stands a beautiful wooden church. The historical marker next to the church proudly displays its history which reads:

The First Congregational Church of Hersey was formally organized in 1870. Services were held in a local schoolhouse for three years. Delos A. Blodgett — early explorer, prominent lumberman and first settler of the area — donated the land and lumber for this church, which was built in 1873-74 at a cost of $3,000. It features handsome leaded-glass windows and a pyramidal steeple. Michigan white pine graces both the exterior and interior, including a handmade pulpit.

I see a lot of old churches on my travels around the state and many have been updated with vinyl or aluminum siding. I can definitely understand having easy to maintain siding but I love that this church still has its wooden exterior.

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I was traveling through the little town of Thornville south of Lapeer and this old wooden church caught my eye. According to the history posted on their website HERE Benjamin Thorne, whom the town is named after, sold them the property for a nickel in 1849.

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