Beginning approximately in 1846 Christian services had been held by members of the Portage Lake community in private home and public spaces for a twelve year period before movement began to form a United Christian Church. The church was constructed on the corner of Tescuco Street in Hancock. Although a church had been built the formation of a United Church was abandoned when the type of service could not be agreed upon by the congregation. Instead, because of the large population of Anglican Church members in Houghton, it was decided that the church would be lifted from its foundation onto scows and hauled across Portage Lake to Houghton. This church would become Trinity Episcopal Church. On September 5, 1861 a meeting was held in Hancock to form a new congregation and raise funds in the community for the church. The First Congregational Church of Hancock was formed in May of 1962 and the Principle Articles of Faith were June 4, 1862, with services in their first church building held on January 4, 1863. The First Presbyterian Church of Houghton was founded in 1903. These two churches formed the Portage Lake United Church of Houghton through a merger in 1969 and operated from the former First Presbyterian Church on Houghton’s College Avenue. In 1973, this church building was demolished due to highway improvements. The United Church moved its congregation to a new church building near the campus of Michigan Technological University in 1976.