History of our Church
Central's residents were justly proud of its church. Long before a church was built, as early as 1856, worship services were being conducted in the schoolhouse on the east side of town. Those first services were conducted by the Reverend David A. Construction of a church was begun in 1868, and when it was occupied the following year it became the major focal point of religio
us and social life in the community for all who were members of it and for many who were not. It became a community center in the true sense of the word and offered many services to the townspeople such as planning the Forth of July picnic for everyone, maintaining a circulating library and sponsoring programs at the school hall which were open to the public. Prior to the building of the new school on top fob the bluff, the Central church provided space for public school classes to be held to accommodate the overflow from the original schoolhouse. It was inevitable that there should be a close feeling among the former residents of Central, who were forced to relocated in other parts of the Copper Country following the closing of the mine in 1898. The opening of the Keweenaw Central Railroad in January, 1907, provided an opportunity for the old-timers to have a "homecoming." Alfred Nicholls is credited with having conceived the idea, and he enlisted the aid of Edward J. Hall and Thomas E. Mitchell. After it had been determined that there was sufficient interest, plans were laid by these three old Centralites, and the first reunion was held on July 21, 1907, with both a morning and an evening service. However, after the second year, the evening service was discontinued in order to enable those in attendance to enjoy meeting and reminiscing with their former neighbors and friends and still board the early train for home.
