Frederick, Michigan, also known as Casino, was a community in Clinton Charter Township of

Macomb County, Michigan Macomb County ( ) is a county located in the eastern portion of the U.S. state of Michigan, bordering Lake St. Clair, and is part of northern Metro Detroit. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 881,217, making it the third-most populous c ...

in the U.S. state of

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and t ...

. It was located on an oxbow of the Clinton River southwest of present-day Mt. Clemens.

History

Frederick was situated at the location of the

New Gnadenhuetten New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...

Moravian mission, which is now just west of Mt. Clemens. Following the Gnadenhütten massacre in March 1782, the Rev. David Zeisberger and his group were summoned to Detroit by the British Major De Peyster, who suspected the Moravians of favoring the Americans in the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

. Zeisberger and his group, after assuaging De Peyster's suspicions were granted a place by the local

Ojibwe The Ojibwe, Ojibwa, Chippewa, or Saulteaux are an Anishinaabe people in what is currently southern Canada, the northern Midwestern United States, and Northern Plains. According to the U.S. census, in the United States Ojibwe people are one of ...

to establish a mission a few miles north of Detroit on what was then known as the Huron River. The group arrived in at the site in July 1782. The mission prospered for a short while, receiving the benefit of liberal supplies from De Peyster and his successor Lord George Hay. In 1785-1786, some of the Indian brethren of the mission laid out a road into Detroit from the mission, the first interior road in Michigan. The road followed the course approximated by Moravian Drive to Schoenherr Rd to Gratiot Ave. The mission was abandoned in 1786 after being warned by the Ojibwe to leave. Only Richard Conner (1719- 1808) and his family remained behind. His son Henry Conner, fought with Harrison in the Battle of the Thames and was present at the death of

Tecumseh Tecumseh ( ; October 5, 1813) was a Shawnee chief and warrior who promoted resistance to the expansion of the United States onto Native American lands. A persuasive orator, Tecumseh traveled widely, forming a Native American confederacy and ...

. Richard Conner's only daughter, Susanna, was born at the mission December 16, 1783, the first child of white parents born within the limits of the present Macomb County. She married Judge Elisha Harrington, whose farm covered the site of the old mission. In about 1836, the Shelby road was opened to Frederick. Associate Judges Stevens, Harrington, and Conner lived in Frederick and sat with Judge Clemens Reprinted from the ''Mount Clemens Monitor'', December 29, 1916 Prior to the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It be ...

a sawmill was likely built in the town, another

sawmill A sawmill (saw mill, saw-mill) or lumber mill is a facility where logging, logs are cut into lumber. Modern sawmills use a motorized saw to cut logs lengthwise to make long pieces, and crosswise to length depending on standard or custom sizes ...

was constructed around 1826 by Job C. Smith. The town proper got its start when

Horace Stephens Quintus Horatius Flaccus (; 8 December 65 – 27 November 8 BC), known in the English-speaking world as Horace (), was the leading Roman lyric poet during the time of Augustus (also known as Octavian). The rhetorician Quintilian regarded his '' ...

, Detroit resident, purchased land in Frederick and laid out a village which he named in honor of his brother. In 1836, the same year Stephens laid out the town, the eastern terminus of the Clinton-Kalamazoo Canal was Frederick, and the portion from Frederick to Utica was the only segment completed to have regular boat traffic. By 1843 the town was the Clinton River's busiest port. The village prospered until 1852 when the sawmills burned to the ground rendering Frederick a

ghost town Ghost Town(s) or Ghosttown may refer to: * Ghost town, a town that has been abandoned Film and television * ''Ghost Town'' (1936 film), an American Western film by Harry L. Fraser * ''Ghost Town'' (1956 film), an American Western film by All ...

. (Also note: The name Stephens and Stevens as mentioned in this article are more properly spelled Steevens. This from Jon Fredric Steevens, current resident of Macomb County, Great-Great Grandson and namesake of the Fredric Steevens for whom this town was named.)

Location

The town was southwest of Mount Clemens; on Moravian Drive across the river from Canal Park.

Notes

{{authority control Former populated places in Macomb County, Michigan Former populated places in Michigan