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Marquette Mission Park and Museum of Objibwa Culture (St. Ignace Mission)

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St. Ignace Mission
1671; 1877 chapel. 500 N. State St.

This National Historic Landmark wooden chapel with front gable and a series of arched windows was moved from its original location on Moran Bay to this site, now a city park overlooking Lake Huron and the Straits of Mackinac. It stands on the site of the Huron Indian village that was also the location of the St. Ignace Mission of Father Jacques Marquette (1637–1675) and where he was buried in 1677. The mission was named to honor St. Ignatius Loyola, founder of the Jesuit order. It was first established by Father Claude Dablon in 1669 on Mackinac Island and moved here in about 1672, where it was maintained until about 1706. Archaeologists have not yet discovered the exact location of the original mission church, although there were extensive excavations conducted in the 1970s and 1980s revealing the extent of the historic Native American village and portions of several Huron longhouses. The chapel has been adapted for use as a museum of Ojibwa culture.

Writing Credits

Author: 
Kathryn Bishop Eckert

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