For the longest time I wanted to explore Marshall, Michigan during a day trip. Marshall is a town in southern Michigan with a ton of interesting history significant to both the state and United States. For one, Marshall once was in the running to become the Capitol city of Michigan. And two, the ruling in the Crosswhite Case helped contribute to the inevitable US Civil War.
Besides those facts, the Marshall Historic District is considered one of the US’ most architecturally significant National Historic Landmark Districts. With over 850 buildings, there are many original, well kept examples of 19th century architecture here. If you’re interested in architecture, you must add Marshall to your bucket list!
Without further ado, let’s dive into the day trip!
~ Explore Marshall Map ~
~ Explore Marshall Trip Summary ~
When: Saturday in summer, but can easily be duplicated in any season
Why: Back in the mid 1800’s when Michigan approached statehood, Marshall was a frontrunner to become Michigan’s Capitol city. Because of its rich culture and history, we wanted to visit.
Time Traveled (one way): 1 hour from Grand Rapids, 2 hours from Detroit, 30 minutes from Kalamazoo, 1 hour from Lansing, 3 and a half hours from Traverse City
Time Spent at Destination: 4.5 hours
Budget: $$ – food, museum admission
What we did during our Day Trip:
Starting out, we stopped at the Governor’s Mansion for a tour led by a volunteer from the Daughters of the American Revolution. After that we stopped by Capitol Hill to check out the outside of the Capitol Hill School and County Fairground. Then we headed over to Oakridge Cemetery to pay our respects to Adam Crosswhite – the patriarch of the Crosswhite family buried there.
Finally, we headed into downtown Marshall where we enjoyed a lunch at Schuler’s Restaurant then walked around to checkout historic buildings, homes, landmarks, art, and fountains.
Other Things to Explore in Marshall:
Breweries: There are two breweries within Marshall – Dark Horse Brewing and Grand River Brewery.
Interesting Museums: Once COVID is over, I need to plan a day trip to Marshall just to check out all the museums! There are 4 museum’s to check out – the American Museum of Magic, Walters Gasoline Museum, US Postal Museum, and Marshall History Museum.
The Arts: The Franke Center of the Arts is in a beautiful historic building that once was a Methodist Church.
Parks/Trails/Natural Areas: Also worthy places to check out are the numerous parks, nature centers, and trails! These include the Brooks Nature Area, Grever’s Nature Center, Historic Bridge Park, Wilder Creek Conservation Club, Marshalls Riverwalk, the Dump Mountain Bike Trail, and Stuart’s Landing.
~ Explore Marshall Trip Details ~
Governor’s Mansion
The first stop on our day trip to Marshall is to the Governor’s Mansion. This house was built in 1839 by James Wright Gordon, who became Michigan’s Acting Governor in 1841. Gordon built the mansion with the intention of it becoming the official Governor’s residence at the foot of the proposed “Capitol Hill.” He even introduced a bill to name Marshall as the Capitol. But ultimately in 1847, a marshy swamp town with less than 100 residents was chosen as Capitol by one vote! That town, as we know, is Lansing. No governor’s other than Gordon lived in the mansion.
Gordon and his wife continued to own the mansion until 1882 when his widow sold it to local resident Flora Palmer. In 1967, the heirs deeded the property to the Daughter of the American Revolution who use it as their meeting hall and a museum.
Architecturally, the Governor’s Mansion was built in the Greek Revival style with a wide Doric portico in the front. Its interior is also designed in the Greek Revival style. The present owners of the mansion are the Mary Marshall chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. They took it upon themselves to do all the restoration and furnished the interior with pieces appropriate to the mid and late 19th centuries. It is through the DAR that we set up our tour via email. However, if you plan to visit Marshall on Sunday, the house is open for tours then from 1-5pm.
Capitol Hill
Stop two is to Marshall’s Capitol Hill, modeled after Washington DC’s Capitol Hill. At the top of the hill is a schoolhouse and the County Fairground.
The first building is the Capitol Hill School, built in 1860 in the Gothic Revival style. It is one of the few remaining primary schools built in this style. Designed by Sheldon Smith, Smith also designed the Detroit Opera House. After operating for one hundred years, the school closed in 1960. It now is on the National and State Registers of Historic Places. With the exception of 2020, every year, the Marshall Historical Society hosts a historic home tour in September and Candlelight Walk in December where the school can be toured.
The second place on top of Capitol Hill is the County Fairground. The Calhoun County Fairground is the site of Michigan’s longest continual running county fair (with the exception of 2020).
Oakridge Cemetery
Stop three is Oakridge Cemetery. We added this stop to our itinerary spontaneously after learning about the Crosswhite Case during our tour of the Governor’s Mansion. The docent provided us a map of the cemetery (shown above) and directed us to his grave (the purple x). While at Oakridge Cemetery, we paid our respects and reflected on the history we just learned.
At this point, you may wonder what is the Crosswhite Case? And who is Adam Crosswhite? Just below is a summary of Adam and his family’s story and the Crosswhite Case.
The Crosswhite Case
Originally enslaved by Francis Giltner in Kentucky, Adam Crosswhite, his wife and children fled and made their way north to Marshall, Michigan in August 1843. While in Michigan, they settled in Marshall thanks to the hospitality they received.
Then in 1847, some Kentuckians led by a relative of Francis Giltner located the Crosswhite’s and tried to arrest them. After some negotiation, the Kentuckians agreed Adam and his wife could remain in Marshall but asked them to give up their children. The Crosswhite’s and residents of Marshall refused to allow this to happen!
After the incident, the Kentuckians pressed charges against the Crosswhite’s and several prominent residents of Marshall. The Crosswhite’s countered and charged the people from Kentucky with assault and trespass. While the courts sorted out the lawsuits, the Crosswhite’s left for Canada.
Ultimately, the Kentuckians were successful in punishing the residents of Marshall in their pocketbooks. In the case Giltmer vs Gorham et al, a jury decided the Marshall residents violated the Fugitive Slave Act of 1793 and ordered almost $2,000 paid to the Kentuckians. The bill was picked up by prominent Marshall banker Charles Gorham (see more about Gorham below!)
Crosswhite Monument
Another great spot to pay respect to the Crosswhite family is at the Crosswhite Monument located in a tiny strip of land between Michigan Avenue and East Mansion Street.
Schuler’s Restaurant
After checking out three sites in Marshall, it was time to eat. Schuler’s Restaurant is the perfect place to eat lunch at if it’s your first time in Marshall or are exploring the town’s historic sites. This restaurant itself has a State Historic Marker on it!
Schuler’s is a family business spanning back over four generations – a rare accomplishment! Albert Schuler opened the restaurant in 1924 and operated it as a hotel, restaurant, and bowling alley. About ten years later, Albert’s son Winston (great name!) took over running the restaurant as Albert became sheriff of Calhoun County. Winston and his son Hans were responsible for expanding the business. At one point, there were 9 Schuler’s Restaurants in operation.
The interior of the restaurant is charming, with multiple murals, historic quotes and facts painted on the walls. These decorations are from Winston Schuler’s era. Winston was known for being a big history buff.
As for the food, there are some classic staples on the menu – such as the prime rib dinner. But the menu continues to change and evolve with the times.
Downtown Marshall
Honolulu House
Following lunch we walked a lot! While we didn’t tour the interior of any historic buildings or museum’s in downtown Marshall (most were closed due to COVID), we appreciated the architecture and read up on the history at each stop.
The first historic home we stopped at is the Honolulu House. This home was built by Michigan Chief Justice Abner Pratt in 1860. Originally from New York, Pratt settled in Marshall in 1839. After serving as a state senator, judge, justice, and the Chief Justice, he accepted a consular position to the Sandwich Islands (now Hawaii) from 1857-9. Finally, he returned to Marshall in 1860. As a sufferer from asthma, he modeled the house after the airy Hawaiian homes. He spared no expense to make the house as healthful and beautiful as it is. Unfortunately, Pratt died three years after it was built.
In the 1950s, local preservationist Harold C. Brooks bought the house and turned it into a museum. This house remains one of the most famous historical homes in Michigan.
Historic Homes
Stonehall 
Harold Brooks House
Continuing on, we walked up Kalamazoo Avenue and stopped outside two Greek Revival homes known as Stonehall and the Harold Brooks House. Each house is entered in the National Register of Historic Places.
Stonehall, the house to the west of Kalamazoo Avenue, is from the late 1830s. Its builder is Andrew Hayes, Marshall’s first planter and physician. Once completed, the Hayes family lived here for over thirty years. After the turn of the century, the home became known as Stonehall. Finally in 1972, it entered the National Register of Historic Places. If interested in reading more of its history, check out its entry into the NRHP here.
The Harold Brooks House, the house to the east, is from the 1840s. Originally the house was owned by J.S. Fitch, a local dry goods dealer. Three years after its construction, he passed away. It then sold in 1851 to banker Charles T. Gorham. Gorham was the principal banking figure in Marshall for over 50 years. Unfortunately, he was prosecuted in the late 1840s for his role in preventing the arrest of the Crosswhite family (as mentioned above).
Interestingly, Gorham was a founder of the Republican Party and served as a State Senator from 1859 to 1860. Then, he served as a minister to The Hague under President Grant from 1870-75. After Gorham, Harold C. Brooks (the same person who purchased the Honolulu House) purchased the home in the 1930s for himself.
Brooks Memorial Fountain
Continuing on, we checked out the Brooks Memorial Fountain. Initially, the first county courthouse sat here from 1837-1871. A Michigan Historic Marker is present within the circle. The Marker explains how the courthouse looked and why it was demolished. After the courthouse, a park with a bandstand and fish pond replaced it.
Then, in 1930, the park was remodeled during the city’s centennial celebration. Harold C. Brooks (yup – same dude as above) donated the Greek Revival fountain in memory of his father C.E. Brooks. The central structure of the fountain is a replica of the Temple of Love in Marie Antoinette’s garden at Versailles, France. Shade trees, benches, and flowering shrubs also surround the fountain. In the evenings during the summer, the fountain lights up for a multicolor light show!
Choose Marshall Mural
From the circle containing the fountain, we walked on the North side of Michigan Avenue headed East. Not far from the traffic circle is the vibrant Choose Marshall mural. This mural contains several prominent sites in Marshall painted into each of the letters of Marshall, such as the Brooks Fountain, Honolulu House, and more! Behind the Marshall, are several notable downtown buildings. See if you can recognize any as you explore downtown!
Downtown Buildings
After the mural, we continued on and walked into downtown Marshall. There we noticed the architectural diversity of the buildings.
Most of the buildings in downtown Marshall are built prior to World War Two. Also, a variety of architectural styles popular in the late 19th/early 20th centuries were used. If you are interested in learning more about the history and architecture behind some of the buildings in Marshall, check out the Historic District’s entry into the NRHP here.
Some notable buildings that are part of downtown Marshall’s entry into the NRHP include the Wagners Block located at 145 Michigan Avenue and the Hastings City Bank building at 124 Michigan Avenue. These two buildings stood out to me the most. The first building, the Wagners Block, is heavily ornamented applying techniques from the Second Empire style. While the second building, the Bank, is the only Art Deco building downtown.
Carver Park
Our final stop during our day trip to explore Marshall was to Carver Park. This quaint park contains shaded benches surrounding a water fountain that empties into a white porcelain pool. There are also a few paved paths with sculptures and a flower garden along them to enjoy.
—
There is so much to see and do in Marshall, Michigan! What my family checked out during our day trip to explore Marshall just scratched the surface. Once COVID is no longer an issue, we’d love to return during the historic home tour in September!
Have you spent any time in our almost capitol city?
If you’re interested in planning other day trips to southwestern Michigan, I encourage you to check out my day trips to Battle Creek and the Kalamazoo area!
from Michigan with Love,
Jackie
