Rockland was a frequent stopping point for Bishop Baraga. He built a chapel there in 1851 and new churches were built in 1853 and 1859. Famously, the oldest organ in the Upper Peninsula resides at St. Mary’s church after its purchase was arranged by Bishop Baraga in 1859. In letter Baraga wrote on September 10, 1859 he explains a stop he made at the Minnesota mine and the installation of the organ at St. Mary’s church. “After I had visited some smaller mission stations, I came to the big and richly laden mine of Minnesota where the distinguished missioner Rev. Martin Fox labors with saintly and persevering zeal. Besides his large congregation at Minnesota, which consists of German, Irish and French people, he has 3 other church congregations to care for, which he visits from time to time… Last summer when I had been by Rev. Fox, his nice, elegant and big church, (it is the biggest and nicest. in the entire diocese), was not yet completed. Now it is almost entirely finished and on Sept. 4 I have dedicated it to the Almighty God in the name of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary; and also the nice organ, which Rev. Fox had sent from Buffalo, resounded for the first time. This is the first genuine organ in my entire, poor mission-diocese.”

The organ has been restored with care and devotion. The church later rebuilt in 1899, and the organ can still be seen and used today.