By Bill Mabin, Marshall Historical Society
The 55th Annual Marshall Historic Home Tour on September 8th & 9th will feature 19 homes, with one home having ties to a major motion picture being released later in September.
On tour for the second consecutive year is the 1873 Italianate-style home that inspired the 1973 novel The House with a Clock in Its Walls by Marshall author John Bellairs. The movie version starring Jack Black and Cate Blanchett will be released September 20th, 2018.
Marshall’s railroad center, an octagon-shaped building that once stored luggage at the city’s railroad depot, has been reconstructed just north of the city. Marshall had been a regular stop for trains running between Detroit and Chicago in the late 1800s.
The 2018 home tour will have 19 sites, including eight private homes and seven museums. Tour hours are 9am-5pm on Saturday, Sept. 8th and 10am-5pm on Sunday, Sept. 9th. The Honolulu House Museum, 107 N. Kalamazoo Ave., again will be the central hub for home tour activities.
The other buildings on tour represent a range of architectural styles and were built between 1850 and 1911. Related events will include an arts and crafts fair and a Civil War Ball.
“The home tour committee is thrilled to have more private homes on tour this year and a wonderful cross-section of homeowners,” said Jennifer Conley Darling, chair of the Marshall Historic Home Tour. “A younger generation is purchasing these historic homes and renovating them by honoring the original architecture with modern décor.”
Advance tickets cost $20 and are available through September 3rd at www.marshallhometour.org or by calling (269) 781-8544. Tickets will be $25 after September 3rd. Tickets are good for both tour days. Parking is free and free shuttle buses will run to the tour sites.
The Marshall Historic Home Tour began in 1964, and it has grown into the longest-running home tour in the Midwest. The Marshall Historical Society uses the home tour proceeds to maintain and enhance its three museums and to support community efforts to preserve, protect, and promote Marshall’s historic heritage.
