Mariners' Church
Encyclopedia
Mariners' Church of Detroit (Free and Independent) is a church adhering to Anglican liturgical traditions located at 170 East Jefferson Avenue in Detroit, Michigan
, United States
. It was founded in 1842 as a special mission to the maritime travelers of the Great Lakes
and functioned as a parish of the Episcopal Diocese of Michigan
until 1992, when the Michigan Court of Appeals ruled it was incorporated as an independent congregation. The church was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1971. The church grounds contain a bronze scultpure of George Washington
wearing the apron of a master mason by Donald De Lue
. The sculpture is a copy of the wax original created in 1959 and was installed in 1966.
increased shipping traffic in the area, and the seamen, Anderson felt, were in need of spiritual support and care. Mariners' was established in 1842 and incorporated in the state of Michigan in 1848; the present structure was consecrated the following year.
The original woodframe church was sold to the congregation of Historic Trinity Lutheran Church
for $200 when the current structure was completed. The Trinity congregation moved the building to Larned and Rivard streets.
Prior to the Civil War
, the church was a stop on the Underground Railroad
which black slaves followed North to Canada
and freedom. In 1925, the church established Mariners' Inn, a shelter that now offers rehabilitation, counseling and vocational services for homeless substance abusers.
The church was slated for demolition along with many neighboring structures in 1955 to make room for the new civic center. Trustee and Detroit News columnist George Stark urged his readers to help save the historic building and asked for small contributions of $5 or $10 to move the 60000 pounds (27,215.5 kg) limestone edifice 880 feet (268.2 m) east. The undertaking was detailed in the April 25, 1955, issue of Life
magazine. Stark's appeal raised enough money to cover moving costs with money left to add stained glass windows, a west entry and a tower and to redecorate the interior of the church. During the move, workers discovered a tunnel under the building from its days as a stop on the Underground Railroad.
The new site for the church is where the Indian Council House was constructed after the 1805 fire. The house was used for meetings with local tribes and the first Protestant worship services in Detroit. It later was the site of the Army Corps of Engineers Topigraphical Corps offices. The office was established by Col. John Anderson, husband of Julia Anderson, Mariners' benifactress.
The church is referenced in Gordon Lightfoot
's song "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald
" with the lyrics "In a musty old hall in Detroit, they prayed in the Maritime Sailors' Cathedral. The church bell chimed 'til it rang 29 times for each man on the Edmund Fitzgerald." Lightfoot himself performed the ballad at the tenth memorial service for the Edumnd Fitzgerald in 1985. After viewing the sanctuary, Lightfoot proclaimed to the congregation that he wrote the song under a false impression and in future performances would refer to the church as a "...rustic old hall..."
In August 1990, the Episcopal Diocese of Michigan
filed a lawsuit
claiming jurisdiction over Mariners' Church as a parish within the Episcopal Church. Mariners' Church held that it is an independent congregation free of denominational ties, while the Episcopal Church held that it had always considered the church an Episcopal congregation. The courts ruled in favor of Mariners' Church in the initial case in 1990 and the appeal in 1992.
The Church uses the 1662 and American 1928 editions of the Book of Common Prayer
. For many years from the 1950s through the 1980s, services were broadcast on radio station WWJ (AM)
.
in the perpendicular gothic
style. It replaced an earlier wood structure on the same site. The east and west walls are divided into three bays by flat butresses and the south wall into seven. The east wall contains a large window with gothic tracery above the chancel measuring 15 ft (4.6 m) wide by 25 ft (7.6 m) high and is flanked by a smaller window on each side. At each corner of the structure is an octagonal butress. The butresses on the east wall were originally capped by small stone spires and a cross capped the peak of the gable above the chancel window. The west wall contains a 12 ft (3.7 m) diameter rose window above which was a small bell tower.
In its original location, the north and west sides of the building abutted other structures and were not visible until the 1955 move. As part of the renovations in the new location, a new bell tower was added and the north wall, which now fronts Jefferson Avenue, was reconstructed to resemble the south wall and windows added.
The ground floor which currently holds church offices and meeting rooms originally housed commercial tennants to provide income. The first tenants were the Post Office and bank and later occupants include a grocery, barber and laundry. Prior to its relocation, the main entrance to the church was also on the ground floor under the vestibule.
The sanctuary is 43 ft (13.1 m) by 75 ft (22.9 m) with an organ gallery at the rear. The ceiling is wood with exposed beams artificially grained to resemble oak. The walls are covered by a fabric-backed vinyl.
The 1849 pipe organ
was installed by the Garret House Organ Company of Buffalo. This was replaced in 1966 by an organ given by architect Ralph Calder in memory of his wife, Helen. In 2007, D. F. Pilzecker & Company installed an organ with 78 ranks of pipes to replace the 1966 instrument.
The stained glass windows were created by the J&R Lamb Studios
of New York City in 1955. The rose window on the west facade contains symbols relevant to Christianity as well as those to represent the church's mission to serve sailors. The windows on the side walls contain scenes from the history of Detroit and the Bible.
The second phase of renovations after the 1955 move began in 1971. During this time, the Chancel
area was expanded; the Altar, Reredos
, pews and floor were restored and refinished; lighting, sound and electrical systems were upgraded; sanctuary walls were covered with vinyl; wooden tracery of the rose window was replaced with stone; an air conditioning system was installed and exterior woodwork was painted.
The church's bell tolled 29 times in November 1975 to mourn the loss of the freighter Edmund Fitzgerald
; once for each of her 29 crew members. The church continued to hold an annual memorial, reading the names of the crewmen and ringing the church bell until 2006. On November 12, 2006, two days after the 31st anniversary of the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald, the church broadened its memorial ceremony to include the more than 1,000 lives lost on the Great Lakes. In 2006, the bell at Mariners' Church tolled eight times, not the usual 29: five times for the 5 Great Lakes, a sixth time for the St. Clair and Detroit rivers, a seventh for the St. Lawrence Seaway and an eighth time for military personnel whose lives were lost.
From 1925 to 1957, Mariners' Church did not have regular services, instead, The Rector served as Superintendent of Mariners' Inn.
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"....
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It was founded in 1842 as a special mission to the maritime travelers of the Great Lakes
Great Lakes
The Great Lakes are a collection of freshwater lakes located in northeastern North America, on the Canada – United States border. Consisting of Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario, they form the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth by total surface, coming in second by volume...
and functioned as a parish of the Episcopal Diocese of Michigan
Episcopal Diocese of Michigan
The Episcopal Diocese of Michigan is the Episcopal diocese in the southeast part of Michigan.The diocese traces its roots to the founding of St. Paul's, Detroit in 1824. It became a diocese of the Episcopal Church in 1836, one year before the State of Michigan entered the Union. It covered the...
until 1992, when the Michigan Court of Appeals ruled it was incorporated as an independent congregation. The church 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 1971. The church grounds contain a bronze scultpure of George Washington
George Washington (statue by DeLue)
George Washington is a public artwork by American sculptor Donald De Lue, located on the grounds of the Indiana Statehouse, in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States...
wearing the apron of a master mason by Donald De Lue
Donald De Lue
Donald Harcourt De Lue was an American sculptor known for several prominent public monuments.-Biography:...
. The sculpture is a copy of the wax original created in 1959 and was installed in 1966.
History
The church was founded as a result of Julia Anderson's bequest of the lot on which her own mansion stood, at the corner of Woodbridge and Woodward streets. The completion of the Erie CanalErie Canal
The Erie Canal is a waterway in New York that runs about from Albany, New York, on the Hudson River to Buffalo, New York, at Lake Erie, completing a navigable water route from the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes. The canal contains 36 locks and encompasses a total elevation differential of...
increased shipping traffic in the area, and the seamen, Anderson felt, were in need of spiritual support and care. Mariners' was established in 1842 and incorporated in the state of Michigan in 1848; the present structure was consecrated the following year.
The original woodframe church was sold to the congregation of Historic Trinity Lutheran Church
Historic Trinity Lutheran Church
The Historic Trinity Lutheran Church is a church located in downtown Detroit, Michigan. It occupies the Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church complex, located at 1345 Gratiot Avenue. It was designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1981 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in...
for $200 when the current structure was completed. The Trinity congregation moved the building to Larned and Rivard streets.
Prior to 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...
, the church was a stop on the Underground Railroad
Underground Railroad
The Underground Railroad was an informal network of secret routes and safe houses used by 19th-century black slaves in the United States to escape to free states and Canada with the aid of abolitionists and allies who were sympathetic to their cause. The term is also applied to the abolitionists,...
which black slaves followed North to Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and freedom. In 1925, the church established Mariners' Inn, a shelter that now offers rehabilitation, counseling and vocational services for homeless substance abusers.
The church was slated for demolition along with many neighboring structures in 1955 to make room for the new civic center. Trustee and Detroit News columnist George Stark urged his readers to help save the historic building and asked for small contributions of $5 or $10 to move the 60000 pounds (27,215.5 kg) limestone edifice 880 feet (268.2 m) east. The undertaking was detailed in the April 25, 1955, issue of Life
Life (magazine)
Life generally refers to three American magazines:*A humor and general interest magazine published from 1883 to 1936. Time founder Henry Luce bought the magazine in 1936 solely so that he could acquire the rights to its name....
magazine. Stark's appeal raised enough money to cover moving costs with money left to add stained glass windows, a west entry and a tower and to redecorate the interior of the church. During the move, workers discovered a tunnel under the building from its days as a stop on the Underground Railroad.
The new site for the church is where the Indian Council House was constructed after the 1805 fire. The house was used for meetings with local tribes and the first Protestant worship services in Detroit. It later was the site of the Army Corps of Engineers Topigraphical Corps offices. The office was established by Col. John Anderson, husband of Julia Anderson, Mariners' benifactress.
The church is referenced in Gordon Lightfoot
Gordon Lightfoot
Gordon Meredith Lightfoot, Jr. is a Canadian singer-songwriter who achieved international success in folk, folk-rock, and country music, and has been credited for helping define the folk-pop sound of the 1960s and 1970s...
's song "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald
The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald
"The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" is a song written, composed and performed by Canadian Gordon Lightfoot to commemorate the sinking of the bulk carrier SS Edmund Fitzgerald on Lake Superior on November 10, 1975. It was inspired by the Newsweek article on the event, "The Cruelest Month", which...
" with the lyrics "In a musty old hall in Detroit, they prayed in the Maritime Sailors' Cathedral. The church bell chimed 'til it rang 29 times for each man on the Edmund Fitzgerald." Lightfoot himself performed the ballad at the tenth memorial service for the Edumnd Fitzgerald in 1985. After viewing the sanctuary, Lightfoot proclaimed to the congregation that he wrote the song under a false impression and in future performances would refer to the church as a "...rustic old hall..."
In August 1990, the Episcopal Diocese of Michigan
Episcopal Diocese of Michigan
The Episcopal Diocese of Michigan is the Episcopal diocese in the southeast part of Michigan.The diocese traces its roots to the founding of St. Paul's, Detroit in 1824. It became a diocese of the Episcopal Church in 1836, one year before the State of Michigan entered the Union. It covered the...
filed a lawsuit
Lawsuit
A lawsuit or "suit in law" is a civil action brought in a court of law in which a plaintiff, a party who claims to have incurred loss as a result of a defendant's actions, demands a legal or equitable remedy. The defendant is required to respond to the plaintiff's complaint...
claiming jurisdiction over Mariners' Church as a parish within the Episcopal Church. Mariners' Church held that it is an independent congregation free of denominational ties, while the Episcopal Church held that it had always considered the church an Episcopal congregation. The courts ruled in favor of Mariners' Church in the initial case in 1990 and the appeal in 1992.
The Church uses the 1662 and American 1928 editions of the Book of Common Prayer
Book of Common Prayer
The Book of Common Prayer is the short title of a number of related prayer books used in the Anglican Communion, as well as by the Continuing Anglican, "Anglican realignment" and other Anglican churches. The original book, published in 1549 , in the reign of Edward VI, was a product of the English...
. For many years from the 1950s through the 1980s, services were broadcast on radio station WWJ (AM)
WWJ (AM)
WWJ is Detroit, Michigan's only 24-hour all-news radio station. Broadcasting at 950 kHz, the station is owned and operated by CBS Corporation subsidiary CBS Radio. The station first went on the air on August 20, 1920 with the call sign 8MK...
.
Architecture
The building measures 49 ft (14.9 m) by 94 ft (28.7 m) and is constructed of Lannon stone from WisconsinWisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
in the perpendicular gothic
English Gothic architecture
English Gothic is the name of the architectural style that flourished in England from about 1180 until about 1520.-Introduction:As with the Gothic architecture of other parts of Europe, English Gothic is defined by its pointed arches, vaulted roofs, buttresses, large windows, and spires...
style. It replaced an earlier wood structure on the same site. The east and west walls are divided into three bays by flat butresses and the south wall into seven. The east wall contains a large window with gothic tracery above the chancel measuring 15 ft (4.6 m) wide by 25 ft (7.6 m) high and is flanked by a smaller window on each side. At each corner of the structure is an octagonal butress. The butresses on the east wall were originally capped by small stone spires and a cross capped the peak of the gable above the chancel window. The west wall contains a 12 ft (3.7 m) diameter rose window above which was a small bell tower.
In its original location, the north and west sides of the building abutted other structures and were not visible until the 1955 move. As part of the renovations in the new location, a new bell tower was added and the north wall, which now fronts Jefferson Avenue, was reconstructed to resemble the south wall and windows added.
The ground floor which currently holds church offices and meeting rooms originally housed commercial tennants to provide income. The first tenants were the Post Office and bank and later occupants include a grocery, barber and laundry. Prior to its relocation, the main entrance to the church was also on the ground floor under the vestibule.
The sanctuary is 43 ft (13.1 m) by 75 ft (22.9 m) with an organ gallery at the rear. The ceiling is wood with exposed beams artificially grained to resemble oak. The walls are covered by a fabric-backed vinyl.
The 1849 pipe organ
Pipe organ
The pipe organ is a musical instrument that produces sound by driving pressurized air through pipes selected via a keyboard. Because each organ pipe produces a single pitch, the pipes are provided in sets called ranks, each of which has a common timbre and volume throughout the keyboard compass...
was installed by the Garret House Organ Company of Buffalo. This was replaced in 1966 by an organ given by architect Ralph Calder in memory of his wife, Helen. In 2007, D. F. Pilzecker & Company installed an organ with 78 ranks of pipes to replace the 1966 instrument.
The stained glass windows were created by the J&R Lamb Studios
J&R Lamb Studios
J&R Lamb Studios, America's oldest continuously-run decorative arts company, is famous as a stained glass maker, preceding the studios of both John LaFarge and Louis C. Tiffany..- History :...
of New York City in 1955. The rose window on the west facade contains symbols relevant to Christianity as well as those to represent the church's mission to serve sailors. The windows on the side walls contain scenes from the history of Detroit and the Bible.
The second phase of renovations after the 1955 move began in 1971. During this time, the Chancel
Chancel
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar in the sanctuary at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building...
area was expanded; the Altar, Reredos
Reredos
thumb|300px|right|An altar and reredos from [[St. Josaphat's Roman Catholic Church|St. Josaphat Catholic Church]] in [[Detroit]], [[Michigan]]. This would be called a [[retable]] in many other languages and countries....
, pews and floor were restored and refinished; lighting, sound and electrical systems were upgraded; sanctuary walls were covered with vinyl; wooden tracery of the rose window was replaced with stone; an air conditioning system was installed and exterior woodwork was painted.
Commemorating those lost at sea
Established to serve mariners, the church holds a Blessing of the Fleet every March for those going to sea, and a Great Lakes Memorial Service for those who have lost their lives at sea every November.The church's bell tolled 29 times in November 1975 to mourn the loss of the freighter Edmund Fitzgerald
SS Edmund Fitzgerald
The SS Edmund Fitzgerald was an American Great Lakes freighter that made headlines after sinking in a Lake Superior storm on November 10, 1975, with the loss of the entire crew of 29. When launched on June 8, 1958, she was the largest boat on North America's Great Lakes, and she remains...
; once for each of her 29 crew members. The church continued to hold an annual memorial, reading the names of the crewmen and ringing the church bell until 2006. On November 12, 2006, two days after the 31st anniversary of the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald, the church broadened its memorial ceremony to include the more than 1,000 lives lost on the Great Lakes. In 2006, the bell at Mariners' Church tolled eight times, not the usual 29: five times for the 5 Great Lakes, a sixth time for the St. Clair and Detroit rivers, a seventh for the St. Lawrence Seaway and an eighth time for military personnel whose lives were lost.
Rectors
- Horace Hills 1849-
- Rufus Murray 1856-
- Alfred Lee Brewer 1859-
- A. M. Lewis 1865-
- E. W. Flower 1872-
- William Charles 1877-
- Paul Ziegler 1855-1915
- Hubert W. Wells 1915-
- Harry C. Robinson 1917-
- John H. Lever 1921-
- Harry I. Pearson 1925-
- George Backhurst 1929-1942
- David R. Covell 1942-
- G. Paul Musselman 1946-1953
- Elmer B. Usher 1956-1964
- Richard W. Ingalls, Sr. 1965-2004
- Richard W. Ingalls, Jr. 2004-
From 1925 to 1957, Mariners' Church did not have regular services, instead, The Rector served as Superintendent of Mariners' Inn.
| Historical images of Mariners Church in original location on Woodward and Woodbridge |
|---|