Deja-vu

Trinity Church

Date Visited:  August 3, 2019

Stop:  #40

Our Michigan Wines and Signs quest, Eastern Thumb Loop, was progressing just fine, but after nearly an hour and a half at the 3 North Vines Winery, we had little chance left of hitting all the targets on our list for the day.  We had decided we would continue heading west until we got to Marlette, and then head back to Caseville from there.  But there were still six historical markers to see on our way to Marlette.  As we pulled out of the winery, we continued driving west on Peck Road (M-90) towards Croswell, the city that is home to our next historical marker.  We were in search of Trinity Church.  Yes, you read that right and No, this was not deja-vu.  We were actually going to another church called Trinity Church. 

We drove 1.37 miles to Croswell Rd., turned right, and headed north.  We drove a mile to Harrington Road and made a left-hand turn, now heading east again until we got to Howard Street (about a half mile).  At this point, the coordinates on our map instructed us to turn right and head north on Howard St.  Unfortunately, there were nothing but houses where the coordinates said a church should be.  Foiled by incorrect coordinates again.  We turned around and headed south and eventually found what we were looking for – about 800 feet south of Harrington Rd. (or 0.85 miles north of Peck Rd.) on the east side of Howard St.

I have looked all over for any history about this church, but I have not been able to find anything other than what is written on the historical marker.  Even the person who wrote the history of Trinity Church in Lexington stated in her opening paragraph “It is the writer's fond hope that someone who has been associated with the former Croswell parish will undertake the writing of a suitable history.”  She could not find any history either.

The sign explains that the church was built in 1898 and was originally called Christ Church.  It replaced the county’s first Episcopal church building which was erected nearby in 1870.  The new building was known for its unique cobblestone construction, and its interior features wooden arches and a rood screen between the nave and the chancel.  Over time, the Church became the Croswell chapel of the Trinity Episcopal Church and today it is the home of the Croswell Swinging Bridge Community Center.

So, with nothing more about this historical building to write about, I will provide a short history of Croswell instead!  Currently a city of 2,288 (as of 2017), it was first settled in 1845 and was known as Black River, the name of the river on whose banks the settlement first sprung.  Like most settlements in this area, lumber was the main industry, and the first sawmill was built in 1845 by Ephraim Pierce.  The settlement continued to grow, and its first schoolhouse was built in 1851.  Later, the settlement was renamed Davisville, named after Randall E. Davis, the settlement’s first Postmaster (appointed in 1857) and Ephraim Pierce’s partner in the sawmill.  In 1877 the settlement was renamed Croswell, in honor of Governor Charles Croswell (1877-1878). Croswell was incorporated as a village 1881 and it became a city in 1905.

The fire of 1881 destroyed all the natural resources that accounted for Croswell’s lumber industry.  The area stayed relevant by turning to farming.  The community developed their own water plant in 1895 and their own electric plant in 1896. The sugar beet industry was secured with the completion of the sugar plant in 1902.  Today, Pioneer Sugar is the biggest employer in Croswell.

The city is best known for 2 major landmarks and one major event.  The first landmark is the Croswell Theatre, built in 1883 and still in operation today.  It is known for being the oldest theater in Michigan and one of the oldest continuously operating theaters in the United States.  To read about the very interesting history of this building, please click on this link:  https://croswell.org/history.  The second landmark is the "Be Good to Your Mother-In-Law" footbridge, which runs across the Black River. The cable and wood plank suspension bridge is known locally as the "Swinging Bridge" and is the setting of the annual Swinging Bridge Festival held the second weekend of August and features cardboard boat races down the Black River.  The bridge was built in 1905 and it spans 139 feet.  Finally, the most famous event is the Croswell Agricultural Society Fair (est. 1884), one of the oldest fairs in Michigan and held each summer at the Croswell Fairgrounds.

So that wraps up our visit to Croswell and to Trinity Church.  Like the history of the church, our visit was short and sweet.  It was time to visit yet another church, so find out which one in my next blog.

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