Long before Harry Potter cast a collective spell with his wizardly ways, a chubby Midwest kid who dabbled in magic was fending off evil in the fictional town of New Zebedee, Mich.
His name is Lewis Barnavelt, the lovably nerdy protagonist in a series of gothic mysteries that debuted in 1973 with the children’s book “The House With a Clock in Its Walls.”
Nearly half a century later, late author John Bellairs’ best-seller is getting the big-screen treatment. The fantasy film starring Jack Black and Cate Blanchett hit movie theaters in September.
You can bet your last Butterbeer that no place is more pumped about the film than Bellairs’ hometown of Marshall, aka the “real” New Zebedee, a southern Michigan city of about 7,000 on the banks of the Kalamazoo River.
Walk along the historic downtown’s main drag, and you’ll see a parade of New Zebedee signs with the hashtag #HouseWithAClock posted in storefront windows. City leaders sponsored a slew of activities for The House With a Clock in Its Walls Weekend, Sept. 21-23, including guided walking tours of locations in Bellairs’ books, complete with costumed characters. Bogar Theatre, where a young Bellairs surely saw many a film back in the day, hosted a red carpet premiere Sept. 20, the night before the movie’s nationwide release.
“The book has been flying off the shelf,” said Jim Donahue, owner of The Mitten Word Bookshop on Marshall’s Michigan Avenue — make that Main Street in the New Zebedee universe.
Standing on the sidewalk in the neon glow of the old-fashioned Hemmingsen Rexall Drugs sign, it’s easy to picture that warm summer evening when Lewis’ bus pulled up to “Heemsoth’s Rexall Drug Store” and the 10-year-old orphan met his Uncle Jonathan to start a new life in this wonderfully strange and sometimes scary place.
Bellairs was born here in 1938. He grew up surrounded by the town’s enviable stockpile of well-preserved 19th-century architecture, an echo of Marshall’s glory days as a popular railroad stop between Chicago and Detroit.
“It is full of Victorian mansions and history,” the author once said of his hometown, “and it would work on the creative mind of any kid.”
One mansion, in particular, captivated Bellairs’ imagination: an Italianate-style gem with a tall turret built in the 1870s for a wealthy merchant family. Known as the Cronin House, it inspired the spooky setting for “The House With a Clock in Its Walls.”
The mysterious home with a sinister secret is where Lewis — played by Owen Vaccaro in the movie, which was filmed in Georgia — lives with his Uncle Jonathan (Jack Black), a good-natured warlock.
In real life, the home at 407 N. Madison St. belongs to Florida resident Jeff Hamilton. He’s a lawyer and real estate broker, not a warlock.
Hamilton had no idea the house was a local celebrity of sorts when he purchased the fixer-upper in 2016.
“I just thought I was buying this cool house in the middle of nowhere,” said Hamilton, who grew up in Indiana and was in the market for a second home in the Midwest. “I didn’t know about the book.”
He was in the dark about another well-known Marshall fact: The Cronin sisters, who lived in the house until the early 2000s, would always hand out full-size candy bars on Halloween. Now Hamilton does too. And he’s read the book. He’s even grown accustomed to fans taking selfies on his front lawn.
“People walk through the yard all the time — treat it like a park,” Hamilton said with a laugh. “That’s OK. The house is part of the town. I don’t want to isolate it. It’s a special place.”
The home needed some magic when Hamilton bought it; it was in shambles. The radiators had busted. The parquet floors were so warped that some of the doors wouldn’t open. A little time and a lot of money later, the Cronin House looks regal again. (The basement is still “super creepy,” Hamilton admitted, although he hasn’t heard any tick-tock sounds emanating from the walls.)
The house is one of the stops on Marshall’s Historic Home Tour. Now in its 55th year, the annual event includes a look inside eight private homes and several other buildings and museums, like the American Museum of Magic, the quirky Honolulu House Museum (known as the Hawaii House in Bellairs’ books) and the Marshall Historical Museum at the GAR Hall, where a small exhibit about the author showcases the 1950 bicycle he pedaled around town as a kid.
No matter when you visit Marshall, a little imagination is all it takes to get happily lost in Lewis’ New Zebedee. It feels like a game, trying to pinpoint the real-life places that made their way onto the page, whether in words or in the form of Edward Gorey’s evocative illustrations.
Go for a stroll through Oakridge Cemetery, whose tombstones and mausoleums served as the backdrop for a pivotal scene in the book.
When the sun turns in, take a seat at colorful Brooks Memorial Fountain to watch the nightly light show described by Lewis.
Have a beer at Dark Horse Brewing, where roughly 4,000 mugs hang from the walls and ceiling. Dark Horse wasn’t around during Bellairs lifetime and has nothing to do with the books or movie. It just has good beer. Uncle Jonathan would love it.
IF YOU GO
GETTING THERE: It typically takes just under three hours to drive to Marshall from downtown Chicago. It's 180 miles east of Chicago, near Battle Creek.
WHERE TO STAY: Said to be the oldest operating hotel in Michigan (and once a stop on the Underground Railroad), the National House Inn is a charming spot to bed down. Built in 1835, its 15 rooms range from $110 to $170 and come with a full breakfast; 102 S. Parkview St., 269-781-7374.
WHERE TO EAT: Like a lot of places in Marshall, Schuler's Restaurant & Pub has a long history. John Bellairs purportedly worked here, briefly, as a busboy. The family business has been around since 1909, serving tasty prime rib, fish, burgers and salads in an Old World atmosphere with dark paneling and checkered tablecloths. Dinner kicks off right with fresh-baked bread, crackers and a yummy cheese spread. Dining room is open daily until 9 p.m.; 115 S. Eagle St., 269-781-0600.
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