Editing Berrien Springs, Michigan (section)

==History==

Berrien Springs, like Berrien County, is named for [[John M. Berrien]]. "Springs" was added after mineral [[Spring (hydrosphere)|springs]] were discovered in the area.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://bcgensoc.com/facts.php?sid=3 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180313101635/https://bcgensoc.com/facts.php?sid=3 | url-status=dead | archive-date=March 13, 2018 | title=Origins – Old Place Names | publisher=Berrien County Genealogical Society | access-date=March 13, 2018}}</ref>

The village is the site of the earliest European-American settlement in Oronoko Township. It was first known as "Wolf's Prairie" in reference to the 1,000-acre [[prairie]] in which it was situated. The site had been a village under the leadership of a [[Potawatomi people|Potawatomi]] chief named Wolf.{{sfn|Romig|1986|page=58}}

The first permanent settlers (according to European-American terms), John Pike and his family, did not arrive until 1829.<ref name=coolidge>Coolidge, Orville W. (1906). [https://archive.org/details/twentiethcentury00cool/page/198 ''A Twentieth Century History of Berrien County, Michigan''], pp. 198–99. The Lewis Publishing Company.</ref>

[[Francis B. Murdoch]] was a co-founder of the village and the first lawyer in the county. (His surname was spelled as 'Murdock' in some records.)<ref name="Murdock"/><ref name="Berrien"/> In 1831 he built a two-story log house, which is the oldest surviving example of its kind in Michigan. In 1973 this house was moved near courthouse square, to be part of that historic complex.<ref name="Murdock">{{Cite book |last=Hyde |first=Charles K. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7WRRAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA277 |title=The Lower Peninsula of Michigan: An Inventory of Historic Engineering and Industrial Sites |date=1976 |publisher=Department of the Interior, National Park Service, Office of Archeology and Historic Preservation, Historic American Engineering Record |pages=277}}</ref>

Murdoch was known in the [[Antebellum South|Antebellum]]  period for representing  enslaved African Americans in [[freedom suits]], in which they tried to gain freedom. Michigan was established as a free territory and later state. It went by the principle of "once free, always free". If slaveholders brought enslaved people to the state, the latter were judged to be free.<ref name="Berrien">{{Cite web |title=Murdock Log Cabin |url=http://berrienhistory.org/murdock-log-cabin/ |access-date=February 1, 2022 |website=Berrien County Historical Association |language=en-US}}</ref>

The village of Berrien was [[plat]]ted in 1831.<ref name=coolidge/> The Berrien Springs post office opened with the name "Berrien" on December 4, 1832; this was changed to Berrien Springs on April 18, 1836.<ref>{{gnis|2377599|Berrien Springs Post Office}}</ref>

Berrien Springs served as the [[county seat]] from 1837 until 1894, when [[St. Joseph, Michigan|St. Joseph]] was designated as the county seat.<ref>[http://www.berriencounty.org/econdev/pdfs/berrien_springs_village.pdf Community Profile, Village of Berrien Springs] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080820182716/http://www.berriencounty.org/econdev/pdfs/berrien_springs_village.pdf |date=August 20, 2008 }} – [[Berrien County, Michigan|Berrien County]] official site</ref>

===1839 courthouse===
{{main|Berrien Springs Courthouse}}

Berrien Springs courthouse, designed by local architect Gilbert B. Avery, was completed in 1839, making it the oldest courthouse in the state. The [[Greek Revival architecture|Greek Revival]]-style courthouse emulated the architecture of ancient Greece with its large columns, triangular [[pediment]] and white paint. After the county seat was moved in 1894, the building was put to various uses and briefly was vacant. In 1967, efforts to preserve and restore the courthouse were started. Such restoration was completed by 1975.<ref>Fedynsky, John (2010). [https://books.google.com/books?id=ogrel7yYnvQC&pg=PA24 ''Michigan's County Courthouses''], pp. 24–25. The University of Michigan Press.</ref>

The restored courthouse square also features the Midwest's most complete surviving mid-nineteenth century county government complex. Today the square houses a county museum and archives. The courthouse serves as headquarters for the Berrien County Historical Association. Its original buildings are listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]]. The property is dedicated to the preservation of Berrien County's history and does this through permanent and temporary exhibits, programs, events, and community outreach.

===Christmas pickle capital of the world===
Berrien Springs was once known as the [[Christmas pickle]] capital of the world. A festival was established by the Berrien Springs-[[Eau Claire, Michigan|Eau Claire]] Chamber of Commerce, the [[Berrien County Historical Association]] (BCHA), and the village. They featured parades, games, activities, and a Pickle Prince and Princess contest. The event ran until the mid-2000s.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Correspondent|first=KATE COLE / H.-P.|title=Annual pickle festival in Berrien Springs a tribute to heritage|url=https://www.heraldpalladium.com/annual-pickle-festival-in-berrien-springs-a-tribute-to-heritage/article_042238f4-c34a-5e8b-860a-19aa8fefd880.html|access-date=February 6, 2022|website=The Herald Palladium|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|date=November 16, 2020|title=The History of the Christmas Pickle, a Zany Holiday Tradition|language=en-US|work=Good Housekeeping|url=https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/holidays/christmas-ideas/a34646119/christmas-pickle-ornament-tradition/|access-date=February 6, 2022}}</ref> In 2021, the Pickle Festival was revived by the Village, the BCHA, and the Berrien Springs Community Library.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Pickle Festival Coming Back To Berrien Springs {{!}} News/Talk/Sports 94.9 WSJM|url=https://www.wsjm.com/2021/06/07/pickle-festival-coming-back-to-berrien-springs/|access-date=February 6, 2022|website=www.wsjm.com|language=en-US}}</ref>