2026Sara Marshall
Writer, Weaver, Arts Administrator
Silver Lake (Pop: 875) and Greenwood (Pop: 63,830), Indiana
I spent my two weeks at Sawbill researching the storied life of my third-great-grandfather, Harrison "Tip" Miller, former head of the Point Betsie Life-Saving Station. When Tip was 7, his widowed mother became one of three wives of a Mormon Bishop. At age 11, the large family moved to Beaver Island, Michigan, where the self-proclaimed Mormon King James Strang ruled—until, when Tip was 17, Strang was shot by his own followers. The Mormons were subsequently run off the island by Irish immigrants, who allowed Tip and his sister to remain because Tip once saved two Irishmen from being stranded at sea. At age 20, Tip married Bridget Harkins, an immigrant from Donegal, whose family had fled Ireland after the Great Hunger. And this was all *before* Tip began his 45-year career in lighthouse keeping and lifesaving. Someday, I'll write a book about Tip, Bridget, and their children.
Benzie County is my favorite place on Earth. I was so grateful to visit in February and be given the time and space to live like a local while exploring how my bloodline is connected to this beautiful part of the country. I visited the Benzie County Historical Society and the Elberta Heritage Center. I spent hours at cafes in Frankfort and Beulah, reading nearly a dozen books. I bought even more books at the Frankfort bookstore. And I spent as much time as I could muster braving the blistering cold to visit the Frankfort Lighthouse and Point Betsie Lighthouse.
Sara Marshall (she/they) is a place-based storyteller, creative problem-solver, and ad hoc historian currently living in the Indianapolis area. Sara works for Department of Public Transformation, a nonprofit organization that develops creative strategies for increased community connection, civic engagement, and equitable participation in rural places.
She holds an MA in Arts Administration from Indiana University Bloomington and a BA in Professional Writing from the University of Indianapolis. Her creative writing has appeared in various literary magazines, and her first book, Creating the Crossroads: 100 Years of Civil Construction in Indiana, was published through the Indiana Historical Society Press in 2024.
www.saramarshallwrites.com
Writer, Weaver, Arts Administrator
Silver Lake (Pop: 875) and Greenwood (Pop: 63,830), IndianaI spent my two weeks at Sawbill researching the storied life of my third-great-grandfather, Harrison "Tip" Miller, former head of the Point Betsie Life-Saving Station. When Tip was 7, his widowed mother became one of three wives of a Mormon Bishop. At age 11, the large family moved to Beaver Island, Michigan, where the self-proclaimed Mormon King James Strang ruled—until, when Tip was 17, Strang was shot by his own followers. The Mormons were subsequently run off the island by Irish immigrants, who allowed Tip and his sister to remain because Tip once saved two Irishmen from being stranded at sea. At age 20, Tip married Bridget Harkins, an immigrant from Donegal, whose family had fled Ireland after the Great Hunger. And this was all *before* Tip began his 45-year career in lighthouse keeping and lifesaving. Someday, I'll write a book about Tip, Bridget, and their children.
Benzie County is my favorite place on Earth. I was so grateful to visit in February and be given the time and space to live like a local while exploring how my bloodline is connected to this beautiful part of the country. I visited the Benzie County Historical Society and the Elberta Heritage Center. I spent hours at cafes in Frankfort and Beulah, reading nearly a dozen books. I bought even more books at the Frankfort bookstore. And I spent as much time as I could muster braving the blistering cold to visit the Frankfort Lighthouse and Point Betsie Lighthouse.
Sara Marshall (she/they) is a place-based storyteller, creative problem-solver, and ad hoc historian currently living in the Indianapolis area. Sara works for Department of Public Transformation, a nonprofit organization that develops creative strategies for increased community connection, civic engagement, and equitable participation in rural places.
She holds an MA in Arts Administration from Indiana University Bloomington and a BA in Professional Writing from the University of Indianapolis. Her creative writing has appeared in various literary magazines, and her first book, Creating the Crossroads: 100 Years of Civil Construction in Indiana, was published through the Indiana Historical Society Press in 2024.
www.saramarshallwrites.com