Near Gills Pier in Leelanau County, Michigan — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
St. Wenceslaus Church and Cemetery
circa 1994
1. St. Wenceslaus Church and Cemetery Marker
St. Wenceslaus Church and Cemetery
In the 1860s and 1870s settlers from Bohemia (now part of Czechoslovakia) came to this area and worked at the Leland Lake Superior Iron Foundry and the Gill sawmill. Catholics attended mass at the Holy Trinity Church in Leland until the church burned in 1880. In 1890 the first St. Wenceslaus Church was built and the cemetery established. Ornate metal grave markers reflect the Bohemian heritage, as do the names Bourda, Houdek, Hula, Jelinek, Kalchick, Kirt, Kolarik, Korson, Kovarik, Maresh, Novotny, Reicha and Sedlacek which appear in the cemetery. The church membership doubled by 1908. In 1914 volunteers hauled bricks and other materials to this site and built the present church. This Late Gothic Revival church was completed during that year.
Bureau of History, Michigan Department of State
Registered Local Site No. 1671
Property of the State of Michigan 1990Erected 1990 by Bureau of History, Michigan Department of State. (Marker Number 1671.)
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Churches & Religion
this page online
Location. 45° 4.148′ N, 85° 40.464′ W. Marker is near Gills Pier, Michigan, in Leelanau County. Marker is at the intersection of East Kolarik Road (County Route 637) and North Jelinek Road, on the right when traveling east on East Kolarik Road. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 8500, Suttons Bay MI 49682, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 11 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Veterans Memorial (approx. 5.2 miles away); Leland Historical District (Fishtown) (approx. 5.3 miles away); Bahle's (approx. 6˝ miles away); The Hessler Log Home (approx. 10.9 miles away); Hesler Log House (approx. 10.9 miles away); A Light at Old Mission (approx. 11 miles away); Site of Lighthouse Privy (approx. 11 miles away); Oil House (approx. 11 miles away).
Additional keywords. Bohemian Settlement
Credits. This page was last revised on November 15, 2017. It was originally submitted on November 14, 2014, by Thomas A. Thomas of Brielle, New Jersey. This page has been viewed 457 times since then and 12 times this year. Photo 1. submitted on November 14, 2014, by Thomas A. Thomas of Brielle, New Jersey. • Al Wolf was the editor who published this page.
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