Frederick, Michigan facts for kids

Frederick, Michigan, also known as Casino, was a community that once existed in Clinton Charter Township of Macomb County, Michigan. It was located in the U.S. state of Michigan, near a bend in the Clinton River. Today, this area is southwest of the city of Mt. Clemens.

A Look Back: The Story of Frederick

Frederick began its story near where a special place called the New Gnadenhuetten Moravian mission once stood. This mission was a settlement for a group of people called Moravians, who were Christian missionaries.

The Moravian Mission: A New Start

In 1782, after some difficult times, a leader named Rev. David Zeisberger and his group were invited by the local Ojibwe people to build a new mission. This new home was a few miles north of Detroit, on what was then called the Huron River. They arrived in July 1782.

The mission grew well for a while. British officials like Major De Peyster and Lord George Hay even sent them supplies.

Building the First Road

Between 1785 and 1786, some of the people at the mission helped build a road into Detroit. This was the very first road built inside Michigan! It followed a path similar to today's Moravian Drive, Schoenherr Road, and Gratiot Avenue. The mission was left in 1786 after the Ojibwe warned them to leave.

Only Richard Conner and his family stayed behind. His son, Henry Conner, later fought in the War of 1812. Richard Conner's daughter, Susanna, was born at the mission in 1783. She was the first child of white parents born in what is now Macomb County.

From Mission to Town

Around 1836, a road called the Shelby road was opened to Frederick. Important local judges, including Stevens, Harrington, and Conner, lived in Frederick.

Before the War of 1812, a sawmill was likely built in the area. Another sawmill was built around 1826 by Job C. Smith. The town itself really started when Horace Stephens from Detroit bought land in Frederick. He planned out a village and named it after his brother.

A Busy Port Town

In 1836, the same year Stephens planned the town, Frederick became the eastern end of the Clinton-Kalamazoo Canal. A part of this canal, from Frederick to Utica, was the only section that had regular boat traffic. By 1843, Frederick was the busiest port on the Clinton River.

The village did well until 1852. That year, the sawmills burned down. Without the sawmills, Frederick slowly became a ghost town.

(Also note: The names Stephens and Stevens mentioned in this article are more correctly spelled Steevens. This information comes from Jon Fredric Steevens, a current resident of Macomb County, who is a great-great-grandson and namesake of the Fredric Steevens for whom this town was named.)

Where Frederick Was Located

The town of Frederick was southwest of Mount Clemens. You can find its general location on Moravian Drive, across the river from Canal Park.