A PUBLICATION OF THE SAUGATUCK­DOUGLAS HISTORY CENTER

PO BOX 617 | DOUGLAS, MICHIGAN | 49406­0617269.857.5751 | www.sdhistoricalsociety.org

NOVEMBER 2016

Mark that new 2017 calendar! Plan to join HistoryCenter members and friends for a special evening to

celebrate the 150th Anniversary of the landmark DouglasOld School House!

~September 23, 2017~.

Reserve Your SpaceToday for the annual

Holiday Party! Thursday, December 15, 6:00­9:00 PM

Saugatuck Yacht Club, 15 Park Street, Saugatuck

Tickets: $20/person Reservations Required by December 5

Our annual holiday party is agreat opportunity to catch upwith fellow members andfriends, enjoy tasty bites andbeverages, and celebrateanother successful year ofbringing history alive here. You can easily make yourreservation and purchase yourtickets online with a majorcredit card by visitinghttp://sdhistoricalsociety.org/current/reservations/index.php,or click HERE for a printablereservation form which canbe mailed to the office.

Musical entertainment will be provided by the BlueCoast Trio with a special appearance by SteveMottram. RSVP's are required and are due no laterthan December 5. See you there!

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Old School House Storeopen for Small Business

SaturdayLooking for the perfect gift for the historian orSaugatuck­Douglas enthusiast in your life? Youdon't have to look far! SDHC books, posters, hats,koozies, shirts and more will be for sale thisSaturday, November 26, between 10AM and 3PMin the Old School House in downtown Douglas. It's a great chance to score that perfect item forsomeone special to you, and support a smallbusiess that adds value to our community!

If you can't get to Douglas on Saturday, you canstill visit our online bookstore to purchase any ofour beautiful publications. Items ship USPS andcan typically be processed on the next businessday. Shipping charges are included in the onlineprice! Visit the online bookstore here: http://sdhistoricalsociety.org/publications/books.php

Bylaws Ballot coming toyou soon

Bylaws are a set of rules that provide a frameworkfor the operation of an organization. Our Bylawswere last amended in 2008. Since then there havebeen changes in the state law as well as bestpractices governing non­profits, for example, in theuse of electronic transmission for voting and

History Center acceptsCharles Lorenz archives

The History Center recently received a large (15 box)collection of archival materials belonging to the lateCharles J. Lorenz. Charles was a dedicated historianwho was a key force in the establishment of theSaugatuck­Douglas Historical Society in 1986. Heserved in a number of board positions before hisuntimely death in 1994.

Charles LorenzCharles was born in Chicago, IL in 1941. His earlyintroduction to the Saugatuck area occurred as acamper at Camp Gray on Lake Michigan. The soundof the waves and the foghorn blowing at night weretwo impressions he remembered from those days.Saugatuck would draw him back on many vacationsafterwards. He returned again in 1966 and '67 tocounsel at the same camp he attended as a youth.After his marriage to Helen Christine Hase in June1969 he spent his honeymoon in Saugatuck.

After moving to this area, Charles did extensiveresearch into early local Native Americans, whowere living in western Michigan in the early 1800salong with their Congregational missionary minister,Rev. George N. Smith. Charles tediously transcribedthe Rev. Smith's daily diary and papers. He ended upbuying Rev. Smith's house, called the "Old WingMission," built in 1846 ­ the oldest house in Holland.Much of his research went into the book Old WingMission: The Chronicles of the Reverend George N.and Arvilla Powers Smith, Missionary Teachers ofChief Waukazoo's Ottawa Indian Band in WesternMichigan 1838­1849. The book, edited by RobertSwierenga and William Van Appledorn, continued thework after Charles death. The dedication reads 'forCharles J. Lorenz, whose labor of love made this

participating in meetings. In other instances, theBylaws did not address certain situations, whichcould lead to confusion. Accordingly the Board hasapproved a number of amendments to the Bylaws,which were drafted by a licensed attorney memberof the Board, the President, and the ExecutiveDirector.

You will soon receive a ballot asking you to vote toapprove or disapprove the amendments to theBylaws. A copy of the proposed amended Bylawscan be reviewed at this link:http://sdhistoricalsociety.org/Newsletter/2016/nov16/2016_SDHS_By­laws_Amended.pdf. A hard copywill also be available for inspection at the office inthe Old School House, or you can call the ExecutiveDirector to ask that a copy be mailed to you. Pleasereturn your ballot at your earliest convenience, butno later than December 23, 2016.

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Welcome New Members!We would like to welcome the following memberswho have joined the Saugatuck­Douglas HistoryCenter since the last newsletter!

Cornelius Darcy ­ Flint, MIJulianne Fletcher ­ Saugatuck, MIWilma Schock ­ Saugatuck, MIMike and Michelle Shaw, Fennville, MI

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What You MissedNovember's Monthly Meeting program was a fieldtrip of sorts ­ just up a flight of stairs to the OldSchool House Art Gallery, where art collectionmanager Ken Kutzel discussed the newly­hung artexhibits presented in the space. The interestedcrowd learned about the details of works by Wilfred"Wally" Berg, and the assembly of art andphotographs to create the new thematic Chain FerryExhibit. The audience was also treated to adiscussion and photographs of the recently re­discovered series of Carl Hoerman murals paintedduring the Great Depression in the former highschool in Paw Paw, Michigan (west of Kalamazoo).

book possible.' There is a nice summary of this bookavailable on line athttp://www.swierenga.com/OldWingMissionFrontMatter.html.

Charles also self­published a small book on thehistory of Saugatuck titled The Early History ofSaugatuck and Singapore, Michigan, 1830­1840Newark Township. The collection of archivalmaterials we received includes much of his researchfor this book and other related Saugatuck historytopics including many photographs and local shiphistories.

The Charles J. Lorenz Award of Achievement wasestablished in 1997 by the Saugatuck­DouglasHistorical Society board of directors as a way tohonor the memory of Charles, who so graciously gaveof his time, talent, money and energy in the formationand development of this organization. The award isgiven yearly, for distinguished service towardfulfilling the mission of the Society by "providingleadership in enabling the community to understandits past, and use its history to shape its future andpreserve its quality of life."

We thank the family of Charles Lorenz for this mostvaluable research material donation!

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SMILE, and support theHistory Center with

Amazon!

Support the Saugatuck­Douglas History Centerwhen you shop on Black Friday, Cyber Monday oranytime throughout the year. Simply log in to yourAmazon account at smile.amazon.com/ch/38­3010564 and Amazon donates a portion of yourpurchase price to SDHC!

2016 Cemetery Daffodils­ Part One

By Chris Yoder

On Nov. 6, six volunteers meet in RiversideCemetery to plant the annual batch of daffodil bulbsat the graves of local "orphans" (people withoutdescendants or whose family has moved away).

Ken Kutzel describes the newly­curated exhibits in theOld School House Art Gallery. (click for full size)

Thank you to Ken and all of our MonthlyMeeting/Tuesday Talk presenters in 2016! And athank you of equal volume to the sponsors of thesewonderful programs! December's "meeting" withbe the annual Holiday Party on December 15. Wealways take the month of January off but theMonthly Meeting series will resume with a Februaryprogram ­ watch e­News for the most currentinformation!

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Director's CornerYour Board of Directors and I have been busy thesepast several months taking care of severaladministrative items which will well­place theorganization for future growth. As has beenreported in this and the previous newsletter, we'vebeen updating our basic governance documents(Bylaws and Articles of Incorporation) to reflectcurrent best practices in the non­profit sector. Theymay not be the stuff of legend but they conform tochanges in Michigan law and define how weaccomplish our mission.

Speaking of our mission, following up on arecommendation in the Strategic Plan completedearlier this year, the board approved a new missionstatement for the organization: The Saugatuck­Douglas History Center preserves local history andinspires learning to inform and improve ourcommunity. Succinct and to the point, the newstatement defines what we strive to achieve throughour efforts, and acknowledges our goal to turnoutward and better share this history with ourcommunity.

Perhaps the largest outward change was a boardvote earlier this fall to rename the organization TheSaugatuck­Douglas History Center. We are nolonger a just a group of history enthusiasts meetingaround town to discuss history ­ we operate andmaintain two landmark historic sites, offer

Many thanks to workers Jackie Ladwein, Brent andDoreen Tubergen, Joy Muehlenbeck, CharlesHancock and Chris Yoder. This year, no bulbs wereplanted at Douglas due to the limited number of bulbscontributed.

In the September newsletter there was an articleabout Frank Hayden (1858­10/10/1882) and hisunusual tree shaped gravestone. Frank received bulbsthis year.

John Brown (with the Brown family marker below) There are tree shaped stones elsewhere at Riverside,and we also selected these sites for planting. Themost prominent of these is the family plot of John andIda (Deming) Brown, where there is not only a largeBrown family tree marker, but smaller stumps forboth Mr. and Mrs. Brown and for the corner markersof the 6­grave family plot. John B. Brown (1859­1900) was born in Schoolcraft, Michigan and lived inSaugatuck almost 20 years prior to his death. He "hada friend in every individual in this community, andwas loved by all for his simple, unassuming way andhis jovial good fellowship". His death certificatelisted his occupation as "teamster", and said hisfather's name was "Barney". John's wife Ida (1863­1920) was the daughter of Amos and Margaret(Denee) Deming who came to Saugatuck in April1871, engaging in farming, mill work, and for manyyears drove the stage between Saugatuck and NewRichmond, "never missing a trip regardless ofweather". The Browns left no children.

programming and learning opportunities, and are therepository for an extensive collection of pieces ofSaugatuck­Douglas' collective past. The new namebetter reflects that. You will begin to see theHistory Center name on our logos, communications,and facilities as SDHS becomes SDHC.

I hope to see you all at the annual Holiday Party onDecember 15!

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The Bill SimmonsScrapbook

By Jack Sheridan

In the second year of the History by Camera feature­ the BILL SIMMONS SCRAPBOOK ­ the formathas been changed to fewer photos and morehistorical commentary and analysis.

Bill was a semi­professional photographer,originally from Chicago, who moved to Saugatuckabout 1940. He had a couple of stints as the editorof The Commercial­Record. Over the next twenty­two years he took numerous black and white photos.

He died in 1962 and these photos went unnoticeduntil 1998 when some 3,000 negatives were given tothe SDHS. What a wonderful record of the middleof the twentieth century!

The photos this month record the launching of thefirst Island Queen on June 5, 1954. The Queen wasbuilt by Dick Hoffman for use as a KalamazooRiver excursion boat. Dick was an exceptionallytalented local business man who operated an

Minnie

Abigail Abbey White marker (click each for full size) Another tree shape marker is overthe grave of Abigail Abbey White (1848­1912). Bornin Ireland, she came to Saugatuck as a child with herparents, Pierce and Abigail (Astle) Abbey. In 1865she married Civil War veteran David White. Theyhad only one child, baby Abigail who died at 11months of age. David was promoted five times,leaving the service as a 2nd Lieutenant. He died atthe Soldiers Home in Grand Rapids in 1911, and shedied there the following year.

At the request of theSaugatuck Woman'sClub, we alsotargeted the gravesof MinnieBreuckman and herfamily. Minnie wasthe individual whobequeathed herfamily residence tobe the meeting placefor the club, and it remains such today (see article inlast month's e­News). Minnie Breuckman (1869­1934)was born in the family home and never married. Alsoin the family plot are: Minnie's grandfather, StephenBeffel (1771­1859), an immigrant from Germany; hermother Mary Beffel Breuckman (1831 Prussia­1914);her brother William Breuckman (1857­1868), whowas killed in an accident at the shingle mill; and her

amusement park ­ Anchor Park ­ located whereWicks Park is today. The vessel operated out of thatlocation and made trips both up and down the river.

Actually the first Island Queen [seen below]operated for only one season, the summer of 1954,and was then sold to a Texas business man who sawthe boat and made Hoffman an offer he could notrefuse. Dick then built the second Island Queenwhich was very similar but of a slightly improveddesign. The Island Queen II had a profitable historyof about thirty years.

Both Queens were built by Dick at a site away fromthe river bank and then moved by truck to the launchsite, which was the ferry landing on the west side ofthe river.

The launching of the first Island Queen was bigdeal! In the large crowd were all sorts of local bigwigs, a minister, and even a state senator.

She was christened with a bottle of champagne. Thelaunch cradle was greased with fifty pounds oftallow and with the help of the Peel fishing tug sheslid into the mighty Kalamazoo.

Photos by Bill Simmons tell the story!

This column is one of the SDHC PR tools used topromote the upcoming 2017 "Cold War|Hot Towns"exhibit.

Click on the image above to see the high­definition

Susie

sister Susie BreuckmanArnold (1854­1932) andher husband George(1846­1921). GeorgeArnold, a prominentbusinessman, was thebrother­in­law ofSenator F. B.Stockbridge and servedas postmaster of bothSaugatuck andMackinac Island. He

established the Arnold Transit Company in 1878,which for twelve years after his death was managedby his widow Susan. The company still carriesvisitors to the island today, 138 years after itsfounding. The Arnolds left no children.

­continued next month__________

By Jack Sheridan

Did you know that researching your family history isone of the ways people experience their mostpersonal connection to the past? Who are myancestors? Where did they come from? What didthey do?

The SDHC Family History Group can help you inyour quest, whether you are new to family historyresearch or just want to learn more about sources andrecords. Got questions on how to get going? That iswhat we are for! Call or email us or take note ofthese upcoming regular meetings of the SDHCFamily History Group: Thursday December 1Thursday December 15Thursday January 5

These upcoming meetings are in the Old SchoolHouse (use the back door) and begin at 3:30pm. Notethat your family history does not have to have anyconnection to the Saugatuck­Douglas area! If youcan't attend a meeting, we can still provideassistance. The only requirement to participate is amembership in the SDHC.

Questions/comments/advice/needs ­ contact Jack Sheridan:

photos and newspaper article text!

I appreciate your feedback on my captions, and theselection of these images. Please point out my goodchoices and my goofs by sending an email tojack.sheridan@gmail.com. I'd love to hear somefeedback on my choices ­ how about somediscussion? Subject suggestions encouraged!

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Garden Happenings"Winter is an etching, spring a watercolor, summeran oil painting, and autumn a mosaic of them all."

~Stanley Horowitz

What an amazing and colorful Autumn we had!Now it's time to clean up! John and Lee will be hardat work to wrap up at the Old School House groundsand Mike will take care of the Museum. Thanksguys! Once the leaves are picked up, our gardencommittee will take a month off and enjoy theHoliday Season. Kudos to Lee, Nathan and Ruth forinstalling over 400 daffodil bulbs purchased for ourDaffodil Trail. Thank you to those donors who"bought a bag" of bulbs to support this project! Itwill be a spectacular show next spring.

Our Root Camp committee is taking a little R andR before we start planning for next year. Pleaseremember, we would like to focus on our NativeAmericans for next year's camp.... their dance, art,music, construction methods etc.. So, if anyone hasany possible connections, please contact RuthJohnson @ ruthannj@frontier.com.

We wish all of you, a safe and Happy Thanksgiving.Enjoy and cherish the time with your family andfriends.

Until next month,

­The Landscape and Root Camp Committees________

Barrel Fortification

269 857­7144jack.sheridan@gmail.com Chris Yoder:269 857­4327cyoder@tds.net

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It's the Holiday Season!

There's still time to shop SDHC merchandise andpublications before the holidays arrive! If you havean interest in history, architecture, local genealogy orcooking, we have you covered. Or consider buying acopy of the WGVU DVD Michigan HometownStories: Saugatuck/Douglas to remind a friend (oryourself) about how wonderful our area is, evenduring the long winter months. Items ship USPS andshipping is included in the online price!

Visit the SDHS online bookstore:http://sdhistoricalsociety.org/publications/books.php

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This Barrel shines in late October. (Click image for full­size)

TNT Roofing finished the roof with a copper dripedge (shown). Next, a metal facia will be appliedover the wooden one. Andy Krino is working onthe windows; Al Weener the door. Spotlights similarto those which once protruded from the top toilluminate the exterior are next on the list, forspring. Two stainless cables will eventuallyencircle the staves.

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Communications SurveyImminent

SDHC communicates with its members and thegeneral public in a variety of ways: this newsletter,our website, e­blasts, Facebook, our mobile app, andpress releases via local newspapers. We areconsidering changes to the website, newsletter, andother methods we currently use, but we want yourinput. The short survey will arrive via the samemethod as you receive newsletter ­ either by emailor postal mail ­ and should take less than 10 minutesof your time. Thanks in advance for your thoughtsand consideration!

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Postman Says...The USPS has recently begun returning mail to senders who do not use the properDouglas Post Office box addresses. When sending something to us, be sure to useour proper mailing (not street) address:

Saugatuck­Douglas History CenterPO Box 617, Douglas, MI 49406­0617

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ABOUT THE SAUGATUCK­DOUGLAS HISTORY CENTERThe Saugatuck­Douglas Historical Society was founded in 1986 by a group of charter members interested inpreserving and sharing the unique history of Saugatuck, Douglas and the surrounding area. In 2016, theSociety was renamed the Saugatuck­Douglas History Center to celebrate its growth and to recognize thedevelopment of the History Museum and Old School House sites. We are a vibrant organization with nearly700 members residing in nearby communities, around Lake Michigan, and across the country.

Members are the lifeblood our largely volunteer organization. To join as a member, select from thefollowing categories:

Individual $50Household $70Premium $300Corporate $500Lifetime $1,000Senior (65+) $30Senior Household $45

Send check payable to the Saugatuck­Douglas History Center to: PO Box 617, Douglas, Michigan 49406.Click HERE for a printable Membership Application.

Send in your dues payment today or click HERE to renew online.

Send items for the newsletter to: Nathan Nietering, PO Box 617, Douglas, MI 49406 oremail info@sdhistoricalsociety.org

SAUGATUCK­DOUGLAS HISTORY CENTER FACILITIESThe Saugatuck­Douglas History Museum is located at 735 Park Street in Saugatuck, in the historicSaugatuck Pump House building. The History Museum closed at the end of October and an all­newexhibition will be constructed in the main gallery this winter and spring, due to open on May 28, 2017! Always free to the public but donations gratefully accepted.

Click HERE to learn more about the Museum and recent past exhibits.

The Old School House and Francis Surfboat Exhibit is located at 130 Center Street in Douglas. For grouptours of the School House, please contact Nathan Nietering at 269­857­5751 or by email atdirector@sdhistoricalsociety.org. The adjoining Back­in­Time Garden is open to the public dailythroughout the autumn. Admission is free to the public but donations gratefully accepted.

The Society's Technology Center is located in the lower level of the Old School House History Center at130 Center Street in downtown Douglas. Open by appointment.

The Society's Archives office is located in the lower level of the Old School House and is open forresearch on Monday afternoons 1­4pm. Use the back stairway for easy access. E­mail the archives directly: archives@sdhistoricalsociety.org

History Center main phone: 269­857­5751 Museum phone: 269­857­7900

Tech Center/Archives direct phone: 269­857­7901 www.sdhistoricalsociety.org

Follow us and learn more history on Facebook! Click the logo below.

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.Again this year, the SDHC e­News is being underwritten by a generous donation

from the late Life Member, Frances Vorys..