G.A.R. Hall, 402 E. Marshall, 616 781 8544. Built in 1902 to house the Marshall chapter of the Union Civil War Veterans, the Grand Army of the Republic is now an archival storage area for the Marshall Historic Society and a Marshall Museum.
The G.A.R. Hall was built in 1903 at a
cost of $3,000 and was dedicated March 17, 1903. The Hall was
built by veterans of the First Michigan A cannon was placed on the west side of
the G.A.R. Hall in 1906, donated by the U. S. Government. The
cannon (a Parrott Rifle) was shipped from the arsenal at the
Watervliet, New York. In 1911 the City of Marshall erected a
stone monument to the GAR veterans with a brass plate. Originally
the The GAR Hall was the meeting place for the Colegrove Post but the building was used for other groups including W.R.C. (Woman's Relief Corps) in 1905, Ice Cream Social in 1914, Gospel Center Church in 1936, Char Toe Dance Studio in 1939, the S.O.U.V. (Sons of Union Veterans) were still meeting there as late as 1957, V.F.W. (Veterans of Foreign Wars) in 1946, D.A.U. Chapter No. 65 (Woman's Relief Corps) in 1948, the Seventh Day Adventist Church in 1967, a splinter group from the Lutheran Church in 1969, and the Marshall Art Center in 1975. In 1977 the building and grounds were sold by the City to the Marshall Historical Society for $1.00 after approval by the voters. The society restored the building and opened a historical museum and archives at that location. A restored porch was added in 1983. In 1992 the museum was changed to a Civil War Museum by curator Roger Graves. (Colonial Revival)
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