St. John the Baptist Catholic Church (Hubbardston, Michigan) facts for kids
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St. John the Baptist Catholic Church Complex
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The church in January 2015
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 Location in Michigan
Location in the United States
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| Location | 324 S. Washington Ave. Hubbardston, Michigan |
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| Area | 14.8 acres (6.0 ha) |
| Built | 1868 |
| Architect | Donaldson and Meier |
| Architectural style | Gothic Revival, Renaissance Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 01001019 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | September 24, 2001 |
The St. John the Baptist Catholic Church is a very old church. It also has a house for the priest, a school, and a cemetery. You can find it at 324 S. Washington Avenue in Hubbardston, Michigan. The church building was finished in 1869.
This important place was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2001. It was also named a Michigan State Historic Site in the same year. Today, this church works together with St. Mary parish in Carson City, Michigan.
Church History
A man named John Cowman moved to this area in 1849. He was probably the first Irish Catholic person to settle here. By 1851, six more families had moved nearby. A priest named Father George Godez from Westphalia started visiting them.
In 1853, a small chapel was built on the Cowman family's farm. More settlers arrived over the next few years. In 1855, the St. John the Baptist church group was officially started. Father Charles Bolte became their first leader. Around this time, the town of Hubbardston was growing. It had started with a sawmill. New shops began to appear in 1855, and the village was officially planned out in 1865.
By the 1860s, the first St. John the Baptist church had been made bigger many times. But the church group was still getting too big for their building. Also, the location outside the village was not very handy anymore.
In 1868, the church group bought land in Hubbardston. They started building the church you see today. The building was finished in 1869. At that time, it was the biggest church in the whole county!
A school for the church was opened in 1883. It used an old public school building across the street. The cemetery near the first church was used until 1884. Then, a new cemetery was opened near the current church.
A new house for the priest (called a rectory) was built in 1907-1908. It was designed by architects Donaldson and Meier from Detroit. A school designed by the same company was built in 1917. This new school replaced the older building.
However, the school stopped operating in 1965. The last priest for the church retired in 2005. Now, the church works closely with St. Mary parish in Carson City.
What the Church Looks Like
The St. John the Baptist Catholic Church complex sits on high ground. It is at the edge of Hubbardston. The complex includes the church building, a rectory (priest's house), a garage, a school, and a cemetery. There is also a newer parish center.
The Church Building
The church is a rectangular building made of wood. It has a pointed roof made of slate. The foundation is made of fieldstone. The outside is covered with clapboard siding. It has tall, pointed arch windows. These are typical of Gothic Revival style.
The front of the church looks balanced. It has a square tower in the middle that sticks out a little. A bell tower with two Gothic openings sits on top of the main tower. Inside, there are two rows of seventeen pews. These are benches for people to sit on. They are on both sides of a central walkway. The furniture inside is from the 1940s to the 1960s.
Other Buildings
The rectory is a two-story building. It has a hip roof and is made of red brick. The front has five sections that are balanced. It sits on a basement made of stone.
The school is a two-story, rectangular building. Its walls are made of brick. It also has a stone basement. A tower in the center of the front sticks out a bit. It has arches that make it look a little bit Italian. A one-story addition was built in the 1960s. It has a flat roof and is attached to one side.
The part of the cemetery that is still used is about 400 feet by 350 feet. It has large hemlock, oak, and other trees. The cemetery grounds have many old and newer gravestones. There is also a small stone building with a pointed roof. This building was used to temporarily hold bodies.
