This Tuscola, Michigan Church Has Been Standing Since the 1800s

I realize the images of this old church may entice trespassers, but read the following warning first:

WARNING: Under no circumstances should you enter this property. By doing so you risk bodily harm and/or prosecution for trespassing on private property.

Tuscola is a hidden village a few miles east of Frankenmuth along the Cass River, down E. Tuscola Road (which runs into Van Cleve) in Tuscola County. It’s not as simple as you may think to dig up details on the village itself, as search engines usually take you to info on the county, not the town.

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Tuscola is another small Michigan town that sometimes doesn't show up on maps or Google. The unique little church building that is featured here has been multi-purpose over the years. It was obviously built as a church, but after changing hands over the decades, it has been many other things as well. According to past & present residents, the former church has been used over the years as a:
Cabinet shop
Roller skating rink
Truck body building plant.

Also, there's a white building behind the former church that was once a school...the students there would have their school plays performed in the church.

As for the village itself, Dennis Harrison came here and bought land in 1835 and five years later, Tuscola Township was organized. In 1848 its own post office was implemented as “Worth, Saginaw County”, even though Tuscola is two miles away from the Saginaw County line.

This lumber town grew around a sawmill on the Cass River, and was platted in 1850. In January 1875, the post office name was changed to ‘Tuscola’, a name made up by Henry Schoolcraft. The word and name ‘Tuscola’ has/had been around for many years, a derivative of a Cherokee name, and other places share that name.....so the chances that Mr. Schoolcraft heard it somewhere and did NOT make it up are extremely likely.

The post office closed in 1962. The old Tuscola church - located on Taylor Road, north of Van Cleve - makes a great stop for a photo op as part of a Michigan roadtrip.

The old church has been there for many, many years; hopefully, it will be preserved and not demolished like so many of our other historic buildings.