Hazelwood was the home...

— Fox River Trail —

of the Morgan L. Martin family for 100 years (1837-1937). Martin was a prominent Green Bay attorney, civic leader, Indian agent and entrepreneur, originally from upstate New York, who helped lay the foundation for Wisconsin's statehood. In 1848, Martin was elected president of the state convention, which drafted Wisconsin's constitution. President Polk signed the Act of Admission on May 29, 1848, making Wisconsin the 30th state to enter the union.

Martin risked his considerable fortune in an ill-fated attempt to construct a system of locks on the Fox and Wisconsin Rivers in the 1850s that would make it possible for ships to navigate from the Fox through the Wisconsin to the Mississippi. This project eventually became a reality in the 1870s, but not before the railroad arrived in Green Bay, making the necessity of the water route less urgent. Martin lost nearly his entire investment in the project.

Deborah Beaumont Martin was the youngest child of Morgan and his wife Elizabeth. She was the head librarian of the Kellogg Public Library for 30 years. With her sister Sarah Greene Martin and Ella Hoes Neville, Deborah authored Historic Green Bay, one of the first written accounts of the settlement of the area formerly called "La Baye Verte" (The Green Bay).

Deborah Martin was a civic leader and an ardent preservationist. When she died in 1931 the entire community mourned.

Caption for photo at far lower left on marker: Morgan L. Martin

Caption for photo at near lower left on marker: Sarah and Deborah Martin at Hazelwood

Caption for photo at right on marker: Hazelwood Exterior

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Show me all markers in:  Green Bay, WI  |  Brown County  |  54301  |  Wisconsin  |  United States of America

Port of Green Bay's Economic Impact
Hazelwood
The Little House with a Big History
First Catholic Church In Green Bay
La Baye Burial Place
Bank Of Wisconsin
Elks Club
Milwaukee Road Passenger Depot
Milwaukee Road Depot
Vice Admiral James H. Flatley Jr.

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