Michigan, Ottawa County, Macatawa
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(Side 1) Holland Harbor
When seeking a location for his Netherlands emigrant followers in 1847, the Reverend A.C. Van Raalte was attracted by the potential of using Black Lake (Lake Macatawa) as a harbor. However, the lake's outlet to Lake Michigan was blocked by sandbars and silt. Van Raalte appealed to Congress for help. The channel was surveyed in 1849, but was not successfully opened due to inadequate appropriations. Frustrated, the Dutch settlers dug the channel themselves. On July 1, 1859, the small steamboat Huron put into port. Here, in 1866, the government established the harbor's first lifesaving station. By 1899 the channel had been relocated and harbor work completed. This spurred business and resort expansion. In 1900 over 1,095 schooners, steamers and barges used the harbor.
(Side 2)
Holland Harbor Lighthouse
The first lighthouse built at this location was a small, square wooden structure erected in 1872. In 1880 the lighthouse service installed a new light atop a metal pole in a protective cage. The oil lantern was lowered by pulleys for service. At the turn of the century a steel tower was built for the light, and in 1907 the present structure was erected. Named the Holland Harbor South Pierhead Lighthouse, it has a gabled roof that reflects the Dutch influence in the area. The lighthouse, popularly referred to as "Big Red," was automated in 1932. When the U.S. Coast Guard recommended that it be abandoned in 1970, citizens circulated petitions to rescue it. The Holland Harbor Lighthouse Historical Commission was then organized to preserve and restore the landmark.
(Waterways & Vessels) Includes location, directions, 3 photos, GPS coordinates, map.
(Side 1) Holland Harbor
When seeking a location for his Netherlands emigrant followers in 1847, the Reverend A.C. Van Raalte was attracted by the potential of using Black Lake (Lake Macatawa) as a harbor. However, the lake's outlet to Lake Michigan was blocked by sandbars and silt. Van Raalte appealed to Congress for help. The channel was surveyed in 1849, but was not successfully opened due to inadequate appropriations. Frustrated, the Dutch settlers dug the channel themselves. On July 1, 1859, the small steamboat Huron put into port. Here, in 1866, the government established the harbor's first lifesaving station. By 1899 the channel had been relocated and harbor work completed. This spurred business and resort expansion. In 1900 over 1,095 schooners, steamers and barges used the harbor.
(Side 2)
Holland Harbor Lighthouse
The first lighthouse built at this location was a small, square wooden structure erected in 1872. In 1880 the lighthouse service installed a new light atop a metal pole in a protective cage. The oil lantern was lowered by pulleys for service. At the turn of the century a steel tower was built for the light, and in 1907 the present structure was erected. Named the Holland Harbor South Pierhead Lighthouse, it has a gabled roof that reflects the Dutch influence in the area. The lighthouse, popularly referred to as "Big Red," was automated in 1932. When the U.S. Coast Guard recommended that it be abandoned in 1970, citizens circulated petitions to rescue it. The Holland Harbor Lighthouse Historical Commission was then organized to preserve and restore the landmark.
(Waterways & Vessels) Includes location, directions, 3 photos, GPS coordinates, map.
By 1900 Dayton’s West Side was a thriving neighborhood of working-class homes and small businesses. Some residents commuted to downtown Dayton by streetcar. Others, like Wilbur and Orville Wright, lived and worked in this community.
Baptist. Founded 1895 for blacks, coeducational. W.S. Etheridge, principal after 1901. Later public school. Was 100 yds. W.
Honoring All Those Who Served
In 1931 Emmett Breen built Red Crown Tavern and Tourist Cabins west of here.
In memory of all those in the military who gave their lives for our freedom.
Donated By Frank and Jan Wommack
Dedicated to the men and women who have served our country and given their lives for our freedom.
Donated in honor of American Korean War veterans
Six days a week from 1917 to 1948 Orville Wright chose to come to work here in what he called the Wright Aeronautical Laboratory. Images taken by National Cash Register Company photographers soon after his death give a glimpse of the spare, orderly, and private world where Orville Wright spent the last three decades of his life.
The Wright brothers were the first experimenters to understand that a propeller for a flying machine had to work differently from a ship’s screws. The first Wright Flyer used 8-foot-long wooden propellers that the brothers hand-carved from spruce.
“For 30 years Orville Wright’s place of business was the plain brick building (here) on North Broadway. Visiting reporters found it quite ordinary. There was a reception area for Miss Beck (his secretary); an inner office with Orville’s desk, files, and drawing table; and a large work area that ran across the back…with the exception of a large wind tunnel…there was little to distinguish it from any other well-equipped machine shop.
If you walk past these trees, you can visit the cradle of aviation—84 acres of ordinary pasture where Wilbur and Orville Wright taught themselves to fly.
Called “King of the Delawares,” he upheld the dignity of Native Americans and strove to protect their right to land in Pennsylvania. Baptized by the Moravians, he established the Wyoming Valley's last Delaware & Mahican settlement near this site in 1754. A buffer between the Iroquois and Connecticut settlers, he represented his people in conferences at Easton, 1756-1762. He died when his cabin burned down here, April 19, 1763.
In honor of the American Gold Star Mothers for their Sacrifice, Service, and Patriotism 
