Those of you who have been eyeing the giant letters that spell out the name of Mercy Hospital in Benton Harbor hoping that you might get the chance to put an initial or two in your bedroom or on the side of your barn are out of luck. For that matter, even if you were hopeful of capturing a bit of history for the lobby of your place of business, you're likely out of luck as well. The large metal Mercy logo letters will be safely preserved by operators of the Morton House Museum of Benton Harbor.
Berrien County Treasurer Bret Witkowski hammered out an agreement with the team at the Morton House to accept caretaker status for the iconic letters. He says that the Morton House and its predecessor, The Benton Harbor/St. Joseph Federation of Women Club have preserved Benton Harbor history dating back to 1919, and he elected to assure that the Mercy name would be preserved once the letters are removed from the building which is in the early stages of demolition proceedings. The Morton House team has also accepted responsibility for whatever cornerstones might be discovered and recovered during the demolition process.
A number of people with ties to the building either as their birthplace or a former workplace have been jockeying for either the letters themselves or salvageable bricks as memorials to the past history of what was once a vital building teeming with people in the community.
Morton House caretakers will arrange for the potential of bricks to be sold at a later date, at prices yet to be determined as well. The Morton House folks have agreed to keep the public updated through postings on their Facebook page in the coming weeks and months as the massive building prepares to meet the wrecking ball.
To keep tabs on the potential sale of bricks by the Morton House, click the link below:
