Graafschap Christian Reformed Church
N 42° 45.176 W 086° 07.979
16T E 570951 N 4733743
There was an extend slab of concrete near the marker for parking or the church lot. You choose!
Waymark Code: WMJWX3
Location: Michigan, United States
Date Posted: 01/08/2014
Views: 16
Erected in 1862, this church was the center of the Dutch immigrant community. The first settlers in this area arrived in early 1847 led by the Reverend Albertus C. Van Raalte. In June of that year a separate group of seventy people from Graafschap Betheim, near the Dutch border, founded this village, which they named Graafschap. Joined by thirty-four other immigrants from Drenthe, The Netherlands. the villagers shared common religious views and spoke similar dialects. Before erecting a log church in 1849 near this site, these early settlers attended services conducted by Van Raalte in nearby Holland. Graafschap followed Van Raalte's example by affiliating with the Reformed Church in America in 1850. Seven years later the congregation severed that tie and reasserted its independence.
Those who established this church were among thousands of Europeans who sought to escape religious and political persecution and economic depression by emigrating to America in the1840s. Later Graafschap was one of the founding members of the Christian Reformed Church which bound itself closely to Dutch customs and ways of thinking as evidenced by the fact that this church's parishioners continued to speak Dutch for two generations. This structure is made of hand-hewn timber and one of the roof beams span its entire length. Although modified by the addition of educational facilities in 1922 and the expansion of the entry in 1937 and 1949, the main church structure remains intact. The Graafschap Christian Reformed Church is a noteworthy symbol of continuity in what is still a predominately Dutch-German-American community.
Description:
Erected in 1862, this church was the center of the Dutch immigrant community. The first settlers in this area arrived in early 1847 led by the Reverend Albertus C. Van Raalte. In June of that year a separate group of seventy people from Graafschap Betheim, near the Dutch border, founded this village, which they named Graafschap. Joined by thirty-four other immigrants from Drenthe, The Netherlands. the villagers shared common religious views and spoke similar dialects. Before erecting a log church in 1849 near this site, these early settlers attended services conducted by Van Raalte in nearby Holland. Graafschap followed Van Raalte's example by affiliating with the Reformed Church in America in 1850. Seven years later the congregation severed that tie and reasserted its independence.
Those who established this church were among thousands of Europeans who sought to escape religious and political persecution and economic depression by emigrating to America in the1840s. Later Graafschap was one of the founding members of the Christian Reformed Church which bound itself closely to Dutch customs and ways of thinking as evidenced by the fact that this church's parishioners continued to speak Dutch for two generations. This structure is made of hand-hewn timber and one of the roof beams span its entire length. Although modified by the addition of educational facilities in 1922 and the expansion of the entry in 1937 and 1949, the main church structure remains intact. The Graafschap Christian Reformed Church is a noteworthy symbol of continuity in what is still a predominately Dutch-German-American community.
Parking nearby?: yes
D/T ratings: 
Registered Site #: L0483
Historical Date: Not listed
Historical Name: Not listed
website: Not listed
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