Calhoun County's First Courthouse / Brooks Memorial Fountain
N 42° 16.313 W 084° 57.851
16T E 667884 N 4681971
Located at the famous intersection of Michigan/Kalamazoo. There are a ton of historical markers here.
Waymark Code: WMXV81
Location: Michigan, United States
Date Posted: 02/28/2018
Views: 5
Established in 1829, Calhoun County made Marshall its county seat in 1831. It built its first courthouse on this site between 1837 and 1840. Designed in Greek Revival style, the building had a rectangular footprint with four columns on each end. Structural problems became apparent in 1855 when a column collapsed. In 1872m after county offices had moved to nearby buildings, the courthouse was demolished. The city repurposed the site into a park featuring a bandstand and a fish pond.
In October 1929, Marshall's Mayor, Harold C. Brooks, announced his gift to the city of an "electric fountain" in memory of his late father, Charles E. Brooks. Architect Howard F. Young, landscape engineer Herman Swanson, and engineers from General Electric collaborated on the design. At its dedication, on April 26, 1930, some seven thousand people applauded with "exclamations of surprise" and "wonderment" when the mayor's son, Craig, turned on the fountain and its multicolored lights.
Parking nearby?: no
D/T ratings: 
Registered Site #: L2287
Historical Date: Not listed
Historical Name: Not listed
Description: Not listed
website: Not listed
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