Joanne Williams
Editor

(Joanne Williams/TCJ –The Center Eaton Community Center’s parlor features tables, chairs, a kitchen and accessible bathroom as well as the charm of the historic building.)

The sun streamed through the amber covered windows in the newly renovated, wood-accented auditorium of the Center Eaton Community Center where friends and well-wishers held an open house on Sept. 27.

The former Methodist Church, begun in 1878 and dedicated in 1881, never looked better – its floors and ceilings restored and its dining room ready to hold parties of five dozen or so folks.

“The township bought the building (located at 2093 Narrow Lake Road) in 2013,” said Township Treasurer Becky Dolman.

As the construction and renovations continued, the township started to use the space for everything from Christmas events to history presentations and sewing parties. And when needed, the steeple bell still rings.

The building is listed in the Michigan State Historic Preservation Registry, since 1987.

A team of volunteers, the Friends of the Historic Center Eaton Community Center, came together to help the building take shape, Dolman said, and has continued to support the life of the property, as it is surrounded by the Eaton Community Cemetery.

Dolman, who has spent 30 years with the township, beginning as deputy clerk said, “We get to see it grow.”

The old parsonage was removed to make space for a parking lot. There is a ramp into the church and an ADA accessible bathroom as well as the functioning kitchen, complete with table service, tables and chairs.

When the township met to discuss buying the property, Dolman said “We had our largest attendance ever” at a township meeting. Only one concern was voiced.

Later, township auditors “raved” about the purchase, she said, complimenting the “best use” they had seen of community funds. Grant funding was also generously supplied and used.

Now, the hall is ready to host events by rental, as well as continued township offerings. There is ample room for a small wedding, family and birthday parties, meetings, luncheons, receptions and more.

The center is also a place for funeral gatherings and is available for free use by township residents burying family members in the cemetery.

And there is more history to celebrate every time someone visits. “People tell us they grew up and went to church here, or that their parents were married here,” Dolman said.

Dolman said the folks who prepared the auditorium floor said they think they sanded it for the first time since it was originally installed.

On those floors once walked Michigan Gov. Luren Dickinson, the 37th governor of the state, who lived in Charlotte and taught Bible class at the Methodist Church in the late 1930s.