The Church in the Orchard: St Wenceslaus Catholic Church of Gills Pier

The Church in the Orchard by Mark Smith

Mark Smith of Leelanau Landscapes shared this stunning photo of St. Wenceslaus Catholic Church of Gills Pier in northern Leelanau along with some historical background:

Amongst the blossoms of the cherry orchards sits St. Wenceslaus Church and Cemetery, In the 1860s and 1870s settlers from Bohemia (now part of Czechoslovakia) came to this area and worked at the Leland Lake Superior Iron Foundry and the Gill sawmill. Catholics attended mass at the Holy Trinity Church in Leland until the church burned in 1880. In 1890 the first St. Wenceslaus Church was built and the cemetery established. Ornate metal grave markers reflect the Bohemian heritage, as do the names Bourda, Houdek, Hula, Jelinek, Kalchick, Kirt, Kolarik, Korson, Kovarik, Maresh, Novotny, Reicha and Sedlacek which appear in the cemetery.

The church membership doubled by 1908. In 1914 volunteers hauled bricks and other materials to this site and built the present church. This Late Gothic Revival church was completed during that year.

Read more of Mark’s great historical writings in the Omena Historical Society Blog!