Magnetic Park

Magnetic Park

by | Sep 18, 2025 | General History, Parks, Pastimes, Plymouth

Plymouth’s Magnetic Park should be a top stop on a tour of Marshall County. Located along the Yellow River, Magnetic Park has a fascinating history.

Creating the Well

Magnetic Park gets its name from the flowing well of magnetic water. It is 11 inches in diameter and 38 feet deep, with a pipe that is 12 inches in diameter.

The well was driven in 1875 by Bailey & Capron, the owners of the Plymouth Water Mills. A horsepower tread was used to operate the drive hammer. The well was dug with the idea that an underground river would be found, into which the water from the mill race could be drained, giving more power to the water turbine. Instead, a gushing stream of water spouted eight feet high above the top of the well.  Mr. Bailey commented, “Of all the wells I’ve driven this is the first one I wanted the water to run into and here the water is running out.”

A Magnetic Discovery

In 1876 Holland’s City Directory was talking about how clear and cold the water was. At first no one knew about the well’s magnetic properties, but it was shortly to be discovered. The directory stated that recent tests showed that the water was highly charged with magnetism and was possessed of medicinal and curative properties in an eminent degree. It stated, “It is without doubt the largest and finest flow of magnetic water in the world!”

Magnetic wells appear in area where the ground has a lot of iron. Soil can also be slightly magnetic. This is true of Marshall County. At one time, we had a place called Sligo where bog iron was processed. We will share an article about Sligo soon. To be fair, some believe that a magnetic water is not possible, but that the iron oxide that gathered around the mouth of the well dictated the name “magnetic” at that time.

Magnetic Well flowing into drain.

Healing Properties and Pastimes

The writer of the article in the directory said the volume of water discharged was enormous, 500 gallons per minute, or 30,000 gallons per hour, and 720 gallons a day. It said that people suffering with rheumatic and dyspeptic complaints greatly benefitted by drinking the water, even before they imagined it was anything more than pure spring water. It was thought that Plymouth could become the Bethesda of the west. The reference was to the pool of Bethesda in Jerusalem, where Jesus healed the paralyzed man. After the removal of the old dam, the flow of water was decreased considerably.

The alleged healing properties were not the only reason people came to the well. A popular pastime was to suspend a metallic object into the well and let it remain for several hours.  Due to the unique properties of the water, the object would become magnetized. Knives, shears, scissors, hooks and small bars of steel became magnetized by being placed in the water. A compass was said to be under its control at a distance of two feet.

Community Renovations

An 1878 newspaper article said that a movement was underway to improve the grounds at the flowing well. The place was called “Magnetic Park” in quotations. They planned to build a bridge across the race and an arbor over the “magnetic flowing well” and to clear and beautify the grounds.  Bailey & Capron agreed to allow the free use of the grounds for the benefit of the public.

In 1914 a postcard pictured a small wooden shelter around the well, with two ladies in front of it.  Later it was rebuilt with stone and has two identical markers on opposite sides of the structure.  The markers are metal, one foot x two feet. Both markers read: “This shelter house – made possible – by the donations of – Mr. and Mrs. Jacob Price – of – ‘Price’s Steak House’ – erected in 1937 – for the public.”

Two women at the “Old Flowing Well” ca. 1908.

Additional historical markers are located at the park, which is at 700 N. Water St. in Plymouth. Try to find them when you walk through this gem of a park along the Yellow River!

Curious Findings

A 1935 newspaper article discussed the articles found when the WPA cleaned out what was then called the “Old Flowing Well.” The workers reached the bottom of the well and the “relics” were recovered were put on display in the show window of the Eagle building, one door north of the Ball Store, which was at 116 N. Michigan Street.

There were more than 200 items. Among them was a bayonet from an old army musket, thought to be used on a gun during the War of 1812. There are War of 1812 soldiers buried in Marshall County, among them Benjamin Cruzan. Other articles included a gold locket, a silver spoon engraved E.M.E., an unbroken glass goblet and a boy’s pewter whistle which still blew loudly. Of course, there were the usual items like old whiskey bottles. A drive shaft of an automobile was recovered.

The Trail of Death

The Trail of Death

by | Aug 28, 2025 | General History, Native Americans

Marshall County has the dubious distinction of being the starting point of the Trail of Death in 1838. The Trail of Death was the forced removal of 859 Potawatomi Indians from Indiana to Kansas. The Trail of Death is not the same as the Trail of Tears, which was the removal of the Cherokee Indians in the southeast United States. Both removals took place the same year in response to the passage of the Indian Removal Act of 1830, which provided legal authority to exchange Indian lands for lands west of the Mississippi River.

A series of three treaties were negotiated with the Potawatomi at the Tippecanoe River on October 26, 1832. Potawatomi land in Illinois, part of Michigan and most of their remaining lands in northwestern and north central Indiana were relinquished to the federal government. In exchange, the bands received small reservation lands for tribal use. This included a joint grant of 22 sections (14,080 acres) of reservation land in the Yellow River area in Marshall County. 

The land was given to four Indian chiefs, No-taw-kah, Pep-i-na-wah, Mac-ka-tah-moah, and Menominee. In the spring of 1836, a treaty was negotiated with the first three chiefs for the sale of their land, but Menominee refused to sell. He said the treaty was fraudulent since the reservation land had originally been awarded to all four chiefs.

Before and After Settlements

The land prior to the organization of the county belonged to the Potawatomi Indians. In 1832 there was a Menominee reservation near Twin Lakes. There were also several other reservations in this part of the country. During that year, the government began offering some of the land they had obtained from the Indians. White settlers began coming in and buying these lands. It was not long until these settlers insisted that the Indians be taken out of the county.

Treaties and Negotiations

The Treaty of Yellow River was made on August 5, 1836 and ultimately led to the forced removal of Menominee’s band from Twin Lakes. Under its terms the Potawatomi ceded all the reservation land that was granted to them under the Treaty of Tippecanoe to the federal government. The Potawatomi who signed the Yellow River treaty also agreed to remove west of the Mississippi River within two years. Menominee and 17 of the Yellow River band did not take part in the negotiations and refused to recognize the treaty’s authority over their land.

On February 11, 1837, the signers reconfirmed the Potawatomi land cessions in Indiana from the treaties of August and September of 1836. They agreed to remove to reservation land on the Osage River, southwest of the Missouri River in present-day Kansas. Again, Menominee refused to sign.

When the August 5, 1838 deadline arrived for the removal of Menominee and his band from Indiana, most of the Potawatomi had already left. Menominee’s group still refused to leave their village. On August 6, the day after the deadline for removal, the Potawatomi were told that they had relinquished their land in Indiana under treaties previously signed and ratified by the United States Senate. The Potawatomi were given no option. The land now belonged to the federal government and the Potawatomi had to remove.

Forced Removal

Indiana governor David Wallace authorized General John Tipton to mobilize a local militia of 100 volunteers to forcibly remove the Potawatomi from their reservation lands. On August 29, 1838 General Tipton and his militia surrounded the village at Twin Lakes. A meeting was called at the village chapel, where the militia took Menominee and the other Potawatomi chiefs into custody. Between August 30 and September 3, Tipton and his men gathered the Potawatomi still living on reservation lands and began preparations for their removal from Indiana.

Huts and wigwams were destroyed. Indians were brought to the village from northern Indiana and southern Michigan to be removed. Soldiers burned crops and destroyed approximately 100 structures to discourage the Potawatomi from returning. The last thing they were permitted to do was to visit the graves of their people, a short distance north of the village.

On September 4, 1838, soldiers started moving the entire band south along the Michigan Road and then west. The forced march became known as the Potawatomi Trail of Death, the single largest Indian removal in the state.  A few people were placed in wagons and those who had ponies were allowed to ride, but most walked, often hustled along by the soldiers. Menominee’s Yellow River band were among those who were force marched from Twin Lakes to Osawatomie, Kansas. Six chiefs, including Menominee, were treated as prisoners and forced to ride in a wagon under armed guard.

Wigwam replica on display in the Marshall County Museum. It is 3/4 size of a true wigwam.

The Trail of Death

The Trail of Death ran from Marshall County near through Rochester, down the Wabash River, and out of the state south of Covington.

The difficult journey covered 665 miles over 61 days in unseasonably hot weather. The caravan included 286 horses and 26 wagons. Water was scarce along much of the trail. The quality of the food supplied was so poor that the volunteer militia refused to eat it and demanded funds to buy their own rations. Of the 859 who began the journey, 756 Potawatomi survived (including Menominee); 42 were recorded as having died, 28 of them children, and the remainder escaped. The Indians were left on a barren plain west of the Mississippi. 

Not all the Potawatomi from Indiana removed to the western United States. Many Potawatomi found ways to remain, primarily those in Michigan. Some remained in the east, while others fled to Michigan, where they became part of the Huron and Pokagon Potawatomi bands. A small group joined an estimated 2,500 Potawatomi in Canada. Others fled to their Odawa neighbors. Anthony Nigo was allowed to stay in Marshall County because his mother was a Miami Indian.  By tribal custom a child belonged to his mother’s tribe, and so, even though his father was a Potawatomi, Anthony did not have to go on the Trail of Death. He became known as the “last Indian in Marshall County.” He lived the rest of his life here and is buried in St. Michael’s Cemetery.

New Treaties

In 1861 the Potawatomi of the Woods Mission Band were offered a new treaty which gave them land in Oklahoma. Those who signed the treaty became the Citizen Band Potawatomi because they were given U.S. citizenship. Their headquarters today are in Shawnee, Oklahoma. After the Civil War, the Potawatomi scattered; many moved to other reservations in Kansas and Oklahoma. A reservation for the Prairie Band Potawatomi is located in Mayetta, Kansas.

Historical Marker for Trail of Death.

A Lucky Find

A state historical marker was erected on 12th Road at the intersection of State Road 17. It is located a couple of miles away from Twin Lakes where the Indians were assembled for the Trail of Death march. The marker was erected by the Indiana Historical Society in 1949. The marker is metal, mounted on a metal pole, and reads:

“Trail of Death. Two miles east, on north bank of Twin Lakes, some 800 Potawatomi Indians were collected in August 1838 and forced to begin their long march to new homes in the west. Many perished on the way. 1949.”

In May 1973 it was discovered that the marker had been stolen. The following April it was found in a vacant apartment in Chicago. It was returned through the efforts of Bertha Stalbaum, curator of the Porter County Museum. Her uncle, John Wohlenberg, had found the plaque as he was cleaning the apartment. It was thought that tenants had moved out, leaving behind evidence of some vandalism sprees, including the marker. The marker was returned to its spot and rededicated on September 16, 1974. Both John Wohlenberg and Bertha Stalbaum were present at that rededication ceremony, along with Paul Hamilton, great-great grandson of Chief Leopold Pokagan.

The marker, as well as the statue of Chief Menominee, can be seen today south of Plymouth. To learn more, you can visit the Museum and see our Historic Crossroads Center.

 

Large group of people standing around statue of Chief Menominee

Unveiling monument of Chief Menominee with his granddaughter present.

Researching your Family History

Researching your Family History

by | Aug 20, 2025 | Family Stories, Genealogy

Sometimes a memory sparks the desire to find out more about a person, place or an event. Did you know that your Marshall County Historical Museum is an incredible research facility? Not only do we house the historical records, but we offer capable researchers to guide your journey.

Our research staff enjoys the challenge of digging out information.  For example, we were asked for help to find a woman who had owned a local flower shop. Unfortunately, we didn’t have her name. In a situation like this, we still have other options to research.  We can look in business listings for flower shops.  We can narrow the search by general location first and then focus on a specific address or building. Over the years, our VIV, Very Important Volunteers, have created categorized records that make it easier for us to tackle any question from more than one direction. Here are a few tips that will set the stage for you to be successful in your search.

Helpful Information to Bring

Tell us briefly what you know about your research topic. For instance, a man brought in a picture of a large group of people taken in front of a building. He thought it was a reunion of factory workers. We noticed that the front row was entirely children, which we suspected might mean a family reunion instead. He commented that his uncle was in the back row. “What is your uncle’s name?” That one piece of information led to our family files and an identical photo with details on the date and place of the reunion. From there, we were able to find more information for him about his family.

It is helpful to have an idea of the time frame you are interested in. If the family lived in Marshall County for only twenty years, the names would appear on a census, marriage, birth, or death records only during that period. Valuable research time is wasted searching earlier or later records.

Image of census document

Gathering Your Research

Ask for copies of pertinent documents. For a small charge, we can provide copies of the information we find. This allows you to digest it slowly at home. Information may be available on members of the extended family that might not be relevant right now but prove invaluable later as your research expands. Especially when researching far from home, simplify the process by having copies made of everything you find.

Have an open mind about the spelling of your family name. It is common to find alternative spellings in historical records. Names may have been misspelled by a census taker, clerk, or newspaper editor. Names were shortened and “Americanized” at entry points like Ellis Island, or by choice, as immigrants came to a new land. Follow those leads long enough to either confirm or disprove a connection. 

In addition to the research library, the MCHS Museum hosts the Marshall County Genealogical Society meetings on the first Tuesday of every month. If you are just beginning to research your family, check our calendar for specific events, visit our community room to get some tips, or simply give us a call!

Researching Divorce Records

Researching Divorce Records

by | Jan 31, 2025 | Family Stories, Genealogy

We talk a lot about marriage records, the different types and how to locate them.  But when working on genealogy, sometimes we find the other side to marriage, divorce.  

Divorce records are not as plentiful as marriage records and not as easily accessible on the internet, though more records are being added every day.  The records do exist, and they can yield genealogical information that cannot be obtained elsewhere.  

“But there weren’t any divorces in days gone by.”  Oh, yes, there were, and more than we would think. The Marshall County Museum has one four-drawer file cabinet of divorce records before 1900, and 15 shelves of records after that date. More modern divorce records are located at the courthouse. 

Regarding genealogy, the older divorce files are going to be the spiciest, as, not being concerned with political correctness, details were not censored. Divorce records now usually do not contain salacious details. 

The Louisville Courier-Journal dated May 26, 1856, gives a harsh picture of my ancestor B. H. Cruzan, a teacher in Floyd County, IN.  He asked for a divorce from his wife.  The judge decided that he was not entitled to a divorce, but that his wife was, on the grounds of assault and battery, neglect of his family, and general moroseness and unkindness.  The judge’s censure upon him as a teacher in the public schools was “cutting and severe.”  His ex-wife moved to New Orleans and was thereafter listed as a widow on the census records.  He later married again, and it lasted for the rest of their lives.  Hopefully he was a better husband the second time around.  

A cousin of my grandfather’s stated in her divorce petition that her husband would leave the house and be gone for days, coming back in a drunken condition.  He went away from home every Saturday night.  He associated with women of “evil name and bad repute.”  He was arrested with a woman at a hotel and was prosecuted and tried in the police court on the charge of fornication (it should have been adultery).  He abandoned his expectant wife when their child was ill and said that their coming baby was not his.  They were divorced.  But there’s no accounting for human nature.  Two years later she married him again, and they stayed married for the rest of their lives, celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary.  (But it was really only their 48th.)  

These examples from my own family show the man to be at fault, but both partners can instigate a divorce. Of course, sometimes a person didn’t bother to end one marriage before going on to the next one.  I recently did some research like that for someone.  First Husband and First Wife were married for a few years.  By the time First Husband filed for divorce, First Wife had been married to Second Husband for three years, and First Husband himself had been married to Second Wife for a year.  First Husband used both of First Wife’s married names in his petition for dissolution, saying she was living with Second Husband as his wife.  First husband then married his Second Wife again after the divorce and went on to marry two more times.  First Wife later married a third time.  The researcher was from First Wife’s second marriage and was looking for a divorce record for her parents.  But though there was a marriage record for the second marriage, there may not have had to be a divorce if she was still married to her First Husband.  Luckily, I didn’t have to sort that family out, only just copy the records and wonder.  

What can a divorce file do for us in a genealogical way?  It can confirm a lot of things.  The petition for dissolution contains the date of the marriage and often the place.  It will list any minor children, and sometimes may mention older children, or state that there were no children of the marriage.  It may say that a child in the home is a child of one spouse, but not the other.  If there is any real property involved, it will state where that property is located, which leads to deed records.  If there has been an earlier marriage or marriages, and an earlier divorce or death of a previous spouse, especially if there are children, it will sort out who came from whom.  

An obituary I came across listed the second wife and all the children.  But which child came from which marriage?  The divorce record from his first marriage listed the children from that marriage, and with that I was able to clarify the “his, hers and theirs” for the children.  

Where are we going to find divorce records? To end a marriage, one had to go through the court so there are court records, located in the county where the divorce was granted.  It may or may not be the same county where the marriage took place. 

 Early divorce actions can be found in dockets, minutes and case files of the county, circuit or district court.  Sometimes they were in chancery, common pleas, domestic, probate, superior or supreme judicial courts.  The clerk of the court is the holder of the records. 

 Very often older records are transferred to an archive.  I found one of the above divorce files in the St. Joseph County archives and one here at the Museum.  Sometimes they may be transferred to a regional or state archives or library. 

 Generally, divorce records are considered part of the public record.  But most states limit access to them because they may contain personal or sensitive information. 

 Applicant forms for a subsequent marriage may have information as to whether the person has been married before, and how many times.  I have traced a couple of relatives to marriages across the country based on their subsequent marriage applications.  A warning:  sometimes the person conveniently “forgets” how many times they have been married and gives a lesser number.  But you know that it is not true, because you found additional marriages for them.

 Newspapers mention legal notices.  In the past they would sometimes give accounts of the divorce or mention a separation of a married couple.  The story about my ancestor came from the newspaper for all the world to see and for his great-great-granddaughters to find. 

There are personal accounts and stories of family scandals whispered about in the family that you have heard, partially factual and maybe not.  But if there is a rumor, there might be evidence somewhere of a painful event in the family which contains genealogical information.  And that’s what we want.  We are not scandalmongers.  We just want to know about our families.  We all have faults, and so did our ancestors, including B. H. Cruzan. 

 Come into the Museum library and get help to research your genealogy and history questions. We are available Tuesday through Saturday from 10:00 until 4:00, at 123 N. Michigan St., Plymouth.  Call us anytime at 574-936-2306, or access help through our website at www.mchistoricalsociety.org.