Sashabaw Presbyterian Church
Historic Photo, sourced from the National Register of Historic Places filing
Sashabaw Presbyterian Church — SASHABAW PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, 1856 Pratt & Tuttle, builders, National Register of Historic Places filing, NE of Clarkston at 5331 Maybee Rd., Clarkston, Detroit
National Register of Historic Places Filing
The Sashabaw Church is architecturally significant as a well-preserved example of Greek Revival ecclesiastical design. It is also historically significant for its long history as a Presbyterian Church serving Independence Township. The congregation was first organized in 1840 as a Congregational Society by the settlers in what has always been known as Sashabaw Plains. By 1856 when the present structure was constructed as the congregation's first permanent home, the members had adopted the Presbyterian form of worship. The building was erected at a cost of about $3,000 by a firm of master carpenters, Pratt and Tuttle, from Pontiac. The site chosen for the new church was a lot across from the house. The present school stands as a successor to their one-room school established in 1834. The church was sited just to the east of the already existing Sashabaw Cemetery which had been established about 1836. The church flourished through the nineteenth century. The agricultural decline that affected Oakland county in the early twentieth century, however, took its toll on rural institutions such as the Sashabaw Presbyterian Church. By 1932 the church had closed. In 1946, the reorganized Sashabaw Community Church took over the structure. Within a short time the old name of Sashabaw United Presbyterian Church had been resumed. As Oakland county became increasingly suburbanized, the congregation grew and prospered. In 1956 the old church was given its first major renovation in decades. In 1958 the present steeple was erected. In 1965 the property received a State Historical marker. In the early 1970s, the greatly expanded congregation built a new complex at a nearby site. In recent years the old church has been used by the congregation for various purposes and is now occasionally used for meetings.
Physical Description
The Sashabaw United Presbyterian Church is located on Maybee Road in rural Independence Township in the northern part of Oakland county near the village of Clarkston. The surrounding farmland is being developed with suburban housing. Adjacent to the church to the west is the old Sashabaw cemetery which predates the church. A modern elementary school is located to the east. The church building is a classic Greek Revival style country church built in 1856. It is a one-story end-gable-roofed, rectangular, white painted clapboarded structure with a plain entablature, and a double door central entrance in the gable end flanked by full height sixteen-over-sixteen sash windows. The side walls each contain three bays of large windows identical to those on the facade. Above the flush-boarded pediment is a small modern steeple and spire built in 1958 to replace an earlier, more elaborate belfry which had been destroyed. The one-story lean-to addition to the rear was added in 1952. The interior consists of a single large hall with simple window casings and plastered walls and a plastered ceiling now covered with a suspended, acoustical tile ceiling. The gallery at the rear of the church hall, which is reached by a narrow, enclosed stairway from the small vestibule, is faced with a paneled parapet railing. The woodwork, including the six-panel doors and the paneled wainscoting in the raised sanctuary area, and the plain vertical board wainscoting in the church and vestibule is painted and grained. The church still contains its fine six-light metal kerosene chandelier (now converted to electricity) as well as two supplementary single kerosene lamps.
Architect/Builder
Pratt & Tuttle, builders
NRHP Ref# 80001885 • Data from National Park Service • Content available under CC BY-SA 4.0
Historic Photos
(3)Sourced from the National Register of Historic Places filing
Sashabaw Presbyterian Church — Sashabaw Presbyterian Church — SASHABAW PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, 1856 Pratt & Tuttle, builders, National Register of Historic Places filing, NE of Clarkston at 5331 Maybee Rd., Clarkston, Detroit
Public Domain (Michigan Filing)
From Wikipedia
Sashabaw Presbyterian Church is a historic church located at 5331 Maybee Road near Clarkston, Michigan. The church is one of the oldest in the Detroit Presbytery and has served congregations for nearly 150 years. It was designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1964 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.
History In 1840, a local congregation was organized as a mission of the First Presbyterian Church in Pontiac. A schism soon resulted in the formation of the Church of Orion and Independence, which met in local schools. On January 20, 1855, the congregation organized a church-building society organized for the purpose of erecting a new church. The society chose Pratt & Tuttle as contractors, and the congregation changed its name to the "First Presbyterian of Independence Township." A lot for construction was purchased, and the building was completed in 1856 for a total cost (including furnishings) of $3000. In 1917–18, the church was renovated, replacing the foundation and removing the steeple. However, the church congregation remained small, and in 1932 it was dissolved. In 1946, the Sashabaw United Presbyterian Church was organized and began using this building as its home. In 1952, the church was lifted, and a new foundation with a basement laid. In 1958, the steeple and belfry, removed in 1917–18, were replaced. In the 1960s, a new meeting house was constructed nearby for the congregation, and the congregation moved there for worship services in the 1970s.
Today The restoration of the historic 1856 church began in 2012 with a workshop on window restoration, held in conjunction with the DAR and the Clarkston Historical Society. Over the years, this building has served various community roles, including as a youth center, the original location of LightHouse North, and the staging area for the church's youth theater group. Unfortunately, in 2017, the building began to suffer significant vandalism. In 2018, the Clarkston School District expressed interest in using the building as part of their new building and technology program and some work began in the fall of 2018. However, the COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted this partnership, and by 2024, it became clear that the project would not be completed. In response, the church formed a commission to determine the next steps. Sashabaw Presbyterian Church has since joined forces with the area stakes of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in a renewed effort to restore the building for the greater Clarkston community's use. This revitalized project launched on June 26, 2026, with a cleanup event that saw 87 volunteers from the two churches boarding up windows to prevent further vandalism and preparing the interior for restoration work. Currently, the Historic Building Commission is raising funds to obtain architectural plans, a crucial step before beginning the restoration work. If you are interested in supporting this project with your skills or by helping with fundraising efforts, please contact Sashabw Presbyterian Church (USA)
Description The Sashabaw Presbyterian Church is a small rectangular-plan Greek Revival clad in clapboard siding. It has a gable roof with flush-boarded pedimented treatment within the gable, sixteen-over-sixteen sash windows, and a small 1957 steeple. A rear addition is connected to the church.
See also National Register of Historic Places listings in Oakland County, Michigan
References
External links Official church website
Content available under CC BY-SA 4.0
Building Details
- Architect
- Pratt & Tuttle, builders
- Year Built
- 1856
- Address
- NE of Clarkston at 5331 Maybee Rd., Clarkston
- National Register
- Listed
- Ref# 80001885