Assinins ( oj, Asiniinsikaajiigibiig) is a
historic district
A historic district or heritage district is a section of a city which contains older buildings considered valuable for historical or architectural reasons. In some countries or jurisdictions, historic districts receive legal protection from c ...
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.
History
Assinins was founded in 1843 by Bishop
Frederic Baraga,
[Assinins](_blank)
from the State of Michigan, retrieved 12/30/09 who came to the area at the invitation of Chief
Edward Assinins
Edward is an English given name. It is derived from the Anglo-Saxon name ''Ēadweard'', composed of the elements '' ēad'' "wealth, fortune; prosperous" and '' weard'' "guardian, protector”.
History
The name Edward was very popular in Anglo-Sa ...
.
[Assinins](_blank)
from Hunt's Guide to the UP, retrieved 12/30/09 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
The novitiate, also called the noviciate, is the period of training and preparation that a Christian ''novice'' (or ''prospective'') monastic, apostolic, or member of a religious order undergoes prior to taking vows in order to discern whether ...
until the late 1960s.
The site was then used as the KBIC tribal Center and was later torn down.
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
Ottawa
Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...
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 .
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
dormer
A dormer is a roofed structure, often containing a window, that projects vertically beyond the plane of a pitched roof. A dormer window (also called ''dormer'') is a form of roof window.
Dormers are commonly used to increase the usable space ...
ed
gable roof
A gable roof is a roof consisting of two sections whose upper horizontal edges meet to form its ridge. The most common roof shape in cold or temperate climates, it is constructed of rafters, roof trusses or purlins. The pitch of a gable roof ca ...
.
Nearby is a cemetery holding the graves of missionaries Father
Gerhard Terhorst Gerhard is a name of Germanic origin and may refer to:
Given name
* Gerhard (bishop of Passau) (fl. 932–946), German prelate
* Gerhard III, Count of Holstein-Rendsburg (1292–1340), German prince, regent of Denmark
* Gerhard Barkhorn (1919–1 ...
, Monsignor
Melchior Faust
Melchior is the name traditionally given to one of the biblical Magi appearing in the Gospel of Matthew. There are many notable people with this name, or close variations.
As a first name
* Melchior Anderegg (1828–1914), Swiss mountain guide
* ...
, Father
John Henn
John Thomas Henn (October 2, 1941 – March 22, 2020), also known as Jack Henn, was an American volleyball player who competed in the 1968 Summer Olympics. He was born in Evansville, Indiana
Evansville is a city in, and the county seat of, V ...
, and Father
Anthony Vermare
Anthony or Antony is a masculine given name, derived from the '' Antonii'', a ''gens'' ( Roman family name) to which Mark Antony (''Marcus Antonius'') belonged. According to Plutarch, the Antonii gens were Heracleidae, being descendants of Anton ...
.
References
Further reading
*
External links
Historic photos of Assinins
{{authority control
Michigan State Historic Sites
Unincorporated communities in Baraga County, Michigan
Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Michigan
Populated places established in 1843
Unincorporated communities in Michigan
1843 establishments in Michigan
National Register of Historic Places in Baraga County, Michigan