Chapel of St. John-by-the-Lake, Summer chapel in Onekama, Michigan
The Chapel of St. John-by-the-Lake is a church building in Onekama situated directly on the waterfront with views of Portage Lake, featuring original pine pews and rustic interior finishes throughout. The small structure maintains its simple, modest design from the early 1900s with functional religious spaces arranged for small congregations.
A local professor purchased the waterfront property in 1911 and commissioned its construction, completed in 1912. The building has endured for more than a century at this sheltered lakeside location through various means of financial support and maintenance.
The chapel serves as a gathering place for the local Protestant Episcopal community, led by rotating clergy from the diocese during summer months. Visitors experience an authentic space of religious practice with simple, timeless architecture.
The chapel sits on Main Street directly along the waterfront and is easily accessible from the road. Visitors should know that services are seasonal, occurring regularly only during the summer months when visiting clergy are in residence.
The building is sustained by an unusual financial source: an oil well beneath the nearby lake that has provided maintenance funds since 1984. This rare arrangement allows the monument to remain in repair through passive income rather than traditional congregation funding.
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