Great Indoor Folk Festival ~ Feb 12, 2012
North Unity, Michigan
North Unity was a small settlement on Good Harbor Bay. It was first settled in the 1855 by Bohemian immigrants who came up the shore of Lake Michigan from Chicago to scout for a suitable place to start a settlement. The new settlers lived the first few years in a barracks that was 150 feet long and 20 feet wide with rooms partitioned off for each family. As more and more settlers arrived the village began to thrive. There was soon a schoolhouse, a sawmill and a store. In 1859 the town had a post office and gristmill. In 1871 the village was destroyed by a fire and the villagers moved inland to Shalda Corners. St. Joseph 's Catholic Church was built in 1888 and blessed by the first Bishop of the Diocese of Grand Rapids. Today nothing more remains of North Unity than St. Joseph's Catholic Church at the intersection of S. Bohemian Road (County Road 669) and M-22.
Does anyone have information about the immigrants that settled here? I know my relatives were some of them. Their last names were Houdek and Seelig.
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Comment by Christine — January 9, 2009 @ 2:40 pm
Hey Christine - I don't, but maybe someone will!
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Comment by Andrew McFarlane — January 10, 2009 @ 7:35 am
The North Unity School House, 1.5 miles south of the orriginal N. Unity Settlement remains and has been restored. It is near Narada Lake, and is visible from M-22.
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Comment by ootah — August 23, 2009 @ 9:22 pm