Samuel Coleman Historical Foundation

In 1928 the Samuel Coleman family settled in Marshall and became one of only two African American families living in Marshall. The city’s black population had dwindled from 109 in 1870 to 9 in 1920, in part because more work was available in nearby Albion and Battle Creek. In 1937 Coleman and his sons made 3,000 cement blocks and used them to build this house. Samuel, his wife, Elizabeth, and their 12 children lived in the house, which also served as a furniture repair shop and a fruit market.