Raisin Valley Friends Meetinghouse

Raisin Valley Friends Meetinghouse
Location within the state of Michigan
Location 3552 N. Adrian Highway
Adrian Charter Township, Michigan
Coordinates 41°56′17″N 84°00′21″W / 41.93806°N 84.00583°WCoordinates: 41°56′17″N 84°00′21″W / 41.93806°N 84.00583°W
Built 1835
Governing body Private
NRHP Reference # 82002847[1]
Significant dates
Added to NRHP April 28, 1982
Designated MSHS January 23, 1992[2]

The River Valley Friends Meetinghouse is a historic church located at 3552 North Adrian Highway (M-52) in Adrian Charter Township about two miles (3.2 km) north of the city of Adrian in central Lenawee County, Michigan. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on April 28, 1982 and later designated as a Michigan Historic Site on January 23, 1992.[1][2]

The simple, wooden church is typical of those built in the early nineteenth-century. The structure maintains its original appearance. Two additional rooms were added on, as well as a front porch and minor exterior details, between 1953–1970.[2]

The church was built in 1835 by Quaker settlers, and it continues to operate as the Raisin Valley Friends Church. It houses the oldest Quaker congregation in Michigan, which was established in 1831. It is also recognized as the second oldest continuously operating church building in the state of Michigan after the Mission Church in Mackinac Island, which was built in 1829.[2] The church, which had an abolitionism stance, is recognized as having served as a major stop in Michigan's Underground Railroad network.[2][3]

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. May 31, 2010.
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 State of Michigan (2009). "Raisin Valley Friends Meetinghouse". Retrieved May 30, 2010.
  3. Thomas, Jennie (2007). "The Michigan Underground Railroad". Retrieved May 31, 2010.