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This area was home to Cass County's Quaker
population, which provided refuge for fugitive slaves. Many freemen
settled in Calvin Township as a result. Chain Lake Baptist Church was
organized by Elder David Lett on January 14, 1848, with eight members. A
log church costing $1200 was erected two years later. The Michigan
Antislavery Baptist Association was formed here in 1853, later to be
called the Chain Lake Baptist Association. The cemetery has been in
continuous use for over 130 years.
A Michigan Historical Marker was erected on
the site in 1992. The marker reads: In the 1830s southern runaway
slaves bound for freedom in Canada came into Michigan near Cassopolis.
In 1840, Cass County's Quaker community, which provided a haven for the
fugitives, became an integral part of the Underground Railroad. Many
free African-Americans also settled permanently in Calvin Township. In
1838, Cass County's first African-American church was organized here. In
1853 the Michigan Antislavery Baptist Association, later renamed the
Chain Lake Baptist Association, was formed. In 1856, Turner and Irena
Byrd donated an acre of land for a cemetery. The monuments record the
names of the township's early settlers including: George and Green
Allen, and the Anderson, Ash, Artis, Calloway, Evans, Hawks, Sanders,
Stewart and Wilson families. |
