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

Macomb County, Michigan Macomb County ( ) is a county on the eastern shore of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is part of the Detroit metropolitan area, bordering Detroit to the north and containing many of its northern suburbs. Its seat of government is Mt. Clemens, ...

in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

. It was located on an

oxbow __NOTOC__ An oxbow is a U-shaped metal pole (or larger wooden frame) that fits the underside and the sides of the neck of an ox or wikt:bullock, bullock. A bow pin holds it in place. The term "oxbow" is widely used to refer to a U-shaped meand ...

of the Clinton River southwest of present-day Mt. Clemens.

History

Frederick was situated at the location of the New Gnadenhuetten 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 the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

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

Ojibwe The Ojibwe (; Ojibwe writing systems#Ojibwe syllabics, syll.: ᐅᒋᐺ; plural: ''Ojibweg'' ᐅᒋᐺᒃ) are an Anishinaabe people whose homeland (''Ojibwewaki'' ᐅᒋᐺᐘᑭ) covers much of the Great Lakes region and the Great Plains, n ...

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 The Battle of the Thames , also known as the Battle of Moraviantown, was an American victory in the War of 1812 against Tecumseh's Confederacy and their United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, British allies. It took place on October 5, 1813, ...

and was present at the death of

Tecumseh Tecumseh ( ; (March 9, 1768October 5, 1813) was a Shawnee chief and warrior who promoted resistance to the Territorial evolution of the United States, expansion of the United States onto Native Americans in the United States, Native American ...

. 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 was fought by the United States and its allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and its allies in North America. It began when the United States United States declaration of war on the Uni ...

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, 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 A ghost town, deserted city, extinct town, or abandoned city is an abandoned settlement, usually one that contains substantial visible remaining buildings and infrastructure such as roads. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economi ...

. (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