Old Main / Suomi College

Old Main / Suomi College (HM2ATO)

Location: Hancock, MI 49930 Houghton County
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Country: United States of America
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N 47° 7.602', W 88° 35.354'

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Inscription
Old Main (marker side 1)
Suomi College was founded in 1896 by the Finnish Evangelical Lutheran Church of America. The cornerstone of Old Main, the first building erected at Suomi College, was laid on May 30, 1898. Jacobsville sandstone, quarried at the Portage Entry of the Keweenaw waterway, was brought here by barge, cut, and used to construct Old Main. Dedicated on January 21, 1900, it contained a dormitory, kitchen, laundry, classrooms, offices, library, chapel, and lounge. The burgeoning college quickly outgrew this building, and in 1901 a frame structure, housing a gym, meeting hall, and music center was erected on an adjacent lot. The frame building was demolished when Nikander Hall, named for Suomi's founder, J. K. Nikander, was constructed in 1939. The hall was designed by the architectural firm of Saarinen and Swanson.

Suomi College (marker side 2)
In the 1880s large numbers of Finns immigrated to Hancock to labor in the copper and lumber industries. One immigrant, mission pastor J. K. Nikander of the Finnish Evangelical Lutheran Church of America, headquartered in Hancock, wanted to ensure seminary training in America. He had observed that Swedish and Finnish immigrants along the Delaware River did not train new ministers, and he feared a loss of Finnish identity. In 1896



Nikander founded Suomi College. The college's role was to preserve Finnish culture, train Lutheran ministers and teach English. During the 1920s Suomi became a liberal arts college. In 1958 the seminary separated from the college. Four years later the Finnish Evangelical Lutheran Church of America merged with other mainstream Lutheran churches.

Bureau of History, Michigan Department of State
Registered State Site No. 211
Property of the State of Michigan, 1991
Details
HM NumberHM2ATO
Series This marker is part of the Michigan: Michigan Historical Commission series
Tags
Year Placed1991
Placed ByBureau of History, Michigan Department of State
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Sunday, August 26th, 2018 at 8:01pm PDT -07:00
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Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)16T E 379464 N 5220469
Decimal Degrees47.12670000, -88.58923333
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 47° 7.602', W 88° 35.354'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds47° 7' 36.12" N, 88° 35' 21.24" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Area Code(s)906
Which side of the road?Marker is on the right when traveling West
Closest Postal AddressAt or near 610 Quincy St, Hancock MI 49930, US
Alternative Maps Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap

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