First Congregational Church (Lake Linden, Michigan) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
|
|
First Congregational Church
|
|
|
U.S. Historic district
Contributing property |
|
 |
|
| Location | 53248 N Avenue (at 1st St.), Lake Linden, Michigan |
|---|---|
| Built | 1886 |
| Architect | Holabird & Roche |
| Architectural style | Stick/Eastlake |
| Part of | Lake Linden Historic District (ID09000522) |
| NRHP reference No. | 80001863 |
| Added to NRHP | November 17, 1980 |
The First Congregational Church in Lake Linden, Michigan is a really old and special building. It's located at 53248 N Avenue, right on the corner of First Street. This church was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. This means it's an important building because it still looks almost exactly like it did when it was first built!
What Does the Church Look Like?
The First Congregational Church is a great example of something called stick style architecture. It's a rectangular building with a tall, pointed roof at the front. It also has a square tower with a bell. The church was built on a base of rocks from a mine.
The outside has amazing wooden decorations. It has special pine shingles that look like fish scales or are flat-edged. These are separated by wooden 'sticks' that form patterns. The pointed roof above the entrance and the tower sides have wood planks placed diagonally. Other parts of the church have wood patterns shaped like zigzags (herringbone) or pinwheels. These designs are framed with more stickwork and carved flowers. The church also has an open front porch with cool, turned railings.
Inside the church, you'll find the pastor's office, a kitchen, and a meeting hall. The meeting hall has wood panels on the lower part of the walls. It also has a hardwood ceiling and more detailed stickwork. Not much has changed inside since the church was first built. There's also a very old Garret House Pipe Organ inside. It was built in 1874 and was originally for another church.
The Church's History
The First Congregational Church was started in 1882. A small group of Scottish people, led by Allen McIntyre, founded it. Many of them were important business people or worked for the local Calumet and Hecla Mining Company. Soon, the group realized they needed their own church building.
In 1886, they formed a committee to build it. The Calumet and Hecla Mining Company gave them the land. The committee hired architects named Holabird and Roche to design the church. It cost $8,325 to build, which was a lot of money back then! The church was finished and opened in February 1887. Just three months later, a huge fire swept through Lake Linden. Luckily, the church was one of the few wooden buildings that didn't get damaged.
The church was used by its congregation until the 1980s. By then, there weren't enough members to keep the building going. So, the church was given to the Houghton County Historical Society. They now use and take care of it as the Houghton County Heritage Center. Since 1993, they have been slowly restoring the church. This included repainting it in its original colors.
