New exhibit sails the Great Lakes

Maritime heritage highlighted this fall at Macomb Cultural Center

By Maria Allard
C & G Staff Writer

CLINTON TOWNSHIP — Mariners’ Church of Detroit became a historic site thanks to a local woman who envisioned a serene place where Great Lakes sailors could gather.

Julia Anderson, who passed away in 1842, left specific instructions in her will that a church to benefit sailors be constructed, a wish that came to fruition and still stands today on Jefferson Avenue in downtown Detroit.

The Rev. Richard Ingalls Jr. will speak about the city treasure at 10:30 a.m. Oct. 24 at the Macomb Cultural Center. His presentation is one of many planned during the “Great Lakes, Great Stories: Michigan’s Maritime Heritage” exhibit at the center, located on Macomb Community College’s Center Campus on Garfield Road, south of Hall Road, next to the Macomb Center for the Performing Arts.

The center opened last year. The maritime exhibit, which runs Oct. 6 through Dec. 2, will feature guest speakers, music, artifacts, photos and more. Shipwrecks, lighthouses, aquatic life and preservation are among the topic discussions. 

Ingalls looks forward to sharing information about the well-known Mariners’ Church, where he has been lector for nearly two years. The church is a congregation of the Anglican Church, but is not attached to any one denomination. Services are held every Sunday at 8:30 a.m. and 11 a.m., and at 12:10 p.m. every Thursday — a service designed for those working in the city, but all are welcome. The church seats about 400 people.

The church once stood on Woodward Avenue and was moved in the 1950s to its current location. Workers used cables, rollers and other equipment to transfer the building. The church, transported a few yards at a time, was not taken apart and was moved whole.

Ingalls also will talk about the late Anderson, who lived in Detroit when it was considered a port city.

“She married Col. John Anderson in New York in 1818. She was 18 years old,” said Ingalls, adding the couple had no children. “They came to Detroit from Buffalo on the maiden voyage of the Walk-In-The-Water steamboat. He was sent here to open the first office of the U.S. Army Topographical Engineers, now known as the Army Corps of Engineers.”

Because sailors at the time were regarded as a “pretty rough lot,” they weren’t allowed in the local churches, Ingalls said. So, Anderson invited them to her home for Bible study and hymn singing.

Ingalls said John Anderson was responsible for mapping out the Great Lakes and opening up roadways. He passed away in 1830. Upon Julia Anderson’s death in 1842, plans for Mariners’ Church were in progress.

“Her entire estate went to build the church,” Ingalls said.

Keeping with tradition, a blessing of the fleet for those going to sea is held every March, and a Great Lakes memorial service is held every November for those who have lost their lives at sea.

The Great Lakes have always intrigued author Jerry Dennis, so he penned the book “The Living Great Lakes: Searching for the Heart of the Inland Seas,” which he will discuss at noon Oct. 11 as part of the maritime exhibit.

“I’ll talk about my observations while writing this book,” the Traverse City resident said.      

Over the years, Dennis has traveled the Great Lakes on a variety of boats, with commercial fishermen, biologists and environmentalists. His longest voyage was a 30-day trip on a schooner boat that sailed from Lake Michigan to Bar Harbor, Maine.

“It was fantastic,” Dennis said. “The captain of the schooner was a salt water captain. He couldn’t get over our lakes and how beautiful they are. He kept talking about what a challenge they are to sail.”

In his travels, Dennis came across shipwrecks, including a wooden steamer he saw when snorkeling with his sons and their friend.

“I believe they are haunting,” he said of the shipwrecks. “They get into your heart and soul, and they change you.”

Dennis also encourages everyone to preserve the Great Lakes.

“Most of the important work is being done by citizens that are out there working every day,” Dennis said. “They’re really getting people involved and making our lawmakers pay attention.”

Dennis’ second book, “A Watcher On The Shore,” is scheduled for release in 2009.

Pre-registration is required for the cultural center maritime events, excluding exhibits and video showings.

For a full schedule of events, more information or to register, visit www.macombculturalcenter.com or call (586) 445-7348. 

You can reach Staff Writer Maria Allard at allard@candgnews.com or at (586) 498-1045.