History of Kalamazoo, MI

We have not been able to find any written history specifically for the Eastwood Neighborhood at this time! If you are aware of some written documents or pictures which detail the history of the neighborhood, or if you know some residents who have some stories of how things used to be, we would be glad to have you submit those stories for this section. Soldier, Clerk, Editor, and Lawyer, but not Playwright William Shakespeare, at the age of 17, was the first to from Kalamazoo to enlist to fight in the Civil War. (Dunbar p. 91). He went on to become a war hero, return with wounds, and then become successful at business in Kalamazoo. Shakespeare rose to sergeant and then to second lieutenant. On July 11, 1863, when his regiment charged at Jackson, Mississippi, he absorbed seven wounds and broke both legs. He waited 33 days before receiving adequate medical attention in Cincinnati. There he spent seven months on his back. Discharged for disability in 1864, he had made his way home crippled but one of the heroes of this war, said Michigan’s lieutenant governor, who wrote to the Telegraph that Shakespeare should enjoy, in the respect and sympathy of this whole community, some compensation for his great suffering in the cause of the country. But Shakespeare rapidly picked up the threads of civilian life. He soon clerked in the provost marshal’s office, overseeing the work of local draft commissioners. When the war ended, he was 21 and tried editing the Gazette for a year. In 1867, he married and turned to storekeeping, studying law in his spare time. Finally, in 1878, he joined Nathaniel Balch’s prestigious law firm. Shakespeare spent the rest of his life in Kalamazoo, eventually building the Shakespeare Block on North Rose and becoming the owner and president of the Central Bank of Kalamazoo in 1896 (Massie p. 64/65). FOR MORE INFORMATION: Dunbar, Willis F. Kalamazoo and How it Grew. Kalamazoo: Western Michigan University, 1959. Massie, Larry B., and Peter J. Schmitt. Kalamazoo: the Place Behind the Products. Windsor Publications, 1981. Create some written "history"and memories for your family. Download our free "Family History pages" and create a booklet for each family member. View other Kalamazoo history articles: 10 Historical Facts about Kalamazoo Entertainments of Old Frank Lloyd Wright and Parkwyn Village Fricano's Pizza From Kalamazoo to the Gold Fields Parchment: Paper City, USA Soldier, Clerk, Editor, and Lawyer, but not Playwright Who was Stuart?

I Remember When... view other memories Help create a memory book! Add a story or even just a sentence or two about the neighborhood, an event, a neighborhood landmark or a person who was a pillar of the neighborhood. Try to include the year(s) of your memory if possible. Submit information for this page Please submit this form if: you have some "I Remember When..." statements or stories. you know of someone we should interview for this page. you are a budding reporter and would like to do some interviewing and reporting for this section. you have some old neighborhood pictures that we should post on this site. If you choose to submit an item here, you can choose to have your name withheld from being posted on the site, but we must have contact information in case of questions. First Name: Last Name: Address: City, State, Zip Code: , ALAKAZARCACOCTDEDCFLGAHIIDILINIAKSKYLAMEMDMAMIMNMSMOMTNENVNHNJNMNYNCNDOHOKORPARISCSDTNTXUTVTVAWAWVWIWYPRVIMPGUASPWABBCMBNBNFNTNSNUONPEQCSKYT Phone: Email: Display Your Name On This Website: Yes  No Your memory or offer to contribute: We reserve the right to edit any submissions and to withhold some submissions from publication. Please report inaccuracies to the webmaster. Please limit your postings to fact, not fiction!

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