St. Joseph County Historical Society of Michigan

St. Joseph County Historical Society of Michigan We are a non-profit organization of individuals who have an interest in preserving the history of this county. Come visit us at our research location, 34 N.

Our group is dedicated to preserving local county history. Main St. Three Rivers, which is open every Friday 10-4. Or visit the White Pigeon Prairie United States Land Office at 113 W. Chicago Rd. in White Pigeon during one of our Open Houses to see surveying equipment and watch our prairie grow!

Leonidas, Michigan.
09/04/2026

Leonidas, Michigan.

09/04/2026

County YMCA History
Oct. 10, 1940 – The YMCA worldwide on Oct. 11 will observe the founding of the organization in London in 1844. The St. Joseph County YMCA was founded in the spring of 1910 when Casper L. Rowe, a member of the state YMCA staff, proposed to Mayor Christ Wilhelm of Sturgis that a county YMCA be organized. Other towns joined in. The first secretary was Forrest Knapp, who soon organized a Boy Scouts, Hi-Y clubs, athletic leagues and conferences. A summer camp was organized on Eberhard Lake and later on Fish Lake near Centreville. Knapp served in 1910-12 and was succeeded by Walter Gospill, who was in office from 1912 to 1906. Early committeemen and leaders were Christ Wilhelm, A. W. Gardner, Curtis A. Freeland, Fred Kurtz, C. W. Kirsch, Charles F. Rehm, Elbert Nicholson and Walter Gospill.

FRANK MANDIGO, Local postmaster since 1934(When I first spotted this article I was thrilled as I would finally know why ...
09/04/2026

FRANK MANDIGO, Local postmaster since 1934
(When I first spotted this article I was thrilled as I would finally know why the name change came about. I remember being told back in the 1950’s that the reason it was changed was because of mail deliver confusion with Centerline, Michigan. Still not confirmed by this article)

FROM THE CENTREVILLE OBSERVER, DATE CIRCA 1939. PART ONE

Village Name Change Recalls Early History of Local Post Office

Postmaster Mandigo Obtains List of Former Postmasters Since Establishment of Local Office

The impending post office change from Centerville to Centreville which will be effective January 1st has set old timers to reminisce about Centreville (Centerville)’s early days and the old time postmasters.
Postmaster Mandigo in requesting the change back to the “re” spelling also requested a record of the local postmaster’s terms since the local post office was established March 2, 1833.
According to the records, nineteen have served in that capacity up to Postmaster Mandigo who was appointed acting postmaster April 10, 1934, and postmaster, March 10, 1936. Mandigo replaced Miss Grace A. Grinnell who served from her appointment, May 20, 1922, until Mandigo took over the office.
Names of the Centreville postmasters and the dates of their appointments were:
Thomas Langley, Mar.1833.
Calvin Bronson, Aug. 1841.
Samuel Chipman, Dec. 1844.
Albert Massey, July 1849.
James McRie, July 1851.
Wm. Harrington, Nov. 1852.
George Talbot, Dec. 1852.
Samuel Chipman, July 1853.
Henry Campbell, May 1861.
Elvah Peirce, April 1881.
Joseph Russell, June 1885.
Henry Campbell, May 1889.
William Pack, July 1893.
John McKinley, Dec. 1897.
Edwin Clapp, Feb. 1902.
Grace Grinnell (Act.) Aug. 1914.
Frederick Kruger, Dec. 1914.
Grace Grinnell, May 1922.
Frank Mandigo, (Act.) April 1934.
Frank Mandigo, March 1936.

ST EDWARD’S PARISHMENDON, MICHIGAN1909PART SIXThe building was planned and constructed under the supervision of Mr. Mich...
09/04/2026

ST EDWARD’S PARISH
MENDON, MICHIGAN
1909
PART SIX

The building was planned and constructed under the supervision of Mr. Michael Haas. It was 36 ft. wide and 58 ft. long, with a sacristy 8x16 ft. The seating capacity of the auditorium was 256. A splendid bell, weighing 1,200 pounds, was hung in a rather weak steeple.
The tone was admirable; its weight was responsible for the cracking and the frequent dropping of the plaster. The alter was purchased by Rev. F. A. O’Brien, in 1887, from old St. Mary’s, Detroit. The Sacred Heart statue was the gift of the young people of the parish. A melodeon, primitive pews, two side alters, made by Father Schaeper, clumsy statues of the Blessed Virgin and St. Joseph, and a few chairs comprised the entire furniture. The first melodeon was constructed and played by Mr. Butcher, who on solemn occasions, brought the instrument carefully wrapped in a cotton blanket to the church in a wheelbarrow.
Father McKenna was appointed the first resident pastor, but owing to ill-health and almost total loss of sight, he was obliged after a few months to give up his charge.
Father C. Korst, in 1877, again looked after the spiritual needs of Mendon, and came at regular intervals until 1883. In that year the second resident pastor, Rev. Peter Laughran, now of Emmet, was appointed and during his pastorate of one year he built the rectory, a frame structure costing about 41,500. From 1884 to 1888, Father O’Brien, of Kalamazoo, took charge of Mendon; his assistants, Father Thomas Ryan and J. McMauus, attended most of the time, celebrating Mass once a month. Then came Father Kroll, the third resident pastor, who administered the consolations of our Holy Faith to the Mendon Catholics from 1888 to 1890. Father Lempka succeeded him, but died soon afterwards, having contracted a severe cold while attending the sick. Kalamazoo again came to the fore, and for five years sent its assistants. The following names appear on the parish books: Father Dennis Muleahy, Father George Maurer, Father E. M. Cullinane, Father C.J. Kennedy and Father J. Rivard.

09/04/2026

DESTINATION WHITE PIGEON PRAIRIE
(The 1820’s) PART SIXTEEN, A book by Kelley L. Taylor, available at the St. Joseph County Historical Society

In the latter 1840’s tales of gold in California brought a new wave of excitement, and Savery, by now in his 60’s, drove some of the first herds of cattle to the state. While there, “he was fortunate in his mining prospects and returned to Texas with a competency.”
Savery returned to St. Joseph County in 1873, and stayed with his sister, Betsy Douglas, in Sturgis. That year, he was chosen as president of the newly formed society Pioneers of St. Joseph County.
His final days were spent with his daughter, Harriet, in Texas. Savery passed away on June 4, 1882, at the age of 97. Having lived a long and incredible life. His burial location is not known.

BURR OAK: From the Burr Oak Portrait, Vol 3. PRAIRIE RIVER PROJECT PART SEVENAmong the men assisting with the installati...
09/04/2026

BURR OAK: From the Burr Oak Portrait, Vol 3. PRAIRIE RIVER PROJECT PART SEVEN

Among the men assisting with the installation were: Jim Wood, Ted Swihart, Pete Cossairt, Casey Cossairt, Clason Burnside, Ord Schorok, LaNar Zimmer, Bob Brownstead, Kenneth Reed, Bob Hagelgans and T. John Reed.
So, the Prairie River moved, sometimes by volunteer effort, sometimes by bid and sometime by Mr. Reed’s insistent reminding that progress does cost, but the cost of not progressing is much dearer.

100 SOUTH WASHINGTON, CONSTANTINE, MICHIGANFrom “Historic Downtown Constantine”In the adjacent newspaper advertisement f...
09/04/2026

100 SOUTH WASHINGTON, CONSTANTINE, MICHIGAN
From “Historic Downtown Constantine”

In the adjacent newspaper advertisement for Langley’s store, published January 21, 1875 in the St. Joseph County Advertiser and Constantine Weekly Mercury, note the three bottom lines asking for eggs, fruit, etc., to be bartered for goods – a common practice during Constantine’s early years.

The Langley family relocated from Constantine to Grand Rapids, Michigan prior to 1881. (source: Grand Rapids City Directory, 1881)
In 1882 this building was sold to Susannah Langley’s sister Emily Proudfit Nicar for $1,729.90. (source: St. Joseph County Register of Deeds)

Thomas and Susannah are buried at the Constantine Township Cemetery. According to the records there, Susannah died in 1892 and Thomas died in 1901. However, Susannah is enumerated along with Thomas, in Grand Rapids, on the 1900 U. S Federal Census.

09/04/2026

SEEN AND HEARD AROUND STURGIS
By Robert Hair

Feb. 18, 1930 – Justice of the Peace Bessie H. Bass reports 23 Sturgis citizens appeared in her court one recent morning to ask for food for their families. Local welfare workers pleaded for “a united welfare organization to distribute charity to the needy families of the city and alleviate suffering.”

Eugene (Mike) Kolassa wasn’t the first Sturgis man to march off to World War II, but at age 18 on March 31. 1941 as a me...
09/04/2026

Eugene (Mike) Kolassa wasn’t the first Sturgis man to march off to World War II, but at age 18 on March 31. 1941 as a member of the U. S. Coast Guard he apparently was the first to take direct action against Germany seven months before the U.S. and Germany were officially at war.

Part two.
During World War II the Ingham was employed partially to es**rt convoys of merchant ships bound for Great Britain or Russia. The Ingham carried a crew of from 90 to 127 men and was armed with two three-inch guns, four 20-millimeter cannons and depth charges. Off Ireland early in the war the Ingham scored a “hole in one by sinking a German submarine U-626 with one depth charge.
Most of the action seen by the Ingham occurred in “Torpedo Junction,” a section of the North Atlantic between the U.S. and England where 360 Allied ships were sunk in 1942 while carrying 2,250,000 tons of war materials. The Germans lost only eight U-boats.
An average convoy consisted of 40 merchant ships and five es**rt vessels. The Ingham and the rest of the es**rt would usually accompany the eastbound merchant ships halfway across the Atlantic, where they would be relieved by es**rt ships from Allied ports in the east. The Ingham then would return home to await formation of another convoy. The Ingham took part in 31 convoys during World War II, including several to Murmansk in northwestern Russia. It was on the Murmansk run in July 1942 that a single Allied convoy lost 23 of the 44 merchant ships to the Germans.
Eugene “Mike” Kolassa was the only Sturgis man in the Ingham crew, but he became good friends with Conrad Lips of Chicago, who moved to Sturgis after the war and operated a printing business here (Litho Printers).
After 3 ½ years of sea duty, Kolassa was transferred to the Coast Guard lifesaving station in Chicago, and early in 1946 he was discharged and returned to Sturgis. After attending art school in Tucson, Ariz. and retail display school in Philadelphia, he ran his own neon and paint stores in downtown Sturgis. Later he conducted a picture framing business north of the city.
After becoming decommissioned in 1986, the USS Ingham was docked at Patriot’s Point, Charleston Harbor, South Carolina, where it is now open to public tours while tied up alongside the aircraft carrier Yorktown, the nuclear ship Savannah, the submarine Clamagore and the destroyer Laffey.
Members of the Ingham crew periodically hold reunions. Mike attended such a gathering aboard his old ship in the summer of 1991.

09/04/2026

March 18, 1937 – Teachers in Sturgis public schools will receive an average pay increase of 10 percent in 1934-1938.
The total payroll for the 61 teachers will increase from about $84,000 in 1936-1937 to $94,000.
(That’s $1,541 annual average with increase).

Address

34 N. Main Street
Three Rivers, MI
49093

Opening Hours

10am - 4pm

Telephone

(269) 273-6003

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when St. Joseph County Historical Society of Michigan posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Museum

Send a message to St. Joseph County Historical Society of Michigan:

Shortcuts

Share

Category