Laketown Township near Saugatuck in Allegan County, Michigan — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
The Most Reverend Joseph A. Hickey, O.S.A.
Photographed by Daniel Barriball, August 4, 2025
1. The Most Reverend Joseph A. Hickey, O.S.A. Marker
(T)his s(t)o(n)e was blessed by the
Associate Provincials
Very Rev. Fr. J.L. Seary, O.S.A.
Very Rev. Fr. C.C. McHale, O.S.A.
Very Rev. Fr. R.P. Fink, O.S.A.
In memory of
The Most Reverend Joseph A. Hickey, O.S.A.
First American General who in 1941(7) established the Province of Our Mother of Good Counsel with Very Rev. Fr. R.P. Fink, O.S.A. (First provincial
Anima una et cor unum in Deo!
Very Rev. F.J. Cavanaugh, O.S.A.
Erected 1963 by Order of Saint Augustine.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Education • Religion & Religious Structures. A significant historical year for this entry is 1941.
Location. 42° 41.814′ N, 86° 11.604′ W. Marker is near Saugatuck, Michigan, in Allegan County. It is in Laketown Township. It can be reached from 138th Avenue. This marker is east of the Felt Mansion in Shore Acres Township Park. It is at the bottom of the stairs that go downhill from the entrance to the mansion. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 6575 138th Ave, Holland MI 49423, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Southwest
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Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 3 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Felt Mansion (within shouting distance of this marker); The Shore Acres Trail (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); The Horse Barn (about 300 feet away); Maple Tapping (about 400 feet away); Saugatuck Dune State Park (approx. 0.3 miles away); Laketown Township Hall (approx. 2½ miles away); Saugatuck Pump House (approx. 2.6 miles away); All Saints Episcopal Church / Gordon W. Lloyd (approx. 2.8 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Saugatuck.
More about this marker. At some point, the upper part of this marker was damaged, perhaps when St. Augustine Seminary High School was torn down. Letters and numbers in parentheses are infered from what can be read.
"Anima
Photographed by Daniel Barriball, August 4, 2025
2. The Most Reverend Joseph A. Hickey, O.S.A. Marker in context
The Felt Mansion is the building in the background. The relief of St. Augustine is to the right of the marker, next to the stairs.
The 1941/1947 confusion may be due to the fact that Fr. Hickey was not elected prior general (head of the Augustinian order worldwide) until 1947. The Province of Our Mother of Good Counsel was established in 1941, and Hickey was part of the generalate in Rome at that time.
This marker, the image of St. Augustine to the right of it, and the shrine between them appear to be the only remaining structures from St. Augustine Seminary High School.
Regarding The Most Reverend Joseph A. Hickey, O.S.A.. The Felt Mansion was completed by inventor and industrialist Dorr Felt in 1928 on an estate of several hundred acres. Felt died in 1930, and in 1949 the family sold the estate to the Catholic Order of Saint Augustine, specifically to their Midwestern Province of Our Mother of Good Counsel. The Augustinians operated a high school seminary out of the mansion for several years before building a school and dormitory on the ridge west of the mansion in 1963. This marker was the cornerstone of the high school
Photographed by Daniel Barriball, August 4, 2025
3. Relief of Saint Augustine of Hippo
This relief sculpture is to the right of the historical marker. St. Augustine is presumably the bishop being depicted.
The Augustinians sold the Felt estate to the state of Michigan in 1977. The state built a prison on the site of the high school and the mansion and outbuildings became a state police post. The rest of the estate became Saugatuck Dunes State Park. The prison closed in 1991 and the state sold the land to Laketown Township for $1. The township turned it into Shore Acres Township Park and has been restoring the Felt Mansion to its original grandeur.
Fr. Hickey was never at St. Augustine Seminary High School. It seems that the Augustinians there wanted to commemorate the first American prior general of their order.
Also see . . .
1. Our History. Midwest Augustinians History of the Midwest province of the Augustinians, also known as the Province of Our Mother of Good Counsel
The Province of Our Mother of Good Counsel was born April 26, 1941. Two months later, the first Province Chapter was held. Rev. Ruellan P. Fink, O.S.A. was chosen as the first elected Provincial of the new Province.(Submitted on August 12, 2025, by Daniel Barriball of Chesterton, Indiana.)
2. Joseph A. Hickey, O.S.A. The Augustinians, Province of St. Thomas of Villanova A biography of the subject of this marker
Father Hickey became the first Prior of St. Marys Hall at Villanova in 1921, and held this post until he was appointed President of Villanova College in January 1925. At the General Chapter of September 1925, he was named Assistant General for the English-speaking provinces. From that time until 1953, except for the war years, he lived in Rome. At the General Chapter of 1947, Father Hickey was elected Prior-General of the Order.(Submitted on August 12, 2025, by Daniel Barriball of Chesterton, Indiana.)
3. History. The Felt Estate A history of the mansion and estate from the website of the organization that maintains it
Following the departure of the Felt family in 1949, The Saint Augustine Seminary, a Catholic prep school for young men, purchased the mansion and grounds. The carriage house was used for classrooms, while the mansion was used for housing. After several years of growth, the Seminary built a school on the ridge, west of the mansion, and a group of nuns lived in the mansion.(Submitted on August 12, 2025, by Daniel Barriball of Chesterton, Indiana.)
4. Work Started on New $1.3 Million Seminary. Holland Sentinal A newspaper article from April 27, 1963 describing the laying of the cornerstone of St. Augustine Seminary High School
The cornerstone was blessed by the Very Rev. Francis J. Cavanaugh, provincial of the Midwest Augustinian Fathers and the Very Revs. John L. Seary, Ruellan P. Fink and Clement McHale, associate provincials, who came here from Chicago and Wisconsin for the ceremony.(Submitted on August 13, 2025, by Daniel Barriball of Chesterton, Indiana.)
Credits. This page was last revised on September 5, 2025. It was originally submitted on August 11, 2025, by Daniel Barriball of Chesterton, Indiana. This page has been viewed 181 times since then and 62 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on August 11, 2025, by Daniel Barriball of Chesterton, Indiana. 3. submitted on August 12, 2025, by Daniel Barriball of Chesterton, Indiana. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.
