Pioneer history of Ingham County, compiled and arranged by Mrs. Franc L. Adams, secretary of the Ingham County pioneer and historical society.

LANSING TOWNSHIPI AtND) CITY, WITII HISTORY

493

PASSING OF TWO OLD LANDMARKS AT NORT-I
LANSING.
The past week has witnessed the obliteration of two old landmarks at the north end: the moving of the old James Turner house
on Turner street and the tearing down of the old fashioned brick
house at the corner of Clinton and Center streets.
The James Turner house was built in 1847. The sills and other
parts of the frame were hewn out of hardwood, the siding, flooring
and cornice was dressed by hand, also first shingles were riven
with an old-fashioned hand froe by workmen in Mason, then
hauled by ox teams over the hogsback road through the almost
unbroken wilderness to the few months old Capitol City. Mr.
Turner's brothers in July, 1847, cleared a place in the woods and
erected the first frame dwelling in North Lansing. While the
workmen were erecting this building they had to fight deer flies,
mosquitos, snakes and other pests of the wilderness. I remember
one of them told about killing two moccasin snakes that came out
and sunned themselves on a log in a cat hole just north of the
house. He said they were real snakes as the men had nothing to
drink but spring water.
If the walls of this old house could speak they could tell of many
remarkable events that took place in the early pioneer days of our
city. This house was a meeting place for all the Turner families.
Brother James kept open house. The Methodist ministers when
they came on the circuit never neglected to call, as they were
always sure of good cheer and good beds at the class leader's.
Sometimes the preacher brought the whole family and the more
there were the heartier the welcome. The bashful youth brought
his blushing bride there to be married and to neet Brother James,
who always had a word of good cheer to give them, also the good
wife always had a wedding cake baked or in the oven. Chief
Okemos and his band always got hungry when they arrived at
"Big Chief James's" house. The Quakers from Albany, N. Y.,
who were investing money in Michigan lands, always stopped with
James, because he was their agent as well as the agent of the
Seymour's, Wadsworth's, Danforth's and other New York finan