Meet the ‘real’ New Zebedee: Marshall, Mich.

Built in the 1870s for a wealthy merchant family in Marshall, the Cronin House inspired the spooky setting for John Bellairs’ children’s book “The House With a Clock in Its Walls.”   ( Lori Rackl/Chicago Tribune )

The Hemmingsen drugstore on Michigan Avenue may have been what John Bellairs had in mind when he described the spot that Lewis’ bus pulled up to, Heemsoth’s Rexall Drug Store in New Zebedee.   ( Lori Rackl/Chicago Tribune )

Brooks Memorial Fountain was dedicated in 1930, when roughly 7,000 people reportedly turned up to watch the multicolored lights illuminate the night sky. Lewis Barnavelt describes the colorful fountain in John Bellairs’ children’s book “The House With a Clock in Its Walls.”   ( Lori Rackl/Chicago Tribune )

Cronin House owner Jeff Hamilton stands on the roof of his historic home, where Lewis and Uncle Jonathan live in “The House With a Clock in Its Walls.” The book suggests that could be the Hanchett house down below.   ( Lori Rackl/Chicago Tribune )

The Cronin House was in bad shape when Jeff Hamilton bought it in 2016. He’s since restored parts of the mansion to their original glory, like this dining room and parlor.   ( Lori Rackl/Chicago Tribune )

The library in the Italianate mansion known as the Cronin House.   ( Lori Rackl/Chicago Tribune )

John Bellairs’ old bike is part of a small exhibit about the author in the Marshall Historical Museum at the GAR Hall.   ( Lori Rackl/Chicago Tribune )

The National House Inn in Marshall is said to be the oldest operating hotel in Michigan. It’s also thought to have been a stop on the Underground Railroad. Many of the citizens of Marshall were ardent abolitionists.   ( Lori Rackl/Chicago Tribune )

One of Marhsall’s sites is the American Museum of Magic, home to the country’s largest collection of magic artifacts open to the public.   ( Lori Rackl/Chicago Tribune )

Shops and restaurants along Marshall’s main drag have signs welcoming people to the fictional town of New Zebedee, which author John Bellairs based on his hometown of Marshall, Mich.   ( Lori Rackl/Chicago Tribune )

An estimated 4,000 mugs hang from the walls and ceiling of Dark Horse Brewing in Marshall. They belong to members of the popular brewery’s mug club.   ( Lori Rackl/Chicago Tribune )