Parnell is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

in Grattan Township, Kent County,

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 the ...

, United States. Its latitude is 43.043 and its longitude is -85.411.

History

The area in which it is currently located was once the home of the

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 ...

people. After the 1836 Treaty of Washington opened up the land for European settlement, the former inhabitants were quickly replaced by Europeans. In the late 1830s and '40s, Irish immigrants settled the area, which had the advantages of prime farmland and a location reasonably close to a metropolitan center,

Grand Rapids, Michigan Grand Rapids is a city and county seat of Kent County, Michigan, Kent County in the U.S. state of Michigan. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 198,917 which ranks it as the List of municipalities in Mi ...

. By 1844, it is estimated that 20-30 Irish families were settled in the area now known as Parnell. That year, the community came together to worship with a priest sent from Grand Rapids, most frequently in the home of Michael Farrell. By the end of the year, planning for St. Patrick's Catholic Church had begun. The current structure, dating from 1878, is located across the street from the original church. The steeple of the church was renovated in 2005. Saint Patrick School in Parnell was founded by Catholic priest James Crumley in 1893, and moved into its current building in 1963. The school serves children from preschool through 8th grade. Parnell is also the home of a monastery of

Discalced Carmelite nuns A discalced congregation is a religious congregation that goes barefoot or wears sandals. These congregations are often distinguished on this account from other branches of the same order. The custom of going unshod was introduced into the West b ...

, founded in 1916.

Education

Lowell Area Schools Lowell Area Schools (LAS) is a school district headquartered in Lowell, Michigan. In addition to sections of Kent, its boundary includes sections of Ionia County Ionia County is a county located in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 ...

operates area public schools. Murray Lake Elementary School serves Parnell, while Lowell Middle School and Lowell High School serve the entire district.
Elementary school boundary descriptions here
(see text for information on Murray Lake elementary)

References

External links

St. Patrick Parish

{{authority control Unincorporated communities in Kent County, Michigan Unincorporated communities in Michigan