Orchard Lake in Oakland County, Michigan — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

Orchard Lake Chapel

Photographed By Kathy Garman, August 24, 2019

1. Orchard Lake Chapel Marker

Inscription. Click to hear the inscription.

Early settlers here were devout Christians, and from 1825 were served on occasion by itinerant preachers. Later Colin and Caroline Campbell had this chapel built on land donated by Peter Dow to accommodate the influx of summer visitors. It was dedicated on July 18, 1874. Early worshippers often arrived by steam boat. Since 1943 the permanent congregation has been known as the Orchard Lake Community Church, Presbyterian.

Erected 1974 by Michigan History Division, Department of State. (Marker Number L284.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Churches & Religion • Settlements & Settlers. In addition, it is included in the Michigan Historical Commission series list. A significant historical date for this entry is July 18, 1874.

Location. 42° 35.667′ N, 83° 23.215′ W. Marker is in Orchard Lake, Michigan, in Oakland County. Marker is on Commerce Road, 0.6 miles east of Hiller Road, on the right when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 5171 Commerce Rd, West Bloomfield MI 48324, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this

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marker, measured as the crow flies. Walter Flanders / Flanders Garage (approx. 1.2 miles away); Orchard Lake Schools / Joseph Tarr Copeland (approx. 1½ miles away); Chief Pontiac (approx. 1.6 miles away); Emmendorfer House / Francis A. Emmendorfer (approx. 1.6 miles away); Apple Island (approx. 1.6 miles away); Conglomerate Boulder (approx. 1.6 miles away); Green School Bell (approx. 1.6 miles away); Drawn by Water (approx. 1.6 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Orchard Lake.

Also see . . .
1. Blog about the Church Built for Summer Vacationers. (Submitted on August 23, 2020, by John Garman of Rochester Hills.)
2. The Story of Orchard Lake Community Church Presbyterian. A dated manuscript published in 1959 by the church with information compiled by J. A. Van Coevering. The "Book" is only 32 pages long and is an easy read. It does provide some interesting information about the church through the years leading up to 1959, as well as some historical photographs that help bring the words to life. Just as interesting is the narrative about a couple of the more prominent people associated with the church – Peter Dow, and the Church matriarch, Caroline Campbell. In fact, a few pages of the book are dedicated to the actual writing of Caroline as she shares her perspective on the history of the chapel. (Submitted on August 23, 2020.)

Orchard Lake Chapel and Historical Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Kathy Garman, August 24, 2019

2. Orchard Lake Chapel and Historical Marker

Orchard Lake Chapel image. Click for full size.

Photographed By John Garman, August 24, 2019

3. Orchard Lake Chapel

Credits. This page was last revised on August 23, 2020. It was originally submitted on August 23, 2020, by John Garman of Rochester Hills. This page has been viewed 173 times since then and 68 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on August 23, 2020, by John Garman of Rochester Hills. • Mark Hilton was the editor who published this page.