The Marble Man

George Washington Winslow was part of an early wave of settlers to Bronson. 

On December 12, 1835, the 26-year-old wrote to his parents back east. "I sold my Marble at Buffalo to Huntington, and have embarked in a new business entirely and do not as yet regret the change," Winslow wrote. "We bought our goods in Buffalo at a reasonable rate, had them insured and sent around the upper Lakes to the Mouth of the St. Joseph River, thence by Land 60 miles to this place. Next season we shall get them to this place by water all the way – this river (The Kalamazoo) is navigable as far as here, and above with small craft." Both Winslow and his business partner, Henry Sherman, came from Franklin County, Massachusetts, and both had worked in marble back east as young artists and businessmen. In Kalamazoo, they focused on lighter wares that could easily travel by boat in the pre-railroad era. Their general stores included "dry goods, groceries, crockery, hardware, glass, nails, iron, steel, boots and shoes, [and] ready made clothes” The served as conveyers of the basic necessities from the east into the changing landscape of Michigan Territory. [1]

The Sherman and Winslow general store at the corner of Main and Portage streets was short-lived under that name. The two men agreed to dissolve their firm three years later. By all appearances, they sold their wares to Francis March and Ichabod Weeks who operated a general store at that same location. Soon March and Weeks were selling "dry goods, groceries, crockery, boots and shoes, hardware, glass, and nails.” in the same old space.[2].

A community leader

Winslow became involved in politics and local government between his short-lived work as a merchant and his longer career as a marble dealer. In 1839, voters elected Winslow supervisor of the Kalamazoo township. He then ran for sheriff but lost by two votes to William McAlexter. By 1848, Winslow served on the executive committee of the Democratic Association. The main issue was the Baltimore nominations for president. The “democratic voters” of Kalamazoo wanted to organize political campaigns for that election. Governor John Bagley appointed Winslow as a public notary.[3]

Beyond political involvement, Winslow invested in developing social institutions and norms. He was appointed as a delegate for the Centennial by the Michigan Pioneer Society planning for 1876. He also spoke on “Social Evils” in Kalamazoo. "Persons visiting disreputable houses," one petition claimed, harmed "reputable people, who have been annoyed beyond endurance, and also by visits and solicitations of persons seeking houses of bad repute.” Winslow asked for protection from "further molestation" and called on local officials to disrupt such sites of vice. The drunkenness and the loud vices of people calling upon "virtuous citizens" had become "an unbearable annoyance and cannot be tolerated." Winslow along with several other citizens gathered together to pool a $50 reward for information that would lead to the conviction of persons stealing fruit from people's gardens and orchards in and near Kalamazoo. He was an active participant in his community in both political and social issues and took a very morally high stance on these issues.[4]

The steam marble business

Winslow built his "Steam Marble Business" with his son under the company name, George W. Winslow & Son. They were located on Portage Street near the intersection with Main Street and next to Sherman and Winslow's old general store. Taking over the business owned by F. Field & Co, the Winslows worked with "all kinds of work in that line," especially on grave tablets and monuments. George C. Winslow eventually took over the business.[5]

Before retiring from the marble business, Winslow created curbing for several lots for Mountain Home and Riverside. There was quite some debate over natural stone and artificial stone and whether it would be durable enough to withstand Michigan weather. Winslow and Son made the marble and sandstone curbing for 17 plots. They promised that no crack would be found in the marble and sandstone curbs. In contrast, they warned that Frearstone, or artificial stone, would not stand up to the test of time. Undersigned by Winslow, it served as both a contribution to the public discourse about the future of Riverside and Mountain Home as well as an advertisement of his expertise in stone.[6] 

George Washington Winslow's firm made these antebellum marble tablets in Grand Prairie Cemetery (left and center) as well as the larger monument at Mountain Home Cemetery (right). Photographs by Evan Kutzler, 2023. 

George Washington Winslow was more than just a stone mason. He contributed to early Kalamazoo commerce, government, and society. He was a multifaceted, often eccentric, individual who did more than carve marble tablets and establish a private island for the use of spiritualists. Forty years after arriving in Kalamazoo, he had left his mark on cemeteries across Kalamazoo. He very likely worked on stones that are now buried in Westnedge Park.[7]

Notes

[1]. "Advertisement," Kalamazoo Gazette (Kalamazoo, Michigan), March 3, 1838: 3; George Washington Winslow to “My Distant Parent,” December 12, 1835, Vertical Files, Kalamazoo Public Library.

[2]. "Advertisement," Kalamazoo Gazette (Kalamazoo, Michigan), August 26, 1842: 2; alamazoo Gazette (Kalamazoo, Michigan), May 11, 1839: 2; "Advertisement." Kalamazoo Gazette (Kalamazoo, Michigan), August 4, 1838: 3.

[3]. Kalamazoo Gazette (Kalamazoo, Michigan), May 11, 1839: 2; "Election Results." Kalamazoo Gazette (Kalamazoo, Michigan), October 7, 1842: 2; "Election Results." Kalamazoo Gazette (Kalamazoo, Michigan), June 30, 1848: 2; "Lansing." Kalamazoo Gazette (Kalamazoo, Michigan), January 22, 1875: 2. 

[4]. "Locals," Kalamazoo Gazette (Kalamazoo, Michigan), April 28, 1876: 4; "The Village Fathers. Adjourned Regular Session of the Board Last Evening. The 'Social Evil' a." Kalamazoo Gazette (Kalamazoo, Michigan), July 14, 1876: 1; "Advertisement." Kalamazoo Gazette (Kalamazoo, Michigan), August 14, 1846: 3. 

 [5]. "Advertisement," Kalamazoo Gazette (Kalamazoo, Michigan), December 28, 1849: 4; "Advertisement." Kalamazoo Gazette (Kalamazoo, Michigan), April 13, 1877: 7; "Advertisement." Kalamazoo Gazette (Kalamazoo, Michigan), April 13, 1877: 3. 

[6]. "Advertisement," Kalamazoo Gazette (Kalamazoo, Michigan), June 11, 1876: 3. 

[7]. “Names on the Land," Kalamazoo Public Library (accessed November 20, 2024), https://www.kpl.gov/local-history/kalamazoo-history/general/names-on-the-land/#W.