Adrian in Lenawee County, Michigan — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Adrian Monthly Meetinghouse / Raisin Valley Friends Church
Adrian Monthly Meetinghouse
Quakers from New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania settled in southeastern Michigan in the early nineteenth century. In June 1831 Adrian Quakers held their first meeting in the home of Darius Comstock. In 1834 David Baker donated six acres of land for a meetinghouse and cemetery. The building that was soon constructed typified nineteenth-century Friends meetinghouses in the United States. The building had separate entrances for men and women on the east side leading into a sanctuary with a central movable partition. The original forty-by-fifty-six-foot structure, built at a cost of eight hundred dollars, has been incorporated into the present meetinghouse and is one of the oldest houses of worship in Michigan.
Raisin Valley Friends Church
The first pastor of the Adrian Friends Meetinghouse (1835-1841) was Daniel Smith, whose Quaker abolitionist daughter Laura Smith Haviland is interred in the church cemetery. The congregation was part of the New York Yearly Meeting until 1869 and then became part of the Ohio Yearly Meeting. Friends worshipped in this building for the first time on June 11, 1835. Until 1874 ministers and elders sat in the gallery facing the congregation during the service. The front row was called the "facing bench." In 1894 the Ladies Missionary Society began. "Friends" took their name from John 15:14 where Jesus says, "Ye are My friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you." This Raisin Valley congregation is Michigan's oldest surviving Friends organization.
Erected 1994 by Bureau of Michigan History, Michigan Department of State. (Marker Number L1844.)
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Churches & Religion. In addition, it is included in the Michigan Historical Commission, and the Quakerism series lists. A significant historical month for this entry is June 1831.
Location. 41° 56.339′ N, 84° 0.292′ W. Marker is in Adrian, Michigan, in Lenawee County. Marker is at the intersection of North Adrian Highway (State Highway 52) and West Valley Road, on the left when traveling north on North Adrian Highway. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 3552 North Adrian Highway, Adrian MI 49221, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 3 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. St. Joseph Hospital and Home for the Aged (approx. 2.3 miles away); Sacred Heart Hall (approx. 2.4 miles away); A Tribute to Sage Union (approx. 2.4 miles away); The Centennial Mall (approx. 2.4 miles away); Oakwood Cemetery (approx. 2.6 miles away); Grant B. Swift (approx. 2.7 miles away); Second Baptist Church (approx. 2.8 miles away); Lenawee County Fairgrounds (approx. 2.9 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Adrian.
Credits. This page was last revised on April 12, 2017. It was originally submitted on April 12, 2017, by Joel Seewald of Madison Heights, Michigan. This page has been viewed 383 times since then and 52 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on April 12, 2017, by Joel Seewald of Madison Heights, Michigan.