In 1901 Andrew Carnegie donated $70,000 for the construction of a library building in the city of Jackson. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places and the State of Michigan Register of Historic Sites, this Neo-Classical style building was designed and built in 1906. The facility features inlaid terrazzo floors, intricate ceiling moldings, Carrara white marble staircase and numerous pieces of art. The Carnegie building became the main branch for the newly created district in 1978. In 1981, with a bequest from Mrs. Mable MinterVan Orman, a circular structure was built at the rear of the library. This added an elevator, history room, back lobby and a children's storytelling room. There are 13 library locations in Jackson County. In addition to the library services and collections, the library has numerous programs offered at all of the branches throughout the year. These programs cover a wide range of interests and ages. Most programs and services are provided by the library free of charge. The building is graced with an outdoor public sculpture a parent and child reading and was created by famed sculptor Freeman Scoolcraft, Jackson High School graduate.

The Child, The Parent, and The Book, by Freeman L. Schoolcraft, bronze and limestone, 1988, Jackson District Library/Carnegie Branch, Michigan Ave.

Freeman Schoolcraft's The Child, The Parent, and The Book sits beside the main entrance to the Jackson District Library welcoming patrons while celebrating the right to read and symbolizing the value of parents and children learning and growing together.

Schoolcraft's life-size bronze statuary exhibits smooth surfaces and a light green finish over a darker undercoat, giving the sculpture and its pedestal an antique appearance despite its young age. Whereas Hunt's Victory Reconstructed is abstract and only suggestive of a figure in motion, Schoolcraft's woman and child are realistic, although not as detailed as the figures of Frishmuth, Hibbard, or Taft's Defense of the Flag. In fact, the figurative forms are simplified and generalized rather like the figure on the Foote Memorial by Taft, Schoolcraft's teacher.

When Taft attended the dedication of the Foote Memorial he met Schoolcraft, who was to graduate from Jackson High School the following year. The young artist showed the renowned sculptor some of his work and was invited to apprentice with the master in Chicago. He himself then taught at the Art Institute of Chicago, the University of Chicago, and Northwestern University. His sculpture adorns numerous buildings in and around Chicago and is in the collections of the Art Institute and the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York.

Even though a heart attack in 1964 effectively ended his career in sculpture, David Leamon, director of the Jackson District Library, wrote to Schoolcraft in 1982 to see if he would make a sculpture for his hometown library. The sculptor undertook the project enthusiastically and completed a small clay model, shortly before his death in 1988. Schoolcraft's widow, Clara made a more permanent plaster cast from the clay model about a year later. A grassroots fundraising effort to raise the $60,000 needed to create the full bronze statue along with grants from the Michigan Council for the Arts and the Michigan Sesquicentennial Commission was completed.

In late October 1987, the full sized bronze statue was created at the Pappas Art Foundry in Ypsilanti Michigan.  The production process was not unlike that employed to model, mold, and cast the older bronze sculptures in Jackson. The "lost wax" bronze casting technique used by the ancient Greeks is essentially the same today as it was two and a half millennia ago, though technical innovations have improved the furnaces and materials used in the process.

This was the first Baptist church established in Jackson, built in 1934. In 1834 thirteen Jackson pioneers established the Barry-Jackson Baptist Church in Sandstone Township. Five years later the Reverend David Hendee and seventeen members of that church formed the First Baptist Church in Jackson. Meetings were held in several locations until 1868, when construction began on the present church. J. R. Lewis provided the plans and specifications for this Romanesque Revival-style structure. When a lack of funds resulted in repeated construction delays, "Uncle Ben" Mosher, a member of the building committee, agreed to erect the walls free if the materials were supplied. A donation from four church members in 1871 assured the structure's completion. The church was eventually dedicated on March 10, 1872.

Founded in 1839, First Baptist Church has been a vital presence of God’s hope and grace in downtown Jackson for more than 170 years. From the corner of South Jackson and Cortland Streets, the congregation continues to live this legacy through mission and outreach to the community. With about 190 members First Baptist is a place to be known by God and friends. 

Photos coutesy of First Baptist Church of Jackson and the Jackson District Library archives respectively.

This pre-Civil War building has a fascinating history that includes a well-documented story about adding a basement AFTER the structure had been in operation for several years. This monumental Romanesque Revival church was erected in 1859 according to plans by architect Horatio N. White of Syracuse, New York. It is this congregation's third church. In 1871 the building was raised eight feet to accommodate lower-level classrooms. In September 1861, on the eve of departing for duty in the Civil War, the "Jackson Blair Cadets" and the Jackson County Rifles gathered with their families in the crowded sanctuary. At Detroit's Fort Wayne the troops joined the Eighth and Ninth Michigan infantries respectively. Beginning in the 1840s with the antislavery movement, the congregation actively participated in social reform--most notably the temperance and civil rights crusades.

In operation since 1873, Jackson’s train depot was reputed to be the largest stop on the line between Detroit and Chicago. The Victorian-Italianate red-brick station used heart pine, ash, oak and walnut woods harvested in Michigan for its interior structures. A carved walnut arch separated the ticket office from the newsstand and women’s waiting room and crystal chandeliers hung overhead. Building open 7:30am-3pm Free. Historical photo coutesy of the Jackson District Library Archives. 

The Armory Arts Village is a one-of-a-kind, creatively focused, mixed use neighborhood.  An affordable space designed to meet both the living & workspace needs of emerging artists, musicians, designers, craftsmen, and other creative people. Gallery and event space is available for rental with a maximum capacity of 500.  Armory Arts Village is listed on MSN in the top ten most unique buildings worldwide in which to live. 

This was the original site of Michigan's first state prison, approved by the legislature in 1838. A temporary wooden prison, enclosed by a fence of tamarack poles, was built on sixty acres donated for that purpose here. In 1839 the first thirty-five prisoners were received. A permanent prison was built three years later. Beginning in the 1880's under Warden H. F. Hatch a greater emphasis was placed on the education and rehabilitation of prisoners. After 1934 the inmates were housed in the new prison north of Jackson.

On December 8, 1838, the founders of St. Paul's Parish met and began the task of drafting the Articles of Organization for a ""new Protestant society."" The Parish of St. Paul's Church was officially established with the signing by twenty-two persons of the articles of Organization on January 12, 1839.
Its first house of worship, a small frame church completed at a cost of $2,500 by vestry member Lemuel S. House, was consecrated on October 20, 1840. By 1850 the group had outgrown its original home, and plans were begun to build a larger church.
Designed by Buffalo architect Calvin N. Otis, the new Romanesque Revival church was consecrated on January 11, 1853. Remodeled and expanded several times, it is one of the oldest Episcopal church structures in southern Michigan.

This is a historical site honoring the birthplace of the Republican Party. On July 6, 1854, a state convention of anti-slavery men was held in Jackson, Michigan,  to found a new political party. Since the convention day was hot and the huge crowd could not be accommodated in the hall, the meeting adjourned to an oak grove on "Morgan's Forty" on the outskirts of the town forever known as "Under the Oaks".

The First photo is of the plaque memorializing the event. 

The second photo quite possibly was taken in July 1904 for the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Republican Party at Under the Oaks at the corner of -Frankiln and Second Street.

Both Photos Courtesy of the Jackson District Library Photo Archives.

Coe House was constructed in 1871 for Henry Van Winkle, who owned and operated a hardware store and farm equipment "dealership" in Grass Lake. In 1953 Archie and Myrta Coe bought the home, and it was from Mrs. Coe, by then a widow, that the Grass Lake Area Historical Society bought the house in 1972. The architecture of the home is Tuscan Vernacular. It has been furnished to represent a typical home of the Victorian Era. A variety of events are scheduled throughout the year, including flea markets, craft shows, music and a heritage celebration.

The Mann House is an excellent example of typical middle-class domestic architecture of the early 1880s. Built in 1883, the Mann House is now a museum operated by the Michigan Historical Center. It is furnished with the 19th century heirlooms of the Mann family including the family's sleigh, buggy, and many household implements. Caretakers recreate holiday celebrations by decorating and arranging the museum as it would have been seen during those times. A marbleized slate fireplace, peculiar catch-release doorknobs, and eight rooms of period furniture adorn the two-story house.

The Central Railroad (later the Michigan Central Rail Road, or MCRR) came through Grass Lake in 1842, and the community grew around that first depot. In 1887, Grass Lake was awarded a stone depot designed by the same architects and with stone from the same quarry as the Ann Arbor station. This historic Romanesque train depot offers displays of local interest. Available for rentals, receptions, parties, and weddings.

The Lee Conklin Antique Reed Organ & History Museum proudly displays over 100 fully restored and working antique reed organs. Visitors to the museum are often treated to the beautiful sounds of these antique instruments. The collection includes parlor, cottage and church organs along with elegant rosewood melodeons, some dating as far back as the mid-1800’s. The historical collection includes a turn of the century classroom, barber shop, library, printing press and telephone switchboard. The museum building itself was designated a Michigan Historical Site in 2000.  The museum is owned and operated by the Hanover-Horton Area Historical Society. Special Events including Rust N' Dust Days, tractor pulls and a corn maze are held throughout the year. 

The museum offers a vivid look into 19th century pioneer life. Costumed tour guides take visitors through a 10-room farmhouse built by a German immigrant and seven additional outbuildings. Displays of tools, clothing, furnishings, and decorations depict the era’s farm life.