The History of the Baraga House

The Bishop Baraga House was built in 1857 behind the present day St. Peter Cathedral on Fourth Street. It had an exterior of white painted wood and was the residence for the pastor of the soon to be built church. It became the home of Bishop Baraga  in 1866, when the headquarters of the Catholic Diocese of the Upper Peninsula were transferred to Marquette from Sault Ste. Marie. Bishop Frederic Baraga died in the front right room on Jan. 19, 1868. After his death, in 1869 the house was moved across the street. 

In late 1872, the building was moved a second time to its present location at 615 S. Fourth Street, joined at the rear to another house, and became a private residence until its purchase by the Diocese of Marquette from the Estate of Wilfred Fleury in 1988. A sandstone brick was added to the exterior. Some changes were made to the interior room arrangement. Both the interior Italianate decor and the external brick are considered historic.

In 2017, the Baraga house was restored and transformed into the Baraga Educational Center. Today the center is open to the public and serves as a museum, preserving the artifacts and tools used by Bishop Baraga during his ministry and telling the story of the man, the priest, and the Bishop as he ministered throughout the Great Lakes Region.