The History of Emmett Township, Michigan

The first Catholic mass was celebrated in the log cabin home of Patrick Dunigan sometime in 1840. In 1851 a cemetery and a mission was established about two miles east of the present village of Emmett in Kenockee Township. Emmett residents Michael and Mary Harrington donated the forty acres for the church and cemetery. Father Laurence Kilroy was the first pastor and oversaw the construction of a log-cabin church in 1855. Father Kilroy was a native of Kings County (now County Offaly) Ireland. He was the first Diocesan Priest ordained in Detroit. In 1865 a wood-frame church was built, again at the cemetery site. The parish officially became known as Our Lady of Mount Carmel and not just the Church in Kenockee. In the mid-1890's it became apparent that a new larger church building was needed. There was not immediate agreement whether it should remain at the Kenockee location or be moved to the growing village of Emmett, nearer the railroad stop. The following letter settled the issue.

Patrick Kennedy chose the name Emmet for the new township. It honors Robert Emmet, the most significant Irish Patriot of the early 19^th century. English oppression following the crushing of the rebellion of 1798 and the Act of Union of 1800 had reduced Ireland to status of a province of Great Britain. All of the leaders of the earlier rebellion had been executed, imprisoned or forced into exile in France. Robert Emmet emerged as the leader of the United Irishmen, the main patriotic group of that period. Emmet was only twenty-five years old when he led a rebellion in 1803. He planned and organized an attempt to end English control of Ireland by attacking Dublin Castle. He hoped to unleash a general uprising in the countryside. The uprising was to be supported by an invasion of French naval and land forces. Unfortunately, spies made the government aware of Emmet's plans. The uprising was crushed before it could begin. Robert Emmet was captured by army troops as he sought to visit his fiancée, Sarah Curran, before heading into exile in France. He was imprisoned in Dublin's Kilmainham Gaol.

It is Emmet’s behavior at his trial that elevated his stature in Irish History. Following a thirteen-hour trial, he delivered what became known as ‘the speech at the dock’. It is regarded as one of the most significant political speeches of the 19^th century. Tradition tells us that a young Abraham Lincoln memorized this speech by candlelight in the 1820s. It formed the basis of the Irish patriotic movement that ultimately led to independence.

The closing passage of the speech was: 'Let no man write my epitaph; for as no man who knows my motives dares now to vindicate them, let not prejudice or ignorance asperse them. Let me rest in obscurity and peace. Let my memory rest in oblivion, and my grave remain uninscribed, until other times and other men can do justice to my character. When my country takes her place among the nations of the earth, then and not till then let my epitaph be written.

The following day Emmet was publicly executed. His body was taken by his friends and reburied somewhere in Dublin, according to his wishes, in an unknown and unmarked grave. His story was made famous in a poem written by his friend Thomas Moore, who interestingly also immortalized The Vale of Avoca in the poem, The Meeting of the Waters.

It is not certain how Emmet Township became Emmett Township. Throughout the 19^th century, Emmett Township was referred to almost exclusively as ‘Emmet’ Township, which would seem to correctly reflect its namesake. The village seems to have been more consistently spelled ‘Emmett’ from the beginning. Around the turn of the century both forms of the spelling were used interchangeably. As late as 1915, the St Clair County Plat Book listed an ‘Emmett’ village in ‘Emmet’ Township. Even in the official minutes of the township the spelling of the name appears to have been based on the personal preferences of the township clerk. A review of the minutes fails to show the township board ever taking formal action to set the spelling of the township as ‘Emmett’. By 1920 the township was referred to almost exclusively as Emmett Township.

The only school remaining today in Emmett Township is the Farrell - Emmett Elementary School. Over the years though there were at least 9 other schools operating in the township, mostly of the one-room variety. They included the O'Connor School on Sheridan Road north of Burt; the Hyde School on Bryce Road west of Emmett Road; the Nolan School on Bryce Road between Sheridan and Breen; the Foley School on Quain Road just south of Foley Road; the Cotter School on Carney Road north of Foley Road; and the McConnell School on Quain Road north of Sullivan Road. There was also a public school located on Prospect Street in the village around the turn of the century, which continued to operate until the opening of the parochial school operated by Our Lady of Mount Carmel parish in 1924.

In 1958, a new public school was opened in the village, operating initially from a room on the first floor of the Mount Carmel School and later in a new school building in the village. It was the Brandon School. It closed in 1968 following the consolidation with the Yale Public Schools.

The 1963 State Constitution had mandated that all school districts provide education from Kindergarten through the twelfth grade. That act meant the end of all of the independent school districts in the township. By 1968, they had all been absorbed by either the Capac or Yale districts. The Our Lady of Mount Carmel School moved into a new building early in 1967. It continued to operate until 1974. That facility was sold to the Yale School district later that year and continues to operate as a public elementary school. It was renamed in 1974 in honor of John Farrell, the long time pastor and one of the most memorable residents of Emmett.

From the time Emmett Township was organized on February 19, 1850 until January 19, 1938, the township never had its own meeting place. All township board meetings, elections and voting on issues were held in private residences, except on special occasions when meeting with county boards were held in available halls in the Village of Emmett.

The first mention of constructing a township hall came at a meeting held on March 11^th, 1935. The board discussed estimates of the costs for materials to erect a hall. They made a form of notice to be posted, decided to print a ballot to vote on erecting a township hall at the spring election to be held April 1^st, 1935. Attending the meeting was Supervisor James O'Connor, Clerk Charles Zinzo, Justices Charles Miller and John Sullivan.

The election was held on April 1^st, 1935 with 29 residents voting. 18 yes votes, 11 no votes.

The township board met the next day and voted to purchase 1/2 acre of land from Dan Foley for the site of a new township hall. The property was deeded back to the original farm in 1999, and is now owned by Daniel and Colleen Ryan.

At the July 22^nd, 1935 meeting a complete sketch of the proposed hall was drawn up by John Sullivan to be presented to a Mr. Cook, an engineer with the Works Progress Administration hoping they might build the hall. The W.P.A. was a federal program established during the depression years by the Roosevelt administration to create employment on projects to benefit communities. At the same meeting the board applied for a $1,000 loan from the Citizens State Bank of Emmett to buy materials. The lot was fenced and graveled by Thomas Byrne and John Sullivan at 45 cents an hour, with the township furnishing the material. John Sullivan received $105.00 for installing the foundations; $100.00 for the hall and $5.00 for the outhouse.

John Sullivan was hired at the meeting of September 27, 1937 to build the township hall at $280.00 for labor. The construction was to begin by October 1^st, and be completed in 60 days.

The first meeting of the township board in the new hall was held on January 19^th, 1938. Norm Sweeney was hired to paint the inside of the hall for $95.00. All bills for the construction were paid. They needed to hire someone to wash the windows for $3.00.

No mention is made in the minutes of an official dedication, but a party was held at the hall for the township residents with food and dancing.

The First Township Hall

The Township hall continued to serve township needs until the 1998, when a new hall replaced it located on Dunnigan Road.

New Township Hall - June 1998