Peter Dougherty Society

The Peter Dougherty Society was organized as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation to restore, maintain, and display the home and grounds.

Maintenance and Restoration

• One-time, Occasional, Monthly
• 55+, Adults
• Individuals, Groups (2-10)
• Physical, Indoor, Outdoor
• On-site, Formal, Skilled
• Weekdays, Weekends

Docents

• Occasional, Weekly, Monthly
• 55+, Adults
• Individuals
• Indoor, Outdoor
• Formal
• Weekdays, Weekends

More than 700 visitors toured the House in person in its first year. More than 3,000 have viewed the Virtual Tour.

This home was built in 1842 by Reverend Peter Dougherty, a Presbyterian minister, with the help of a Chippewa village headed by Chief Aghosa. The Mission was supported by the United States pursuant to the Treaty of 1836. By that Treaty, the Native Americans ceded 14 million acres of land to the U.S. Michigan Territory, qualifying Michigan to become a State. The Native Americans requested the mission be part of the Treaty, and the Mission taught religion, English, carpentry, and blacksmithing, to help them assimilate with the European culture which assumed control of the area. The United States made the payments to the Native Americans in installments over many years, with the final payment being made in the late 1900s.