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Tours of Martha-Mary Chapel available

One of the famous historic Mary
Martha Chapels will be open to the
public during the Strawberry Festival
this year.
The chapel at the Belleville
Presbyterian Church is one of the
seven historic chapels designed by
architect Edward J. Cutler under the
direction of Henry and Clara Ford.
The chapels were erected throughout
the state by the couple as a tribute to
their respective mothers, Mary Ford
and Martha Bryant.
The Belleville chapel will be open
for tours from noon until 6 p.m. on
Saturday and Sunday during the
Strawberry Festival and parking at the
church is free.
The first Martha Mary Chapel is
located in historic Greenfield Village.
The Belleville chapel, built in 1939, on
Belleville Road was the third of the
seven to be constructed. It was erected
at the Camp Legion site of Willow Run,
approximately 3 miles from where it
stands today.
In 1954, the Cherry Hill Baptist
Church transferred the chapel from
the Willow Run location to Dearborn
but the congregation quickly outgrew
the capacity of the church.
In 1978, the Belleville United
Presbyterian Church in Van Buren celebration of the 20th anniversary of and the tours during the festival are
Township bought the chapel for $1. It the Belleville United Presbyterian con- free.
was moved to the current location and gregation. The church is located at 11900
an official dedication ceremony took The church is listed on the State of Belleville Road. For more information,
place on Nov. 11, 1979 which was also a Michigan Register of Historic Places call (734) 697-8687.