LANSING, Mich. — James Turner not only dedicated his life to improving the capitol city of Michigan, but also, to the betterment of government, education and overall human rights.

Turner, a young entrepreneur, married Marion Munro, a young schoolteacher, on Oct. 1, 1843. The two moved to what is now Lansing and immediately made it their mission to help the city grow. James’ brother helped construct their home, located at 100 E. North St. This home is known as the historic Turner-Dodge House. Turner’s first business in the town was a mercantile store. He also dabbled in real estate and helped establish a foundry in North Lansing that sold agricultural implements and hot air furnaces.

In 1855, he and several partners got the contract for construction of the plank road from Lansing to Howell. Against many obstacles, Turner ensured the project was completed. In 1864, he initiated a rail line from Jackson. He served as treasurer and land commissioner for Jackson, Lansing and the Saginaw Railroad until his death in 1869.

During his lifetime, Turner also served as Deputy State Treasurer, the superintendent of the Sabbath School for the Methodist Episcopal Church and was elected to the Lansing Board of Education.

His wife, Marion, did not sit idly by watching her husband’s success. She was very successful in her own right. She was a strong advocate for the higher education of women.

She helped to found the Michigan Female College (later the Michigan School for the Blind).

The Turners also supported Abolition and their house was part of the Underground Railroad helping slaves escape to Canada through Port Huron.

Tuner was one of the first men to include his wife on legal documents, allowing her the privilege to vote as a land owner.

The Turners had 10 children. Their daughter, Abby Turner, married a prominent Lansing lawyer, Frank Dodge, and the couple bought the Turner home from Abby’s mother and enlarged it, thus giving it the name the Turner-Dodge home.

The Dodges spent the next three years renovating the home. They added a third floor and made the house flow with the stylish open concept of the time.

The family lived in the house for more than a century. It was sold to the Great Lakes Bible College and was used as its campus for 12 years. In 1974, the house was purchased by the city of Lansing and operated by the Lansing Parks and Recreation Department.

When the city was faced with the plight of dwindling money, it had no choice but to cut funding for departments like parks & recreation. In the past few years, the city has been forced to cut more than 150 jobs in this department alone. This left the once lavish gardens of the Turner-Dodge House at risk of being neglected.

That’s when Gloria Van Dusen channeled well-founded inspiration from James Turner and came up with a solution. Van Dusen used to own an antique shop in the Lansing area; now she does consulting for antique shops.

She received a call from a friend asking for help on ways to disperse their collection of more than 200 items. A few days later, she received another call from a friend who had more than 500 paintings sitting in storage, and asking if she had any ideas of how to go about getting rid of the items.

That’s when she had a great epiphany: The Turner-Dodge House would hold a combined estate auction and raise money for the house.

Not only will attendees have the opportunity to acquire some fine pieces of art and antiques, they will also have the opportunity to view the restored mansion. Refreshments will be provided.

“It’s a unique sale, in a historic home. Just a trip to the house is a great event,” said Van Dusen.

The auction will take place Sunday, Oct. 2, from noon to 6 p.m. The sale is to include a large collection of art dating from the 18th-20th centuries. Also included are: prints, oil paintings, drawings, lithographs, jewelry, silver, glass, pottery, Oriental rugs, books and furniture. Organizers had to stop accepting items because of space constraints.

The money raised will help maintain the grounds, repair furniture and help with overall general maintenance needs. The house is located at 100 East North St., just north of Old Town Lansing.

Tours are available throughout the year; contact the Turner-Dodge House for more information.

For additional details, call 517-483-4220 or visit www.parks.cityoflansingmi.com/tdodge