Wirt Cornwell (? - ?), of the paper mill Cornwells, and his wife Mary Cornwell (? - ?) are the namesakes of the "Wirt and Mary Cornwell Prize in Pure Science", awarded each year by the University of Michigan's LS&A College. That prize, recognizing intellectual curiosity and creativity, was established in their honor by their daughters Alice and Irene.

Wirt and Mary constructed the Queen Anne-style house at 1009 Cornwell Place, a street platted by Wirt's father Harvey, in the early 1880s, living there for nearly 40 years.

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