Ella Sharp Museum
Ella Sharp House | |
Location | 3225 4th St., Jackson, Michigan |
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Coordinates | 42°12′54″N 84°25′04″W / 42.21500°N 84.41778°W |
Area | 1 acre (0.40 ha) |
Architectural style | Italianate |
NRHP reference No. | 72000622[1] |
Added to NRHP | August 25, 1972 |
The Ella Sharp Museum is a historical museum located at 3225 4th Street in Jackson, Michigan. The original structure is a nineteenth-century farmhouse, the Ella Sharp House (also known as the Merriman-Sharp House), which was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972.[1]
History
In 1855, Abraham Wing of
By the 1860s, the farm was one of the most prosperous in the area, and the Merrimans were active in the community's social life. The Merrimans had four children, three of whom died young. The fourth, Ella, was born in 1857.[3]
In 1881, Ella married John C. Sharp, a lawyer who had served as Jackson City Attorney and as Prosecuting Attorney for Jackson County. In 1884, The Merrimans turned their farm over to John and Ella Sharp to move into town,[2] and John discontinued his law practice to concentrate on farming. Under the Sharps management, the farm improved even more. John Sharp died in 1908, and Ella Sharp continued to manage the farm until her death in 1912. Ella Sharp bequeathed the house and farm to the city of Jackson to be used as a museum and park.[3]
The city of Jackson hired Winiford C. Trout, who began laying out the grounds of the park in 1915. The Ella Sharp Park was opened in 1916.[2] Trout used the farmhouse for over 20 years as his residence, during his tenure as supervisor of the park.[4] However, the Ella Sharp Museum did not open until 1965.[3]
Description
The Ella Sharp House is a two-story brick structure with an attached three-story freestanding
The Ella Sharp Museum contains other buildings in a surrounding historical complex. These include the 1875 Dibble School, a c. 1840 log cabin, and a country store.[3]
References
- ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. November 2, 2013.
- ^ JSTOR 25617096
- ^ a b c d e Donna L. Stiffler (October 14, 1971), NATIONAL REGISTER Of HISTORIC PLACES INVENTORY -NOMINATION FORM: Ella Sharp House
- ^ "About Ella Sharp Park". Ella Sharp Park. Retrieved February 19, 2019.