Beaver Island in St. James in Charlevoix County, Michigan — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Holy Cross Catholic Church
Photographed by Jimmy Emerson, 2014
1. Holy Cross Catholic Church Marker
Father Frederic Baraga (1797-1868) first landed on Beaver Island as a missionary in 1832. This church was built in 1860 and consecrated by Baraga, then Bishop of the Diocese of Sault Ste. Marie. This church originally stood inland alongside the parish cemetery one mile to the south. To better serve the island's population center on Paradise Bay, Holy Cross Church was cut in half, moved and reassembled at this location in 1957.
After the expulsion of the Mormons in 1856, many Irish families settled on the island. To serve this community. Liturgies were given in the Gaelic language until the 1890s. The inability to attract teachers to the isolated Island's public schools led the parish to invite Dominican Sisters based in Grand Rapids to help educate children on the Island in 1899. The last Dominican Sister to teach on the Island left in 1991.
Erected 2013 by Michigan Historical Commission. (Marker Number 2251.)
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Communications • Education • Religion & Religious Structures • Women. A significant historical year for this entry is 1860.
Location. 45° 44.72′ N,
this page online
Regionally, this marker is in Northern Michigan Lower Peninsula, in the Grand Traverse Bay Region, and in one of the Lake Michigan Shore counties. It is also in the American Midwest. Globally, it is in North America, on the Great Lakes, in the Western Hemisphere, in the Western World, and in the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Northwest Territory.
Other nearby markers. At least 2 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Mormon Print Shop (about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line); King Strang Hotel (approx. 0.3 miles away).
Photographed by Jimmy Emerson, 2014
2. Holy Cross Catholic Church Marker
Photographed by Jimmy Emerson, 2014
3. Holy Cross Catholic Church Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on November 21, 2025. It was originally submitted on November 17, 2025, by Jimmy Emerson of Dalton, Georgia. This page has been viewed 112 times since then and 75 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on November 17, 2025, by Jimmy Emerson of Dalton, Georgia. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.
