National Register of Historic Places

Lake Shore Chapel

Douglas, Allegan County, Michigan
Listed
March 28, 1997
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
97000280

About this property

Lake Shore Chapel is a historic chapel on Shorewood Road at the junction with Campbell Road in Douglas, Michigan. It was built in 1904 and added to the National Register in 1997. In 1896, a summer cottage colony was established near this location by D. O. Barto and William Angus Douglass of Oak Park, Illinois. They purchased lots, built cottages, and were followed by other residents of Oak Park - particularly those from the First Presbyterian Church there - followed suit. In 1897, Professor Lucius E. Sayre of the University of Kansas also established a cottage nearby, and several other university families did the same. In 1899, a small group of people both from both the Oak Park church and the University of Kansas purchased 500 feet of shoreline and christened it "the Knolls." In 101, a larger group purchased and platted one quarter mile of lake frontage just north of the Knolls as "Shorewood." These early cottagers organized their own Sunday school in 1900, and in 1903 decided to construct a chapel. Property was donated for the chapel, and plans obtained from Atlanta architect Harry L. Walker. The chapel was substantially built over the spring of 1904 by Grand Rapids contractor J. B. Ackerman, and the first Sunday school class met in the building in early July. Final details took a short while longer, and a permanent Lake Shore Chapel organization was founded in August. A bell tower was constructed in 1925. Although the chapel was originally designed to house both adult worshipers and Sunday school, it was not a satisfactory arrangement due to noise. In 1947/48, the congregation built a separate Sunday school building, designed by Saugatuck architect Carl Hoerman to closely match the original chapel. The Lake Shore Chapel is a simple one-story hip-roof wood-frame chapel building, measuring approximately 51 feet by 31 feet. The building is L-shaped, with large entrance doors in the angle of the L. The building is clad with clapboards and contains large casement windows. A cupola is located on the asphalt-shingled roof. The interior of the chapel has unfinished walls and a ceiling covered with narrow boarding. A small freestanding bell tower and a separate Children's Chapel, matching in style and construction, are located nearby.

Location

Douglas, Allegan County, Michigan
42.65058, -86.22184

Categories

ARCHITECTURESOCIAL HISTORY
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Lake Shore Chapel

This page lists Lake Shore Chapel. A full Aubrey report for an address near it pulls together this listing alongside battlefield records, land patents, and every other historical record within a chosen radius:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with historic sites, battles and Native heritage plotted, and its full story era by era.
The Land
The historic sites and place names around the location, and how this land was settled and used.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back millions of years.
LiDAR Terrain
Laser-scanned terrain that reveals earthworks and old features hidden in the landscape.
Conflict & War
The battles, raids and skirmishes fought near here, across every era of American conflict.
The Civil War
The Civil War on this ground, 1861 to 1865: who held it, and the battles, camps and regiments nearby.
The Soldiers
The men who marched from here in the Civil War, named and traced where the record allows.
Native Heritage
The Native nations who held this land, mapped across time from before European contact to today.
Settlement
Who claimed and held this ground, from Indigenous homelands through the colonial powers to the United States.
The Community
How the town grew, who came, and what kind of place it became, traced through the census record.
Rivers & Rail
The rivers, canals and railroads that connected this place between 1830 and 1911.
Notable People
The people born, buried or genuinely tied to this exact place, with their stories.
Historical Maps
Historic maps of the location layered over how it looks today.
Finds & Access
Museum objects tied to the area, and the laws on searching, collecting and access here.
Literature
The old books, county histories and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Points of Interest
The most significant historic sites and landmarks near the location, and why they matter.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from first peoples to the present day.
First month just $5.99, then $11.99 a month. Unlimited locations, cancel anytime.

Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.

Start your Lake Shore Chapel report
Or see a real report first

Nearby Historic Sites

Leiendecker's Inn-Coral Gables
Industrial
0.9 mi
Saugatuck Gap Filler Annex
Industrial
1 mi
Saugatuck Pump House
Industrial
1 mi
Douglas Union School
Civil War
1 mi
Francis Metallic Surfboat
Industrial
1 mi

Questions about this property

When was Lake Shore Chapel listed on the National Register?

Lake Shore Chapel was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on March 28, 1997.

What type of historic resource is Lake Shore Chapel?

Lake Shore Chapel is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Lake Shore Chapel?

The period of significance for Lake Shore Chapel is recorded as the industrial era.

Can I research the history near Lake Shore Chapel?

Yes. Aubrey Research reports search National Register listings, battlefield records, land patents, and other primary historical sources within any radius of a US address. A report for an address near Lake Shore Chapel will include this listing and all other historical records in the area.

More in Allegan County

Historic places, battles, and census history across Allegan County.

Explore AlleganCounty ›

More historic places in Michigan

Browse all historic places in Michigan.

View Michiganhistoric sites ›

Conflict records

Explore 19,000+ military engagements across American history.

Browse US conflicts ›

Michigan history

Colonial settlement, territorial period, and statehood narrative.

Michiganhistory ›

Research the history near this site

An Aubrey US report for an address near Lake Shore Chapel will include this listing alongside battlefield records and other historical sources within your chosen radius.

Research your locationView a free sample report