Editing Jackson, Michigan (section)

===Religion===
Jackson has a number of notable historic churches, several of which were established prior to the [[American Civil War]]. The [[First Baptist Church (Jackson, Michigan)|First Baptist Church]] was established in 1839; the present building, a [[Romanesque Revival]] structure, was dedicated in March 1872. The [[First Congregational Church (Jackson, Michigan)|First Congregational Church]] is housed in a monumental Romanesque Revival building constructed in 1859. A basement was added after the structure had been in operation for several years. In 1871 the building was raised eight feet to accommodate lower-level classrooms.<ref>{{Cite web|url = http://jacksonucc.com/|title = First Congregational Church|access-date = 2015-02-20|website = First Congregational Church}}</ref> Its congregation has actively participated in local social reform efforts, becoming part of the [[abolitionism in the United States|antislavery movement]] in the 1840s and later supporting the [[Temperance movement in the United States|temperance]] and the [[civil rights movement]]. [[St. Paul's Episcopal Church (Jackson, Michigan)|St. Paul's Episcopal Church]] was also founded in 1839. The congregation's first church building, constructed in 1840, was replaced by a Romanesque Revival building in 1853; it is one of the oldest [[Episcopal Church (United States)|Episcopal Church]] structures in southern Michigan.

Constructed in 1857, [[St. John's the Evangelist Church (Jackson, Michigan)|St. John's the Evangelist Church]] is the oldest Roman Catholic church in the city. It was established as a mission in 1836 to serve a congregation that was originally predominately Irish immigrants. Given the following waves of Catholic immigrants from other countries, its congregation today is more diverse. [[St. Mary Star of the Sea Catholic Church (Jackson, Michigan)|St. Mary Star of the Sea]] was established in 1881 as Jackson's second Catholic church. The present building, a limestone Romanesque structure built between 1923 and 1926, incorporates elements of the parish's first church as well as stained glass windows, marble altars and communion rails imported from Italy and Austria.<ref>Ashlee, Laura R. ''Traveling through Time: A Guide to Michigan's Historical Markers'', pp. 202–205. University of Michigan Press, 2005. {{ISBN|0-472-03066-3}}</ref> The first and only [[Eastern Orthodox Church]] is St. Demetrius Orthodox Church, founded in 1958. Among the modern churches in the town is [[Westwinds Community Church]], a non-denominational, evangelical Christian church. Founded in 1865 in a blacksmith shop, Community Jackson African Methodist Episcopal Church became the first place of worship for African Americans in Jackson County.{{Citation needed|date=October 2020}}
 
Late 19th-century immigrants included Jews from Germany and eastern Europe. Jackson is home to [[Temple Beth Israel (Jackson, Michigan)|Temple Beth Israel]], a [[Reform Judaism|Reform]] synagogue founded in 1862 by [[History of the Jews in Germany|German Jewish immigrants]].