Movin' South

After leaving Houghton Lake on Wednesday, and driving 148 miles to Lapeer, Michigan, we again hit the road this morning and managed to get 116 miles further south to Camp Turkeyville RV Resort. Yeah, I know, it's a kinda strange name, but there's a bit of history behind the name. Beginning with a small homestead in the early part of the 19th century, the Cornwell family, who had roots in Pennsylvania, built and operated a thriving farm. Hard times hit in the early part of the 1900's, however, and by 1943, two generations of the family were facing dire straits. A neighbor gave Grandpa Cornwell a dozen turkeys, which did very well. Word of a unique turkey feeding program and Grandma's cooking soon resulted in a one room eatery known as Cornwell's Turkeyville. Now, 40,000 people a year enjoy turkey dinners and sandwiches along with homemade ice cream. Turning a portion of the family farm into an rv park was a natural progression, as is the Cornwell's Dinner Theater, Craft Show, Bike Night, Flea Market, Garden Show and yard sale!

The 128 site park is set up like a KOA on steroids: many, many activities for young people; rental bikes and golf carts for those a bit older, and campfires and music everywhere. The power is reliable, the water pressure is adequate if not overwhelming, and the setting in the cornfields of southwest Michigan is awesome.

We left Lapeer late this morning, since we didn't have far to go. Besides, the city sponsors a nice, small town farmers market on Saturday morning. Check out time at the Water Tower Campground wasn't until 1:00, so it worked out great. We still had to kill a bit of time at a Rest Stop along I 69, since Turkeyville charges $15 to check in before 3:00 pm (!). We did manage to get set up by 4 pm, so we decided to take a short 6 mile ride south to the town of Marshall, MI. This abandoned barn is just outside the rv park.

As we got into downtown Marshall, we were astounded to see dozens of 19th century homes. The town center is the Marshall Historic District, one of the nation's largest architecturally significant National Historic Landmark Districts. The Landmark has over 850 buildings!

Marshall was founded in 1830 by Sidney Ketchum and named in honor of Chief Justice of the United States John Marshall from Virginia. The town was a front runner for state capitol, even going so far as to build a Governor's Mansion, but lost by one vote to Lansing! A history of Underground Railroad activities in the 1840's led to the passage of the federal Fugitive Slave Act of 1850, and, coincidently, the first railroad labor union in the U.S., The Brotherhood of the Footboard (later renamed the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers) was formed in Marshall in 1863! With a population of 7,000 souls, Marshall has quite a story to tell!

Back to the beautiful homes:

The Fitch-Gorham-Brooks House was built in 1840 in the Greek Revival style reflective of the New York heritage of Marshall's early settlers. It was built by Jabez Fitch, became the home of Charles Gorham in 1848, and was purchased by Harold Brooks in 1921.

This home, named "Hillside" due to its prominent placement, was erected in 1843, and is among the oldest in Marshall. Designed in the Gothic Revival style, the architecture was taken from a book of house plans by landscape gardener Andrew Downing, published in 1842.

Downtown is a splendid example of 19th century business districts.

So, there you have our first day in Marshall, Michigan!

Greetings!