Pickford Presbyterian

The Benton Presbyterian Church was organized May 10, 1883 by the Rev. T. D. Davis.  Four years later the Benton Church was disbanded and by order of the Presbytery of Lake Superior its membership was transferred to the Pickford Presbyterian Church.  Rev. H. Condy was the first Moderator of the Session and the first minister was Rev. M. A. Alleyn.

The first record of the erection of a church building states “the cornerstone of the new church was laid July 16, 1902”.  This edifice was dedicated December 12, 1902 and known as the First Presbyterian Church.  The building was destroyed by fire in February 1939.

Construction work on the present building began August 1, 1939 and finished on September 13, 1939.  On December 3, 1939 the first worship services were held in the new church.  The new pastor, Rev. Frank R. Mease, was installed December 12, 1939.  In December 1959 the First Presbyterian Church was changed to the United Presbyterian Church.

In October 1951 Rev. John Neuenschwander became pastor and served for 15 years.  The present pastor, Rev. J. Robert Walter, came in 1967.

Church of the Nazarene

The Pickford Church of the Nazarene came into existence as a result of revival services held in the Old Orange Hall with Rev. W. R. Plarr of Jasper, Alabama, as evangelist and his party of singers in September 1939.

The church was organized October 25, 1939 by Rev. C. T. Corbett in the Marquette Township Hall with 24 charter members and six others who joined within the first month.

In the spring of 1940 Mr. F. H. Taylor deeded the present church site to the church and a building program under the direction of William Talbot and Donald Holley was begun.  The church was incorporated and the building completed and dedicated in December 1940 during the pastorate of Rev. Leroy Harris.

In 1941 Mr. F. H. Taylor deeded the lot adjoining the church on the west to the church as a gift.  In 1947 plans were made for the building of a parsonage on this lot and the parsonage was completed during the pastorate of Rev. Lloyd Pounds.

In 1960 the front entrance of the church was remodeled.  The entrance was from the east side and is now in the southeast corner.

Pickford Methodist Church

The Pickford Methodist Church was started in a private home by a missionary minister, Rev. Donaldson, who walked from his home in Donaldson each Sunday and held services at the C. W. Pickford home.  He would spend the night at the William Best home and return to his farm in the morning.  The former Pickford home now stands at the end of Church Street to the east.

After holding services for four years in this home, the congregation built a church in 1882 in the block just south of the present church building.  Rev. James Pascoe was the first regular minister to serve the Methodist Church in Pickford.  He was C. W. Pickford’s son-in-law and served as minister until 1883.

When the congregation grew too large for this building, it was sold and later moved and remodeled for use as a meeting place for the Orange Lodge.  The structure that was to replace it was built and dedicated in 1901 on the present church site.  Through the years, that too, grew too small and an addition was built on what was known as the Bible Classroom.  From 1883 until the present time there have been 27 pastors serving the Methodist Church in Pickford.  Rev. Richard Beemer is the pastor at present.

The years passed by, members came and went, and the church continued to grow until March 5, 1933, when disaster struck in the form of fire, and the church burned to the ground.  The first steps were taken towards a new church home with the appointment of a building committee of five members.  On July 5, 1934, the corner stone was laid with the late Hon. Chase S. Osborn as guest speaker.  In November 1934 they started holding services in the basement.  On October 13, 1935, the new colonial style church was consecrated free of debt.

St. Matthias Mission

The mission church of St. Matthias, Fairview, Pickford Township, Michigan, was built of logs by the congregation on a site in the Fairview Cemetery about the year 1880.  The first members were settlers who had come from Canada, where they had been members of the Church of England (now known as the Anglican Church in Canada) and had established homes in Pickford Township.

Before 1880 the Rev. G. Mott Williams, who was then the Archdeacon of the Episcopal Church in Northern Michigan, made numerous trips through Chippewa County to minister to the settlers and he established a number of missions in various parts of the county, among them St. Matthias Mission in the district east of Pickford that has always been called Fairview.

A short time before Bishop Harris retired in 1929, it had been noticed the old log church was becoming the victim of time and not only was the building decaying, but it had become too small for the congregation.  It was recommended by the Bishop that the congregation consider building a new and larger church, and to erect it in a token of appreciation for the long and devoted services of the Rev. William Maltas, who, though still active, was growing old.  In the early winter of 1930 Mr. Boniface, who had large timber holdings near the Munuscong River, donated the necessary logs for the new church and in January these were cut and brought to the site for the new church.  In the meantime Mr. Edward Kelley and Mr. Peter Nally each donated a half-acre on which to build the church.  In early November of 1930, on a Sunday afternoon, the first service was held and the late Venerable Archdeacon Poyseor of Crystal Falls, Michigan, preached the dedicatory sermon.  It was named the Maltas Memorial Church, a house of prayer for all people.

Services are currently being conducted by Stephen Stiling, Lay Reader.

Church of the Sacred Heart

The Church of the Sacred Heart was built in 1890 and destroyed by fire of unknown origin in 1919.  Father Chatier S. J. (Society of Jesus) was the missionary in the area at the time and the church was built through his efforts.  He was also instrumental in building the church in Hessel about the same time.  Father DeLude S.J. was also a very active missionary in the area, serving for many years.  The records show he walked to Kinross and Rudyard to say Mass.  Mass was said in homes in Kinross and in the Town Hall for five families.

Julia Hassett McCarthy taught the catechism classes.  She traveled to the different churches by horse and buggy.  Father DeLude cured her of a severe case of rheumatism.

The priest always stayed at different homes in the area and said Mass in those homes.  These priests were Jesuit missionaries of whom Father Gaunier was one of the last.

The statue of the Sacred Heart from the Pickford Church was saved by John Quinell, and is now in the Church of the Holy Family in Barbeau.