Have you heard about a second local history book, published recently about Lake Orion history?
The first, published by Arcadia Publishing, and co-written by local Orion Historical Society member Jim Ingram and Lake Orion summer resort visitor Lori Grove, has sold like gang-busters.
And proceeds, if purchased from certain local venues, benefit the Orion Historical Society’s operating fund.
But, now, a new hardcover book by Leslie Pielack, OHS member and Historic Union Church project manager, has hit the stores.
A Church for all Seasons: The History and Architecture of the Union Church, was meticulously researched by Pielack. Though small in size, the book is packed with details that are wonderfully imbedded in a story-like format that is both informative and easy to read.
The Union Church was built in 1854 at a time when there were very few other structures around.
It served as a place of gathering and spiritual refreshment in the midst of a hard life, establishing farms and community in the wilderness that was Orion Township.
The 100-page illustrated book traces the history of the church and its many congregations from the settlement era of Orion with its itinerant preachers, the Civil War, the coming of the railroad, the growth of Orion as a resort destination, the devastating fires and changes at the turn of the twentieth century, and the threats to survival the Union Church has faced in the late twentieth century.
One-hundred percent of the proceeds from the sale of the book are being donated by Pielack to the Orion Historical Society’s Union Church Restoration Fund.
For a $50 donation, buyers will receive a numbered hardcover collector’s edition as well as recognition as a donor to the restoration fund.
To further promote the book, Pielack will be available to sign your copy on Saturday, March 3, from 3-5 p.m. at Elements (11 S. Broadway) and on Sunday, March 4, from 2-4 p.m. at the Orion Township Library (825 Joslyn Road).
The book is available at Elements, Lake Orion Village Hall, The Orion Senior Center, SA+A Architects, Accent on Art and the Orion Art Center.
Copies will also be available at the book signings, or the book can be ordered by calling (248)693-4154 or visiting www.orionhistoricalsociety.org.