Saint Joseph Church and Shrine

Saint Joseph Church and Shrine
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. Historic district
Michigan State Historic Site
Location within the state of Michigan Show map of Michigan Saint Joseph Church and Shrine (the United States) Show map of the United States
Location	8742 U.S. Route 12 Cambridge Township, Michigan
Coordinates	42°03′24″N 84°09′51″W
Built	1854
Architect	Dionicio Rodriguez, Leo Ouelette, and Ralph Corona
Architectural style	Spanish Colonial Revival, Mission Revival
NRHP reference No.	07000382[1]
Significant dates
Added to NRHP	May 4, 2007
Designated MSHS	April 19, 1990[2]

The Saint Joseph Church and Shrine is a historic district located at 8742 U.S. Route 12 in the Irish Hills region in rural Cambridge Township in Lenawee County, Michigan. The district was designated as a Michigan Historic Site on April 19, 1990, and added to the National Register of Historic Places on May 4, 2007.^[1][2]

History

The church traces its origins to its founding as a missionary church in 1854 by the area's earliest Irish settlers. Irish Catholics had trickled into the area beginning in the 1830s, and they met in private homes for occasional mass. By 1852, a large enough number were in the area that a church was needed, and Humphrey and Ann Agan, and Martin Kelly deeded the site on which this church stands to the Bishop of Detroit. Work on the church itself commenced in 1854, and continued on and off until 1862. Originally, the church was a very simple fieldstone church with no exterior adornments.^[3]

The church's tower, sacristy, and stained glass windows were added in 1911. A new roof, transept, and sanctuary were added in 1928. In 1932, the shrine was completed under the supervision of Hispanic architects Leo Ouelette, Dionicio Rodriguez, and Ralph Corona. The first resident priest of the church arrived in 1954. and the church continues to function as a Catholic church.^[2][4]

Description

The district consists of a church edifice and a shrine. The district also consists of a cemetery with graves dating back to the 1850s.^[2] The church is a fieldstone cruciform-plan structure with a hip roof. A square-plan, hip-roof bell tower at the front contains an entry vestibule. Both the church and tower are topped with a red ceramic tile roof. A 1954 addition is located in one corner of the church.^[3]

References

1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 11, 2009.
2. State of Michigan (2009). "Saint Joseph Church and Shrine". Archived from the original on May 5, 2012. Retrieved July 16, 2010.
3. Gladys Saborio; Susan Kosky (November 2006), NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES REGISTRATION FORM: Saint Joseph Church and Shrine
4. National Park Service (2007). "Saint Joseph Church and Shrine (Cambridge, MI)". Retrieved July 17, 2010.

• Lenawee County Conference & Visitors Bureau

Old postcard showing the church