Port Sanilac in Sanilac County, Michigan — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

Masonic and Town Hall

Photographed by Joel S., September 19, 2015

1. Masonic and Town Hall Marker

Inscription. The Sanilac Masonic Lodge was organized in 1868. In 1883 lodge members and township officials agreed to build a combined township and Masonic hall on land donated by Christopher Odfield, a Mason. The foundation was built with three-foot-thick walls to provide refuge from future forest fires. When the cornerstone was laid on July 1, 1884, crowds turned out for the event, which was highlighted by Masonic ritual. The building was completed the following year. At the turn of the twenty-first century, the hall retained its fanciful Late Victorian brickwork and interior plan used by both the township and the Masons. The Masonic and town Hall is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

Erected 2002 by Michigan Historical Commission - Michigan Historical Center. (Marker Number L684.)

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Fraternal or Sororal Organizations • Government & Politics. A significant historical date for this entry is July 1, 1884.

Location. 43° 25.89′ N, 82° 32.529′ W. Marker is in Port Sanilac, Michigan, in Sanilac County. It is on State Highway M at milepost 25 near State Highway 46, on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 20 North Ridge Street, Port Sanilac MI 48469, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is on Michigan’s Thumb

and in one of the Lake Huron Shore counties. It is also in the American Midwest

and on the Great Lakes.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Northwest Territory.

Other nearby markers. At

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least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Screw (about 700 feet away, measured in a direct line); The "North Star" Anchor (approx. 0.2 miles away); Port Sanilac Harbor of Refuge (approx. 0.2 miles away); Port Sanilac Light Station - 1886 (approx. 0.2 miles away); Ward Cottage (approx. 0.4 miles away); The Decker Crib Barn (approx. half a mile away); Houndtown Cabin (approx. half a mile away); Anchor (approx. half a mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Port Sanilac.

Also see . . . National Register of Historic Places Registration Form. "The Masonic/town hall building is one of a small number of surviving Michigan examples of combination town/fraternal hall buildings constructed in the later nineteenth and early twentieth centuries in small towns. These buildings characteristically provided space for township or village offices and a public hall in the lower portion and quarters for a fraternal organization in the upper.... The fine building in nearby Lexington ... may have provided a precedent for the Port Sanilac building." (Submitted on July 24, 2024, by Joel Seewald of Madison Heights, Michigan.)

Photographed by J.T. Lambrou, September 7, 2022

2. Masonic and Town Hall Marker

Masonic and Town Hall and Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Joel S., September 19, 2015

3. Masonic and Town Hall and Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on July 24, 2024. It was originally submitted on September 22, 2015, by Joel Seewald of Madison Heights, Michigan. This page has been viewed 597 times since then and 19 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on September 22, 2015, by Joel Seewald of Madison Heights, Michigan. 2. submitted on January 12, 2024, by J.T. Lambrou of New Boston, Michigan. 3. submitted on September 22, 2015, by Joel Seewald of Madison Heights, Michigan.