HISTORIC HOMES WALKING TOUR - Follow the Green Dots
305 W Michigan Ave. First Baptist Church Religious Gothic, 1851 Until 1851 the Baptist Society worshiped in Mechanics Hall (now Stagecoach Inn), the courthouse and several homes. This is the oldest church building in Marshall.
307 W Michigan St. Bailey & Church Drug Store Italianate, 1866 This is the last commercial building in Marshall with an original sheltering roof over the sidewalk, popular in 19th century Marshall.
309 W Michigan Ave. Church-Marshall-Sherman House Italianate, 1873 This house and store combo were originally located on the southeast corner of Court House Square (where the fountain is now). It was the town doctor’s office and residence from the time it was built until 1972.
323 W Michigan Ave. Old Stone Barn/Town Hall Greek Revival, 1857 Originally built as a stage coach stop and livery stable, it then became the first drive-in gas station/garage in Marshall until it was converted into a combination police station, fire station and town hall by Harold C. Brooks in 1930. Now it serves as Marshall City Hall and the Marshall Welcome Center.
Brooks Memorial Fountain Greek Revival, 1930 Gifted to the city by Harold C. Brooks for its 1930 centennial celebration as a memorial to his father, this fountain is a replica of Marie Antoinette’s Temple of Love from Versailles, France and features a light show.
411 W Michigan Ave. Crary Hall Condominiums Beaux Arts, School 1923-1977 Three schoolhouses occupied this site, two of which were destroyed by fire. These are the first condominiums in Calhoun County.
102 S Parkview St. National House Inn Greek Revival, 1835 Believed to be the first brick building in Calhoun County and built with bricks fired on-site. The oldest operating inn in Michigan.
424 W Michigan Ave. Sibley House Federal, ca 1840 The crow-stepped gable ends on either end of the roof are a Dutch characteristic most notably found in New York. Originally a single-family residence, it was remodeled in 1946 into several apartments.
416 W. Michigan Ave. Queen Anne, ca 1900
107 N Kalamazoo Ave. Honolulu House Museum Italian Villa, Polynesian, Gothic Details, 1860 Built by Judge Abner Pratt, a U.S. Consul to the Sandwich Islands (now the Hawaiian Islands) in the 1850s. Contains outstanding paint-on-plaster decorations.
107 N Park St. Crary-Frink House Bank, Italianate, 1841 Constructed by Judge Pratt as a wedding gift for his daughter, Bellona, when she married his law partner, Isaac Crary. Crary helped plan Michigan’s public school system and was Michigan’s first U.S. Representative to Congress, elected three times to Congress and twice to the legislature.
108 N Park Ave. The Crary Fragment Greek Revival, 1834 This structure was the rear wing of Isaac Crary’s first home in Marshall and housed the servants quarters. The front portion of the house was moved to 111 North Linden Street in 1912. Together, they are the oldest “residence” still standing in Marshall. Crary’s law office was built in 1832 and stood just south of this fragment, on Michigan Avenue. In 1895 it was moved to 316 South Linden Street where it is now a private dwelling.
302 W Michigan Ave. Service Station, 1925
404 W Mansion St. Benedict-Haskell-Perrett House Federal, 1855 Nathan Benedict was a master carpenter who built this home in 1855 and the Trinity Episcopal Church in 1860.
318 W Mansion St. Baker-Miner House Gothic Revival, 1853 Past owners include Abner Baker, an early Marshall boot and shoe manufacturer and James Miner, a Marshall lawyer who later become the first chief justice of the Utah Supreme Court.
210 N Kalamazoo Ave. Cain House Princess Anne, 1907
211 N Kalamazoo Ave. Pierce-Perrett-Kellogg House Greek Revival, 1850 Rev. John Pierce bought this land on May 20, 1839 from Joseph Sibley. The roofline on this house was modified in 1993, creating a Gothic appearance.
214 N Kalamazoo Ave. Colonial Revival, 1900
218 N Kalamazoo Ave. Carpenter Gothic, 1870
219 N Kalamazoo Ave. Tudor Revival, 1928
223 N Kalamazoo Ave. Townsend House Queen Anne, 1897 Miles Townsend, a retired farmer from nearby Marengo, constructed this Queen Anne and two years later served as Mayor of Marshall.
224 N Kalamazoo Ave. Joy-Hulscher House Italianate, 1844 The distinctive tower was added by Dr. Harry Joy in 1857. The windows on the first and second floors on the south side of the tower are false, allowing for the placement of a winding stair that leads to a small room at the top of the tower.
“STONEHALL” 303 N Kalamazoo Ave. Hays-Brooks House Greek Revival, 1837) Andrew Hays, Marshall’s first doctor, had this home constructed out of Marshall sandstone. It now has geothermal heat.
“BROOKS MANSION” 310 N Kalamazoo Ave. Fitch-Gorham-Brooks House Greek Revival, ca 1840 Built by Jabez Fitch, this house later belonged to Charles Gorham (U.S. Minister to The Netherlands) and Harold Brooks (businessman and town patron). The home is similar to Stonehall (across the street) with a five-column portico and main entrance facing Kalamazoo Ave. Jens Jensen, a well-known Danish-American landscape architect, was contracted by Brooks to design the fenced-in garden area along Kalamazoo Ave.
313 W Prospect St. Cottage, 1952
311 N Grand St. Church-Frink-Mees House Gothic Revival, ca 1855 Frederick Nelson Church was a skilled master carpenter who built this house using plans from Andrew Jackson Downing’s “English Cottages for Country Gentlemen” book. The Frinks purchased the home in 1880. At that time, the city was converting their streetlamps to gas and Mayor Norris Frink installed a matching light beside the steps leading to his house. Since that time, the light has been electrified. However, it is the only original gas streetlamp still standing in Marshall.
225 N Grand St. Gothic Revival, 1839
224 N Grand St. Queen Anne, ca 1890)
“HILLTOP” 224 W Prospect St. Taylor-Miller House Gothic Revival, 1843 Henry Taylor, lawyer, included a terraced front lawn that overlooked Marshall’s lower village when he built this home in 1843. The Miller family purchased the house in 1905. Mary (Mazie) Miller was the first president of the League of Women Voters in Michigan. Several of her close friends, including Clara Bryant Ford, Lou Henry Hoover, Grace Goodhue Coolidge, and Lady Nancy Astor (all wives of presidents or foreign diplomats), visited this residence. President Taft stayed here while on the campaign trial, a stop which included giving a speech on the front porch of the Honolulu House.
215 W Prospect St. Italianate, ca 1870
213 W Prospect St. Colonial Revival, ca 1900
207-209 W Prospect St. Vernacular, ca 1965
208 W Prospect St. Brewer-Williams House Colonial Revival, 1899 Charles Brewer contracted architect William Williamson of Grand Rapids to design this house.
223 N Eagle St. Butler-Porter-Sherman House Greek Revival, ca 1844 Little of the original house remains. The second story was added in 1870, giving the house the appearance of an Italianate.
222 N Eagle St. Greek Revival, ca 1850
130 W Prospect St. Queen Anne, ca 1880
127 W Prospect St. Bungalow, 1920
126 W Prospect St. Starr-Church House Queen Anne, ca 1880
126 W Prospect St Church-Nager House Modified Queen Anne, 1898 Dr. Church built this home for his bride. The Nager family brought it back to the grand appearance it had when it was built.
125 W Prospect St. Renaissance Cottage, 1870
124 W Prospect St. Cook-Hodge House Colonial Revival, 1889 Michigan’s 3rd Governor, James Gordon, lived in a small house at this location while he built his Governor’s Mansion.
123 W Prospect St. Clark-Wirtz House Gothic Revival, ca 1877 This board-and-batten house is an great example of an unassuming cottage built for the laboring man in the last quarter of the 19th century.
119 W Prospect St. Queen Anne, 1890
116 W Prospect St. Queen Anne, ca 1880
115 W Prospect St. Monroe House Italianate, 1870 The modest façade of this home is deceiving, it has several additions to the back of the structure.
221 Division St. Buck-Gesner-Sullivan House Tuscan Villa, 1858 William Buck made modifications to his own home after building the Honolulu House. Note the lovely tower.
216 Division St. Kirby-Mengel House Queen Anne, 1886 E.J. Kirby designed the interior himself, even though he hired the Detroit architects Spier and Rohn to design the exterior.
220 Division St. Colonial Revival, 1914
224 Division St. Myers-Leper-Weber House Gothic Revival, ca 1856 This home is distinctive for its two small Italianate windows in the Gothic arch over the front door.
301 Division St. Hensick House Classical Revival, 1898 Originally one of a pair of houses built in 1898 (the other is non-extant), this house was thoroughly rebuilt in 1932.
306 Division St. Dobbins House Queen Anne, 1895 James L. Dobbins erected this large brick dwelling on the corner of Prospect and Division. It contains what is believed to be the finest interior woodwork in the city.
114 E Prospect St. Colonial Revival, 1920
115 E Prospect St. Dobbins-Washatka House A Queen Anne home (non-extant) was built in 1890 as the parsonage for the First Baptist Church at this address. In 2015, that building was destroyed by fire and was replaced with this home.
116 E Prospect St. Bungalow, 1935
121 E Prospect St. Dobbins House Italianate, 1881
227 N Madison St. Queen Anne, ca 1910
302 N Madison St. Townsend-Wills House Queen Anne, 1889 The interior of this house is almost completely restored to its original design, and the gardens contain many Victorian plants from that era.
329 E Prospect St. Brown-Tabor House Queen Anne, 1887 Robert Ripley used this house in his daily syndicated news feature because of the very unusual window in the chimney – Believe It or Not!
225 High St. Greek Revival, 1856
219 High St. Mann-Foster House Gothic Revival, 1861 Built by Chastain Mann, editor of the Calhoun County Patriot and Democratic Expounder.
224 High St. Storr-Warren House Italianate, 1852 The front of this house was added about 1871. Not known for sure, but its believed the owners used their budget on interior embellishments and didn’t have enough left to add exterior brackets or porches.
302 High St. Gothic Revival, ca 1860
410 E Prospect St. Queen Anne, ca 1890
303 N Marshall Ave. Bosley-Lincoln-McClain House Queen Anne, 1887 Unusual for its time, William E. Bosley installed a central steam-heating system in this home when he built it in 1887. He was the inventor of the famous Marshall Folding Bathtub.
302 N Marshall Ave. Queen Anne, 1880
223 N Marshall Ave. Gothic Revival, 1874)
215 N Marshall Ave. Queen Anne, ca 1890
222 N Marshall Ave. Montgomery-Collins House Federal, 1850 Marshall’s second physician, Dr. John H. Montgomery, built this lovely home and office, one of four Federal homes in Marshall.
220 N Marshall Ave. Udell-Andrysiak House Queen Anne, 1894 Built by an early farm implement and automobile dealer, this house stands almost as it was originally built.
555 E Mansion St. Beaux Arts, 1911
116 N Marshall Ave. Gothic Revival, 1865
123 N Marshall Ave. Colonial Revival, ca 1900
413 E Mansion St. Italianate, 1857
410 E Mansion St. Queen Anne, ca 1880
409 E Mansion St. Colonial Revival, 1923
405 E. Mansion St. Cook House Greek, ca 1850
401 E Mansion St. Cook-Krug House Queen Anne, 1886-1867 Clinton Cook completed this house in 1887 for a total cost of $6,000, including the architectural fees of Spier & Rohn of Detroit, famous for their railroad stations.
122 High St. Pratt-Wright-Brooks House Greek Revival-Cottage Temple, 1841
311 E Mansion St. Dibble-Boley House Office, Federal, 1856 Philo Dibble, Marshall merchant, lobbied for the railroad to go through Marshall.
214 E Mansion St. Brooks Memorial Methodist Church Akron School of Church Design, 1921 This worship space was purchased by the Marshall Civic Foundation in 1971. It was renamed The Franke Center for the Arts due to the leadership and dedication of town patron, Thomas Franke.
200 E Mansion St. Oaklawn Hospital Large oak trees once stood in the middle of Mansion Street at this site from which night watchmen would protect early settlers from wolf and bear attacks.
111 E Mansion St. American Museum of Magic Research Library Prairie School, 1915 This structure holds an impressive archive that magicians from across the globe come to study (by appointment only).
103 E Mansion St. Tudor Revival, ca 1930
120 N Jefferson St. Greek Revival, 1930
109-111 Jefferson St. Vernacular, ca 1950
101 E Mansion St. Trinity Episcopal Church Religious Gothic, 1861–1864
112 W Mansion St. Ranch, 1955
116 W Mansion St. Italianate, ca 1860
120 W Mansion St. Colonial Revival, ca 1900
128 W Mansion St. Colonial Revival, 1930
135 W Mansion St. Queen Anne, ca 1880
136 W Mansion St. Gothic Revival, ca 1860
138 W Mansion St. Colonial Revival, ca 1915
139 W Mansion St. Dodge-Hill-Ebner House Greek Revival, ca 1845 This house is famous for its occupancy by Sam Hill, an associate of Dr. Houghton who surveyed Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Hill was known for using colorful language and is where we get the phrase “What in the Sam Hill?!?”
148 W Mansion St. Read-Markham-Riley House Gothic Revival, 1855 Built for Reverand Read.
200 W Mansion St. Presbyterian Church Gothic, 1872
209 W Mansion St. Queen Anne, 1885
210 W Mansion St. Gothic Revival, ca 1875
213 W Mansion St. Hart-Woodard House Vernacular, ca 1832 This house is thought to be built around the original log cabin built by Dr. Luther Hart.
216 W Mansion St. Brewer-Saber House Romanesque Revival, 1880 Marshall merchant, Edgar G. Brewer built this house in 1880. The front of the home is original except for the stairs, which were moved from the front to the side of the porch.
222 W Mansion St. Wheeler-Maybee House Romanesque Revival, 1893 Built by Mary Brewer Wheeler, daughter of Chauncey M. Brewer, an early settler and prominent merchant in Marshall.
223 W Mansion St. VanHorn-Perrett-Wheeler House Gothic Revival, 1860 One of the purest Gothic Revival houses in Marshall, this home was built by the German VanHorn family.
119 N Grand St. Vernacular, 1967
302 W Mansion St. Allcott-Ingersoll-Brundage House Gothic Revival, 1838, converted to Gothic, 1860 Much of the political activity in Marshall’s early decades took place in this house.
310 W Mansion St. Queen Anne, ca 1906
314 W Mansion St. Mann-Ludington House Italianate, 1842 remodeled in 1860s This home is believed to be built around a large log house dating from 1832. The first sermon in Marshall was delivered here by Rev. John D. Pierce, who was also the first State Superintendent of Public Instruction in the US.
While every effort has been made to ensure accuracy, if you find any errors please let us know by calling the Marshall Welcome Center at 269-781-5163 and asking for Kimber, or CLICK TO EMAIL.
