Mike Marriott Celebrates 185 Year Ancestral History with Art Market in Owosso

Opportunity Arts in collaboration with the Owosso Historical Commission will present the Art Market at Comstock Cabin on Saturday, Sept. 11th from 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. on the grounds between Comstock Cabin & Curwood Castle in Owosso, MI. The days festivities will include art vendors selling everything from large canvases to wood carvings, to hand made earrings & jewelry. There will also be face painting available for kids, & the young at heart. Comstock Cabin & Curwood Castle will both be open with extended hours, and the Shiawassee Art Center which is next door will be open from 11 a.m. - 4 p.m. There will also be a real life blacksmith creating metalwork outside Comstock Cabin as well.

“This event is extra special to me,” said Mike Marriott, the owner of Opportunity Arts. “185 years ago this month, in September of 1836, my great great great grandparents, Richard & Mary Ann Freeman, came to Owosso from England.” According to Mary Ann Freeman’s 1879 Obituary, the Freeman’s spent their first night under the hospitable roof of Deacon Comstock at Comstock Cabin. “It’s one thing to say, hey my ancestors could have been here. It’s different when you are standing in Comstock Cabin, looking at the stone stove you KNOW your ancestors ate from 185 years ago,” continues Marriott. Because the Freemans were able to stay at Comstock Cabin when they got to Owosso, they were able to build their own homestead, and create a life & a legacy that allowed their great great great grandson to start his own small business & present an art market outside that cabin almost two centuries later.

Richard and Mary Ann Freeman

Knowing his family history, and the dates of their arrival in Michigan, Marriott had been wanting to do some sort of event involving Comstock Cabin in 2021. When the opportunity to partner with the Owosso Historical Commission presented itself, he jumped at the chance.

“We are so excited to be partnering with Opportunity Arts to present this market & the work of these talented artists to Owosso & surrounding community,” said Denice Grace, Head Docent for the Owosso Historical Commission. “This is a great chance to live up to our mission of Using the Power of History to Transform Lives, and present an art event in such a historically significant way.”