Assinins, Michigan
Encyclopedia
Assinins is a historic district
consisting of several buildings that were originally a school and orphanage, located in Assinins, Michigan. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1972.
, who came to the area at the invitation of Chief Edward Assinins. Assinins was the first person to be baptized at the site. Baraga built the Old St. Joseph Orphanage and School on the site in 1860; wings were added to the building in 1866 and 1877. After the Civil War
, Baraga gave the complex's land and buildings to Chief Assinins and the Keweenaw band of the Chippewa Native Americans. The orphanage
housed both Native American and European children; a larger orphanage was built on the site in 1929. In 1957, the complex was rededicated as the Sacred Heart Friary by the Capuchin Fathers as their novitiate
until the late 1960s. The site currently houses the Keweenaw Bay Indian Tribal Center.
and Chippewa tribes and settlers arriving from the east. Baraga helped the local tribes to establish recognized self-governance, and to purchase land in their own names, establishing the tribe's members as local citizens. The site holds some of the oldest structures in the area, and Bishop Baraga wrote some of his best-known works, including a book on Chippewa grammar and a Chippewa dictionary, while staying in Assinins.
ed gable roof. Nearby is a cemetery holding the graves of missionaries Father Gerhard Terhorst, Monsignor Melchior Faust, Father John Henn, and Father Anthony Vermare.
Historic district (United States)
In the United States, a historic district is a group of buildings, properties, or sites that have been designated by one of several entities on different levels as historically or architecturally significant. Buildings, structures, objects and sites within a historic district are normally divided...
consisting of several buildings that were originally a school and orphanage, located in Assinins, Michigan. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1972.
History
Assinins was founded in 1843 by Bishop Frederic BaragaFrederic Baraga
Frederic Baraga, Servant of God was a Slovene American Roman Catholic missionary, bishop, and grammarian.-Early life:Frederic Baraga was born as Friderik Irenej Baraga in the manor house at Mala Vas no...
, who came to the area at the invitation of Chief Edward Assinins. Assinins was the first person to be baptized at the site. Baraga built the Old St. Joseph Orphanage and School on the site in 1860; wings were added to the building in 1866 and 1877. After the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, Baraga gave the complex's land and buildings to Chief Assinins and the Keweenaw band of the Chippewa Native Americans. The orphanage
Orphanage
An orphanage is a residential institution devoted to the care of orphans – children whose parents are deceased or otherwise unable or unwilling to care for them...
housed both Native American and European children; a larger orphanage was built on the site in 1929. In 1957, the complex was rededicated as the Sacred Heart Friary by the Capuchin Fathers as their novitiate
Novitiate
Novitiate, alt. noviciate, is the period of training and preparation that a novice monastic or member of a religious order undergoes prior to taking vows in order to discern whether they are called to the religious life....
until the late 1960s. The site currently houses the Keweenaw Bay Indian Tribal Center.
Significance
The complex at Assinins is one of the earliest Catholic missions in the Upper Peninsula associated with Bishop Frederic Baraga, and served as an important link for establishing rapport between the local OttawaOdawa people
The Odawa or Ottawa, said to mean "traders," are a Native American and First Nations people. They are one of the Anishinaabeg, related to but distinct from the Ojibwe nation. Their original homelands are located on Manitoulin Island, near the northern shores of Lake Huron, on the Bruce Peninsula in...
and Chippewa tribes and settlers arriving from the east. Baraga helped the local tribes to establish recognized self-governance, and to purchase land in their own names, establishing the tribe's members as local citizens. The site holds some of the oldest structures in the area, and Bishop Baraga wrote some of his best-known works, including a book on Chippewa grammar and a Chippewa dictionary, while staying in Assinins.
Description
The site at Assinins originally consisted of multiple buildings, including over 15 log cabins, spread over approximately 500 acres (2 km²). It currently consists of a school building (now used as a warehouse) and several orphanage buildings. The largest structure is the Old St. Joseph Orphanage and School, which stands three stories tall, and is built of rubble with a dormerDormer
A dormer is a structural element of a building that protrudes from the plane of a sloping roof surface. Dormers are used, either in original construction or as later additions, to create usable space in the roof of a building by adding headroom and usually also by enabling addition of windows.Often...
ed gable roof. Nearby is a cemetery holding the graves of missionaries Father Gerhard Terhorst, Monsignor Melchior Faust, Father John Henn, and Father Anthony Vermare.