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.