St. Francis Xavier Church |
513 Howard Street |
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One and a half acres for the church were purchased from M. Petoskey for $210 in September 1878. In 1885, when the Franciscans came, they renamed the church from St. Paul's to St. Francis Xavier after a Jesuit saint.
In January 1903, plans were approved for a new church. The new building stands on the site of the old wooden church. The cornerstone was laid in May 1903 and the church was dedicated in 1908. The current church was built with materials brought in from local parishioners themselves and "donated work included 504 days of labor, 451 days with teams, [and donate materials of] 87,000 feet of lumber, 112,000 feet of logs, 102 cords of stone, 1,000 loads of gravel, 2,000 loads of sand and all the posts for scaffolding. Elm trees from Petoskey were used for the rafters. The cross on the steeple is 8 1/2 feet high and 170 feet from the ground. The decorative painting in the interior of the church was done by a team of artists. Built in 1903-08 in Gothic Revival style, this lovely red brick church stands at 513 Howard Street. It is a contributing property of the 1986 listing of the East Mitchell Street Historic District on the National Register of Historic Places.
In January 1903, plans were approved for a new church. The new building stands on the site of the old wooden church. The cornerstone was laid in May 1903 and the church was dedicated in 1908. The current church was built with materials brought in from local parishioners themselves and "donated work included 504 days of labor, 451 days with teams, [and donate materials of] 87,000 feet of lumber, 112,000 feet of logs, 102 cords of stone, 1,000 loads of gravel, 2,000 loads of sand and all the posts for scaffolding. Elm trees from Petoskey were used for the rafters. The cross on the steeple is 8 1/2 feet high and 170 feet from the ground. The decorative painting in the interior of the church was done by a team of artists. Built in 1903-08 in Gothic Revival style, this lovely red brick church stands at 513 Howard Street. It is a contributing property of the 1986 listing of the East Mitchell Street Historic District on the National Register of Historic Places.