National Register of Historic Places listings in Marquette County, Michigan facts for kids

Location of Marquette County in Michigan

Marquette County in Michigan is home to many special places listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This is a list of buildings, areas, and objects across the United States that are important to history. They are kept safe and recognized for their historical value. In Marquette County, there are 40 such places. Let's explore some of them!

Historic Buildings and Homes

Grand Houses and Old Stores

• Arch and Ridge Streets Historic District: This area in Marquette has many beautiful old homes. Some were built for important leaders of the city, and others for everyday workers. The first house was built here in 1867 by Peter White. Many more homes were added over the next 35 years.
• Braastad–Gossard Building: Located in Ishpeming, this building was first a large department store. It was built in two parts, in 1888 and 1903. Later, it became a factory for the H. W. Gossard Company, which made corsets and brassieres.
• Call House: This house in Marquette was designed and built in 1867. It was first for Henry R. Mather, who was the first president of the Cleveland Iron Mining Company. It's a great example of Gothic Revival style. A famous judge, George Shiras Jr., later used it as his summer home.

The historic Call House in Marquette.

• Harlow Block: Built in 1887, the Harlow Block in Marquette shows what commercial buildings looked like in the late 1800s. It was built by Amos R. Harlow, one of Marquette's first settlers. He built it as an investment.
• Holy Family Orphanage: This building in Marquette was added to the list in 2015.

The Holy Family Orphanage building.

• Longyear Building: This commercial building in Marquette was constructed in 1916. It is located at 210 North Front Street.

The Longyear Building in Marquette.

• Midgaard (Lautner Cottage): This unique log cabin is located on Middle Island Point in Marquette. It was built by John and Vida Lautner. Their son, John Lautner, who later became a famous architect, helped build it when he was just 12 years old!
• Park Hotel and Cabins: In Republic, this hotel and its cabins were built between 1943 and 1946. The hotel is a two-story log building, and there are 15 stone cabins on the property.
• Savings Bank Building: This Marquette building was constructed in 1892. It was built by Louis G. Kaufman, who also helped finance the famous Empire State Building. It's known for its copper clock tower and fancy stonework.

The Savings Bank Building with its unique clock tower.

• Sundberg Block: Built in 1890 by Charles Sundberg, this building in Negaunee was a busy spot downtown for many years. It housed businesses, including Negaunee's first movie theater! Later, it was used for manufacturing and as a community center.

The Sundberg Block in Negaunee.

• Upper Peninsula Brewing Company Building: This building in Marquette was once the home and office of Charles Meeske, who was the president of the Upper Peninsula Brewing Company. Built in 1894, it's the only building left from the original brewing company complex.

The Upper Peninsula Brewing Company Building.

Important Public Buildings

• Ishpeming Municipal Building: This city hall in Ishpeming was built between 1889 and 1891. It was constructed during the time when iron mining was booming in the area. It is made of sandstone with decorative details.

The Ishpeming Municipal Building.

• Marquette City Hall: Built in the early 1890s, this building helped the local economy during a tough time because of the demand for bricks and sandstone. The city used it until 1977.

The old Marquette City Hall.

• Marquette County Courthouse: This courthouse was built between 1902 and 1904. A famous movie called Anatomy of a Murder, starring Jimmy Stewart, was filmed right here and in other parts of Marquette!

The Marquette County Courthouse.

• Negaunee Fire Station: Built in 1910, this fire station in Negaunee is still used today by the city's volunteer fire department.

The Negaunee Fire Station.

• Negaunee State Bank Building: This two-story building in Negaunee was built in 1912. It has a unique triangular shape. It was home to the Negaunee State Bank until 1933, when the bank closed during a difficult economic time.

The Negaunee State Bank Building.

• St. Peter Cathedral: This beautiful cathedral in Marquette was first built in 1881-1890 after an earlier church burned down. In 1935, another fire destroyed most of it, but it was completely rebuilt using the original sandstone walls.

St. Peter Cathedral in Marquette.

• State House of Correction and Branch Prison: This large sandstone building in Marquette opened in 1889. It is known for its architecture and landscaped gardens.

The Marquette Branch Prison building.

• Vista Theater: The Vista Theater in Negaunee was built in 1926 by businessman Jafet Rytkonen. He wanted a bigger and grander theater than his previous one. It was a popular spot for movies until 1972.

The historic Vista Theater in Negaunee.

Lighthouses and Bridges

Guiding Lights and River Crossings

• Big Bay Point Light Station: This lighthouse stands on a tall cliff near Big Bay. It started working in 1896. It's special because it's the only working lighthouse that also has a bed and breakfast where people can stay!

The Big Bay Point Light Station.

• County Road 557–West Branch Escanaba River Bridge: Built in 1928, this bridge in Wells Township was one of the first long steel bridges in Michigan. It looks like it's made entirely of concrete because the steel beams are covered.
• Granite Island Light Station: This lighthouse was built on Granite Island in Lake Superior in 1868 and started guiding ships in 1869. It's one of the oldest lighthouses still standing on Lake Superior.

The Granite Island Light Station.

• Huron Islands Lighthouse: Located northwest of Big Bay in Lake Superior, this lighthouse was built in 1868. It's very high up, making it one of the highest lights in the western Great Lakes. It's a copy of the lighthouse built on nearby Granite Island.

The Huron Islands Lighthouse.

• Marquette Harbor Light Station: The current lighthouse in Marquette Harbor was finished in 1865. It replaced an older one that was falling apart. The United States Coast Guard has operated it since 1891, and you can even take tours of it now!

The Marquette Harbor Light Station.

• Old M-95–Michigamme River Bridge: This bridge was built in 1910 over the Michigamme River in Republic Township. It's important because it shows how bridges were designed locally before the state started making standard designs. It's now on an old, abandoned road.
• Presque Isle Harbor Breakwater Light: This lighthouse was built in 1941 at the end of a breakwater in Marquette. It helps guide boats into Presque Isle Harbor. It's about 55 feet tall and has a modern, streamlined design.

The Presque Isle Harbor Breakwater Light.

• Stannard Rock Lighthouse: This lighthouse is built on a lonely rocky spot 45 miles north of Marquette in Lake Superior. It was very expensive to build between 1877 and 1883, costing $305,000 back then!

The Stannard Rock Lighthouse.

• Trunk Line Bridge No. 1: This bridge was the very first one designed by the Michigan Department of Transportation. It was built in 1914 over the Peshekee River in Michigamme Township. It used to carry a main highway, but now it's abandoned.

Trunk Line Bridge No. 1.

Mines and Industry

Iron Ore and Old Machines

• Cleveland Mine Engine House Number 3: This building in Ishpeming was part of the Cleveland Mine, which was the second iron mine opened in the Marquette Iron Range. The first part of this engine house was built in 1880–1882. It was used to power the mine's main hoist until the iron ore ran out.

Cleveland Mine Engine House Number 3.

• Cliffs Shaft Mine Museum: The Cliffs Shaft Mine operated in Ishpeming for 99 years, closing in 1967. Now, the site is a museum where you can learn about its history.

The Cliffs Shaft Mine.

• Jackson Iron Company Site (Carp River Forge): This site near Negaunee was where the first forge (a place to heat and shape metal) was built in northern Michigan in 1847–1848. It was difficult to transport materials, so the forge closed in 1854.

The Jackson Iron Company Site.

• Jackson Mine: The Jackson Mine, located west of Negaunee, was the very first iron mine in the Lake Superior region. The Jackson Mining Company started in 1845. By 1861, the company was doing well, and it helped the city of Negaunee grow.

The Jackson Mine.

Other Interesting Places

Unique Sites and Natural Beauty

• Coaster II: This ship, the Coaster II, was designed by a naval architect named Murray Peterson as his own personal yacht. It was built in 1933 to look like old 19th-century sailing ships. In 2007, it was bought and moved to Marquette.

The Coaster II ship.

• Sam Cohodas Lodge: This large log lodge near Champion was built in 1934–35 for Sam Cohodas, a successful fruit and produce businessman. It's special because it's one of the biggest log structures in Michigan that doesn't need extra support.

The Sam Cohodas Lodge.

• Granot Loma: Located on the Lake Superior shore north of Thoneys Point, Granot Loma is a huge lodge built in the style of old Adirondack camps. It includes 5,180 acres of woodland. The lodge itself is made of logs over a steel frame and has a very long great room and 26 bedrooms!
• Gwinn Model Town Historic District: In 1906, the president of the Cleveland-Cliffs Iron Company, William Gwinn Mather, asked a famous landscape designer to create a community for mining workers. He designed a "model town" called Gwinn, making sure to keep many of the existing trees and plant new ones to connect it to nature.

Gwinn Model Town Historic District.

• Longyear Hall of Pedagogy-Northern Michigan University: This building was originally built in 1899 and rebuilt after a fire in 1907. It was the first home of Northern Normal School, which is now Northern Michigan University. The building was taken down in 1993.

Longyear Hall of Pedagogy.

• Mather Inn: In Ishpeming, the Mather Inn was built after an earlier hotel was destroyed in 1928. William G. Mather, who was the president of the Cleveland-Cliffs Iron Company, paid for it. He hired a famous architect and a landscape designer to create this beautiful hotel and its grounds.

The Mather Inn in Ishpeming.

• Marquette and Western Railroad Negaunee Freight Depot: This old train depot in Negaunee was built in 1884. It was used for both freight (goods) and passengers. After only a year, another railroad company bought the line. It was used as the main depot until a newer one was built in 1922.

The Negaunee Freight Depot.