Feeling
a need to get away from it all? Whether it’s just for the day or for a
restful weekend, you can step back in time and be transported into
nineteenth century small town America, well preserved in historical
Marshall, Michigan, less than ninety miles west of Detroit.
Here, you can walk through leaded glass entry doors that belong
to another era, into a parlor warmed by a fireplace, filled with details
of everyday life…from more than a century ago that is.
You
can creak up an elegant winding staircase to stay in a room where home
made cookies and fresh fruit wait for you on a doily covered nightstand,
as they did long ago when travelers stayed at this halfway stop (between
Detroit and Chicago) of the Michigan Central Railroad.
You can tour the town to view its more than 850 historic homes
and businesses displaying architecture ranging from Classic Greek
Revival to Queen Anne, and actually go inside some of them.
In
fact, the US Department of the Interior has designated Marshall a
National Historic Landmark District because of its architectural
preservation efforts and it’s important part in American History.
Marshall served as a link in the Underground Railroad during the
Civil War and was considered as our state capital, losing to Lansing by
only one vote.
The
physical preservation of Marshall and its historical heritage serve as
the backdrop to what we found most appealing.
What stood out to us was the warm personal touch that seems to be
disappearing in our hectic lives.
People in Marshall seemed to be in
a time warp.
Our
first glimpse into this people-friendly lifestyle was when we decided to
stay at The Joy House, a Bed and Breakfast (B&B) located just north
of the landmark fountain in the center of town. When
we called to make our reservations, hostess Marcille (Mickie) Hulscher
asked if any of us had special dietary needs, or food allergies.
She was concerned about preparing a breakfast that would agree
with her “houseguests”.
That
put our expectations on high alert, and we weren’t disappointed.
Mickie
and her husband, Ed Hulscher met us in the drive as we climbed out of
our vehicle, and helped us get settled in their Greek Revival,
Italianate Bed and Breakfast.
As it turned out Mickie was in charge of the bed part, and Ed
majored on breakfast.
The Hulscher’s have operated the B&B for three years, and
look forward to many more.
Mickie learned the ins and outs of the Bed and Breakfast business
from close friends who operate the Heather House in Marine City,
Michigan.
Ed must come by it naturally, because he certainly made the
guests feel welcome while we were there. The couple agrees their
favorite part of running the B&B is meeting the interesting people
who come to stay.
We
happened to nose through a guest book, and found interesting tidbits,
including one young man who wrote that he proposed marriage in our room.
The future bride wrote, “I said yes,” under his entry.
Now, isn’t that sweet?
We
enjoyed breakfast conversation in the company of three sisters, also
guests at the B&B.
They meet together each year for a weekend getaway, and this year
Marshall was their agreed on destination.
From
the Joy House, we drove the few blocks to the Chamber of Commerce where
we found various brochures highlighting places of interest in Marshall,
and met another Marshall resident, eager to make our visit enjoyable.
“Be sure to check out the walking tour.
It features more than 100 historical building,” the helpful
guide said.
With
many museums to choose from, the ThreeOlBags decided to visit the
Honolulu House located near the center of town.
Originally built by Judge Abner Pratt in 1860 to resemble the
Executive Mansion he occupied in Honolulu, Hawaii, where he served as US
Consul to the Sandwich (Hawaiian) Islands.
We took the tour hosted by an enthusiastic member of the Marshall
Historical Society, whose headquarters are in the Honolulu house.
Our tour guide was an elderly lady, and quite a character
herself--right down to her purple tennis shoes!
She entertained us with many humorous stories about the families
who lived there.
One particularly interesting note was that the enormous, ornate
home seemed to be plagued with financially strained owners.
In fact, the historical society rescued the home from demolition.
The
streets of downtown Marshall are lined with interesting gift shops,
antique stores and eateries. Beautiful historic churches are everywhere
you look.
We happened to visit during Marshall’s first annual Scarecrow
Festival in October and delightful scarecrows were scattered throughout
the town.
Coming
December 9th and 10th the historical society will
host the 21st Annual Christmas Candlelight Walk.
This event features different homes each year.
Each home is lavishly decorated and each one has its own
interesting history.
Christmas in 19th century small town America is
replicated, and according to a New York Times review, it’s “the
sweetest place on earth”.
Any
trip to Marshall is incomplete without a stop at nearby Cornwell’s
Turkeyville, USA, about fifteen minutes north of town.
Turkeyville is home to a huge antique barn, a gift shop, a turkey
farm and a restaurant.
The restaurant serves more than a dozen different fresh turkey
dishes, a variety of homemade ice creams and fresh baked goodies.
Turkeyville’s interactive web site (see insert) includes the
fun activity of allowing you to suggest your favorite new flavor of ice
cream.
Turkeyville
hosts a number of giant flea markets and arts and craft shows throughout
the year, with more than 200 vendors selling their wares.
Our
recent trip to Turkeyville was a pleasant surprise for Sharon Hegwood
(oldest and she says wisest of the ThreeOlBags), who has visited the
area before.
“I didn’t even know they had a dinner-theatre!
If you think all there is to Turkeyville is turkey, make
reservations today for their dinner-theatre,” she says.
The
ThreeOlBags enjoyed a superb performance of “Fiddler on the Roof” by
Pritchard Theatrical Productions, a professional touring company.
Beginning November 8th, "A Hometown Christmas", also performed
by the Pritchard Theatrical group begins its holiday run through
December 23rd. "A Hometown Christmas" is a musical
comedy review for families.
