Paw Paw in Van Buren County, Michigan — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Isaac Watts Willard / Isaac Watts Willard
Photographed By Kathy Garman, August 3, 2021
1. Isaac Watts Willard Marker, Side 1
Inscription.
Isaac Watts Willard, also, Isaac Watts Willard. .
Isaac Watts Willard . In 1838, Isaac Watts Willard (1803-1879) and partners Peter Gremps and Lyman Daniels surveyed and platted the village of Paw Paw. That same year, Gremps and Willard opened a mercantile and grist mill in the village. Willard moved to Paw Paw in 1840 and opened a hotel. At the site of this marker, he built a saw mill, which he operated until his death. A Vermont native, Willard first visited Michigan in 1830. A year later, he moved to White Pigeon and opened a mercantile with future governor John Barry. After the partnership ended in 1834, Willard moved to Kalamazoo and opened Willard’s Mercantile. In 1849, he became a Commissioner of the Paw Paw and Lawton Plank Road Company, which built the only plank road in Van Buren County.,
Isaac Watts Willard. Isaac Watts Willard’s lifelong involvement in civic and political activities began when he served as the first resident clerk of the St. Joseph County Circuit Court. In 1836, he became Postmaster of Kalamazoo. That year, he also represented the county at the second Convention of Assent, which accepted the federal government’s terms for Michigan statehood. Later, Willard became the county Probate Judge. He represented Van Buren County at the 1850 Michigan Constitutional Convention. In 1853, President Pierce named him Timber Agent for Michigan and the Western Territories. In 1859, he became Paw Paw’s first village president. In the cemetery on Prospect Hill, south of this marker, Willard built a 127-foot-tall tower. He is buried there, at the summit of the hill.
Isaac Watts Willard
In 1838, Isaac Watts Willard (1803-1879) and partners Peter Gremps and Lyman Daniels surveyed and platted the village of Paw Paw. That same year, Gremps and Willard opened a mercantile and grist mill in the village. Willard moved to Paw Paw in 1840 and opened a hotel. At the site of this marker, he built a saw mill, which he operated until his death. A Vermont native, Willard first visited Michigan in 1830. A year later, he moved to White Pigeon and opened a mercantile with future governor John Barry. After the partnership ended in 1834, Willard moved to Kalamazoo and opened Willard’s Mercantile. In 1849, he became a Commissioner of the Paw Paw and Lawton Plank Road Company, which built the only plank road in Van Buren County.
Isaac Watts Willard
Isaac Watts Willard’s lifelong involvement in civic and political activities began when he served as the first resident clerk of the St. Joseph County Circuit Court. In 1836, he became Postmaster of Kalamazoo. That year, he also represented the county at the second Convention of Assent, which accepted the federal government’s terms for Michigan statehood. Later, Willard became the county Probate Judge. He represented Van Buren County at the 1850 Michigan Constitutional Convention. In 1853, President Pierce
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named him Timber Agent for Michigan and the Western Territories. In 1859, he became Paw Paw’s first village president. In the cemetery on Prospect Hill, south of this marker, Willard built a 127-foot-tall tower. He is buried there, at the summit of the hill.
Erected 2016 by Michigan Historical Commission - Michigan Historical Center. (Marker Number L2264C.)
Location. 42° 12.788′ N, 85° 53.463′ W. Marker is in Paw Paw, Michigan, in Van Buren County. Marker is on South Kalamazoo Street (Michigan Route 40) half a mile north of Interstate 94, on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 429 S Kalamazoo St, Paw Paw MI 49079, United States of America. Touch for directions.
More about this marker. The marker is located on a plot of land between the John Tapper Chevrolet Dealership to the north and the East Branch of the Paw Paw River to the south.
Photographed By John Garman, August 3, 2021
3. Isaac Watts Willard Marker next to the John Tapper Chevrolet Dealership
Photographed By John Garman, August 3, 2021
4. Isaac Watts Willard Marker next to the East Branch of the Paw Paw River.
Note the dam.
Photographed By John Garman, August 3, 2021
5. A View fo the Isaac Watts Willard Marker, Side 2
Note the St. Julian Winery in the background.
Credits. This page was last revised on October 1, 2021. It was originally submitted on September 30, 2021, by John Garman of Rochester Hills. This page has been viewed 273 times since then and 33 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on September 30, 2021, by John Garman of Rochester Hills. • Mark Hilton was the editor who published this page.
