Philetus S. Church House | |
Location | North Shore Rd., Sugar Island, Michigan |
---|---|
Coordinates | 46°31′16″N 84°7′21″W / 46.52111°N 84.12250°W |
Area | 2 acres (0.81 ha) |
Built | 1862 |
Built by | J. Wells Church |
Architectural style | Greek Revival |
NRHP reference No. | 82000495 [1] |
Added to NRHP | November 24, 1982 |
The Philetus S. Church House is a private house located on North Shore Road, 1 mile (1.6 km) southeast of Payment Settlement on Sugar Island, Michigan. The building is the last structure from Church's Landing, a mid-19th century trading post and steamboat stop. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. [1]
Philetus Swift Church was born in 1812 in Riga, New York, the son of Jesse and Margery Munsen Church. [2] He was named for Philetus Swift, whom his father had fought under in the War of 1812. [2] He attended local schools and spent some time in an academy in Palmyra, New York. In 1831, Church hired on as a store clerk in Byron, New York, and in 1835 moved to Oakfield, New York to start his own business. In 1837, he married Elizabeth Duncan Wells, a granddaughter of Samuel Taggart. [2] The couple had three sons, one of whom died in infancy. [2] The other two were Jesse Wells Church and Philetus Church Jr. [3]
Church remained in Oakfield and the nearby Caryville until 1841; during this time he over-extended himself in supporting the founding of a local school and went bankrupt. [2] In 1841 he moved to Detroit and began clerking at a store there. In 1845, Church traveled north intending to search for copper, but instead became engaged in business in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. [2] [4]
In 1846, Philetus and Elizabeth Church and their sons Jesse Wells and Philetus Jr. moved to Sugar Island and founded the settlement of Church's Landing at this site. [3] There they built a trading post and house [5] and began trading with the Indians living there. [2] As his business increased, Church increased the size of his facilities. [2] Church's landing eventually contained two docks, a sawmill, dry-dock, and a small shipyard. [6]
Church's Landing was a natural stopping point for ships, so Church began supplying passing steamships with wood for their boilers. [2] He also dealt in furs, maple syrup, vegetables, ice, milk, and soap. [6] Church erected a sawmill and shingle-mill, [2] and sold shingles, fence posts, pilings, and telegraph poles in addition to steamboat wood. [6] The family also began a shipbuilding business in about 1853. [4] The businesses at Church's Landing eventually employed up to 35 people, and by 1861 was doing $17,000 to $27,000 worth of business annually. [6] Additional settlers joined Church to live at the location. [6]
In 1850, Juliette Augusta Magill Kinzie of Chicago was on a pleasure cruise and stopped at Church's Landing to take on wood. [2] The Churches provided her with some refreshments, including raspberry jam; Kinzie immediately took a liking to it and purchased some. [2] Back in Chicago, she used it in entertaining friends, leading to a demand for Church's raspberry jam. [2] The next year, Church began making raspberry jam for market, a business that by 1878 had increased such that he was manufacturing six to twelve tons of jam yearly, up to the level that the Sugar Island crop could support. [2] A contemporaneous account also notes that the Church family was "noted for the making of raspberry jam, which is sold in large quantities, and shipped to Eastern and Southern markets." [5]
In 1862, Jesse Wells Church constructed a house for his father, mother, and brother, using materials from the family sawmill. [3] In addition to Juliette Kinzie, many other celebrities stopped by Church's Landing while their ships were taking on wood, and while there visited the Churches. [2] These include Horace Greeley, Charles Sumner, John McLean, and Mary Todd Lincoln. [2]
In 1868, Jesse Wells Church, then a medical doctor, moved to Traverse City, Michigan and then to Harbor Island (near Drummond Island) with his wife and children. [7] There he continued the family shipbuilding business, building craft until at least 1910. [7] Elizabeth Church died in 1876, [2] and Philetus Church Sr. decided to retired in that same year. [3] Philetus Church died on July 22, 1883. [6] With the loss of the trading post, Church's Landing faded as a settlement. [3] This house is the only structure left marking its location. [3]
The Philetus S. Church house is a Greek Revival structure, one of the few in Chippewa County. [3]
Philetus S. Church House | |
Location | North Shore Rd., Sugar Island, Michigan |
---|---|
Coordinates | 46°31′16″N 84°7′21″W / 46.52111°N 84.12250°W |
Area | 2 acres (0.81 ha) |
Built | 1862 |
Built by | J. Wells Church |
Architectural style | Greek Revival |
NRHP reference No. | 82000495 [1] |
Added to NRHP | November 24, 1982 |
The Philetus S. Church House is a private house located on North Shore Road, 1 mile (1.6 km) southeast of Payment Settlement on Sugar Island, Michigan. The building is the last structure from Church's Landing, a mid-19th century trading post and steamboat stop. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. [1]
Philetus Swift Church was born in 1812 in Riga, New York, the son of Jesse and Margery Munsen Church. [2] He was named for Philetus Swift, whom his father had fought under in the War of 1812. [2] He attended local schools and spent some time in an academy in Palmyra, New York. In 1831, Church hired on as a store clerk in Byron, New York, and in 1835 moved to Oakfield, New York to start his own business. In 1837, he married Elizabeth Duncan Wells, a granddaughter of Samuel Taggart. [2] The couple had three sons, one of whom died in infancy. [2] The other two were Jesse Wells Church and Philetus Church Jr. [3]
Church remained in Oakfield and the nearby Caryville until 1841; during this time he over-extended himself in supporting the founding of a local school and went bankrupt. [2] In 1841 he moved to Detroit and began clerking at a store there. In 1845, Church traveled north intending to search for copper, but instead became engaged in business in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. [2] [4]
In 1846, Philetus and Elizabeth Church and their sons Jesse Wells and Philetus Jr. moved to Sugar Island and founded the settlement of Church's Landing at this site. [3] There they built a trading post and house [5] and began trading with the Indians living there. [2] As his business increased, Church increased the size of his facilities. [2] Church's landing eventually contained two docks, a sawmill, dry-dock, and a small shipyard. [6]
Church's Landing was a natural stopping point for ships, so Church began supplying passing steamships with wood for their boilers. [2] He also dealt in furs, maple syrup, vegetables, ice, milk, and soap. [6] Church erected a sawmill and shingle-mill, [2] and sold shingles, fence posts, pilings, and telegraph poles in addition to steamboat wood. [6] The family also began a shipbuilding business in about 1853. [4] The businesses at Church's Landing eventually employed up to 35 people, and by 1861 was doing $17,000 to $27,000 worth of business annually. [6] Additional settlers joined Church to live at the location. [6]
In 1850, Juliette Augusta Magill Kinzie of Chicago was on a pleasure cruise and stopped at Church's Landing to take on wood. [2] The Churches provided her with some refreshments, including raspberry jam; Kinzie immediately took a liking to it and purchased some. [2] Back in Chicago, she used it in entertaining friends, leading to a demand for Church's raspberry jam. [2] The next year, Church began making raspberry jam for market, a business that by 1878 had increased such that he was manufacturing six to twelve tons of jam yearly, up to the level that the Sugar Island crop could support. [2] A contemporaneous account also notes that the Church family was "noted for the making of raspberry jam, which is sold in large quantities, and shipped to Eastern and Southern markets." [5]
In 1862, Jesse Wells Church constructed a house for his father, mother, and brother, using materials from the family sawmill. [3] In addition to Juliette Kinzie, many other celebrities stopped by Church's Landing while their ships were taking on wood, and while there visited the Churches. [2] These include Horace Greeley, Charles Sumner, John McLean, and Mary Todd Lincoln. [2]
In 1868, Jesse Wells Church, then a medical doctor, moved to Traverse City, Michigan and then to Harbor Island (near Drummond Island) with his wife and children. [7] There he continued the family shipbuilding business, building craft until at least 1910. [7] Elizabeth Church died in 1876, [2] and Philetus Church Sr. decided to retired in that same year. [3] Philetus Church died on July 22, 1883. [6] With the loss of the trading post, Church's Landing faded as a settlement. [3] This house is the only structure left marking its location. [3]
The Philetus S. Church house is a Greek Revival structure, one of the few in Chippewa County. [3]