Covington, Michigan
Encyclopedia
Covington is an unincorporated community
in Covington Township
of Baraga County
in the U.S. state
of Michigan
, with coordinates of 46°32′29"N 88°32′13"W on US 141
near the junction with M-28
, which is a few miles west of US 41
. Covington uses the ZIP code
49919.
. The community was a stop along the Duluth, South Shore and Atlantic Railway
.
As the amount of forest land declined due to logging, farming became more prevalent. When a number of Finnish settlers started arriving in 1898, eventually outnumbering the small French and Swedish population, they planted fields of potatoes, corn, and wheat, and started pasturing milk cows. Others found work in the booming logging industry, buoyed by an abundant supply of cordwood and pulpwood.
A temperance society Onnen Satama, meaning Harbor of Luck, was the first Finnish organization in Covington, and was organized on November 28, 1899.
One year later, the Finnish Lutherans established the Covington Evangelical Lutheran Church. The church underwent a number of repairs and modifications over the ensuing years, but an altar painting offered to the church in 1931 by Professor Elmer A. Forsberg of the Chicago Art Institute resulted in the largest modification to date. Art Institute staff drew up plans to enlarge and remodel the church, which added the sanctuary, sacristy, and sexton's room. The interior was decorated in an Art Deco meets Finland style, with wood paneling, a candelabra, chandeliers, hand carved images of St. John and St. Peter, altar, and pulpit all designed by the Art Institute. In 1950 the church was renamed as the Bethany Evangelical Lutheran Church, and today is a tourist attraction while still having an active congregation.
In the late 1920s, Covington was a planned along the proposed route US-102, one of the original U.S. Highways designated in Michigan. The route was originally planned to run north from Rapid River along the present day US-41, and then turn west at Marquette to end at Covington. After much disagreement, the final plan was to start the road near Crystal Falls and end in Covington. However, the road was decommissioned before it was even built, and the route was completely replaced by present-day US Highway 141.
Nowadays, Covington is probably best known for its Finnish Music Festival, which is held around the Fourth of July every year and features musicians playing Finnish-inspired music on Finnish instruments. The daylong festival also features breakfast, church tours, and an all-day chicken barbecue. The community is also home to the UP Made Artist Market, a project of the non-profit Community Women's Group that is open from May to October.
Along with crop and dairy farming, the lumber industry is still the largest source of income for residents today. However, increasing costs and decreasing prices have led many farmers to leave for the mining operations in Michigamme and Negaunee.
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
in Covington Township
Covington Township, Michigan
Covington Township is a civil township of Baraga County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 569 at the 2000 census.-Communities:...
of Baraga County
Baraga County, Michigan
-National protected areas:* Keweenaw National Historical Park * Ottawa National Forest -Demographics:As of the 2000 census, there were 8,746 people, 3,353 households, and 2,223 families residing in the county. The population density was 10 people per square mile . There were 4,631 housing units...
in the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
, with coordinates of 46°32′29"N 88°32′13"W on US 141
U.S. Route 141
U.S. Route 141 is a north–south highway in the U.S. states of Michigan and Wisconsin. US 41 is its parent route. Its northern terminus, on US 41, is near Covington, Michigan; its southern terminus, with I-43 near Bellevue, Wisconsin; it remains in existence in Green Bay, Wisconsin as a...
near the junction with M-28
M-28 (Michigan highway)
M-28 is an east–west state trunkline highway that almost completely traverses the Upper Peninsula in the U.S. state of Michigan, from Wakefield to near Sault Ste. Marie in Bruce Township...
, which is a few miles west of US 41
U.S. Route 41 in Michigan
US Highway 41 is a part of the United States Numbered Highway System that runs from Miami, Florida, to the Upper Peninsula of the US state of Michigan. In Michigan, it is a state trunkline highway that enters the state via the Interstate Bridge between Marinette, Wisconsin, and Menominee,...
. Covington uses the ZIP code
ZIP Code
ZIP codes are a system of postal codes used by the United States Postal Service since 1963. The term ZIP, an acronym for Zone Improvement Plan, is properly written in capital letters and was chosen to suggest that the mail travels more efficiently, and therefore more quickly, when senders use the...
49919.
History
Covington was first settled by French-Canadians around 1885, and was named for the postmaster's home town of Covington, KentuckyCovington, Kentucky
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 43,370 people, 18,257 households, and 10,132 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,301.3 people per square mile . There were 20,448 housing units at an average density of 1,556.5 per square mile...
. The community was a stop along the Duluth, South Shore and Atlantic Railway
Duluth, South Shore and Atlantic Railway
The Duluth, South Shore and Atlantic Railway was an American railroad serving the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and the Lake Superior shoreline of Wisconsin. It provided service from Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, and St. Ignace, Michigan, westward through Marquette, Michigan to Superior, Wisconsin,...
.
As the amount of forest land declined due to logging, farming became more prevalent. When a number of Finnish settlers started arriving in 1898, eventually outnumbering the small French and Swedish population, they planted fields of potatoes, corn, and wheat, and started pasturing milk cows. Others found work in the booming logging industry, buoyed by an abundant supply of cordwood and pulpwood.
A temperance society Onnen Satama, meaning Harbor of Luck, was the first Finnish organization in Covington, and was organized on November 28, 1899.
One year later, the Finnish Lutherans established the Covington Evangelical Lutheran Church. The church underwent a number of repairs and modifications over the ensuing years, but an altar painting offered to the church in 1931 by Professor Elmer A. Forsberg of the Chicago Art Institute resulted in the largest modification to date. Art Institute staff drew up plans to enlarge and remodel the church, which added the sanctuary, sacristy, and sexton's room. The interior was decorated in an Art Deco meets Finland style, with wood paneling, a candelabra, chandeliers, hand carved images of St. John and St. Peter, altar, and pulpit all designed by the Art Institute. In 1950 the church was renamed as the Bethany Evangelical Lutheran Church, and today is a tourist attraction while still having an active congregation.
In the late 1920s, Covington was a planned along the proposed route US-102, one of the original U.S. Highways designated in Michigan. The route was originally planned to run north from Rapid River along the present day US-41, and then turn west at Marquette to end at Covington. After much disagreement, the final plan was to start the road near Crystal Falls and end in Covington. However, the road was decommissioned before it was even built, and the route was completely replaced by present-day US Highway 141.
Nowadays, Covington is probably best known for its Finnish Music Festival, which is held around the Fourth of July every year and features musicians playing Finnish-inspired music on Finnish instruments. The daylong festival also features breakfast, church tours, and an all-day chicken barbecue. The community is also home to the UP Made Artist Market, a project of the non-profit Community Women's Group that is open from May to October.
Along with crop and dairy farming, the lumber industry is still the largest source of income for residents today. However, increasing costs and decreasing prices have led many farmers to leave for the mining operations in Michigamme and Negaunee.
Landmarks
- Bethany Evangelical Lutheran Church
- Covington Rest Home - the home and barn were constructed by prosperous sawmill owners during the lumber boom