Notes From Your President
A well deserved thank you to all who made the
ArtsAlive project so successful. While it was a goal that we worked
toward throughout the summer, it was a wonderful reward of $21,889
in donations on behalf of the Society plus a $4,000 award for
placing in the top five - a pleasant surprise. Many a thank you to
all who contributed to the success of this venture. Also of note is
the planting of 1,000 King Alfred daffodil bulbs in the Back-In-Time
Garden. This was made possible through the generous monetary gifts
of many and the physical efforts of others.
As I write this the ghosts are planning their
"annual" walk at the Old School House. The research for this program
and the execution of the production is a Kit Lane product along with
photo assistance by Chris Yoder. I know you will enjoy the
production as you did last year and there are a few more ghosts!
The Holiday Party is scheduled for December 2; 6:00
p.m. at the Saugatuck Center for the Arts. Please make your
reservations early and plan to bring your most festive holiday
recipe. This is a guaranteed beautiful evening and a great way to
begin the holiday season. Also, note that there will be no General
Membership Meeting on the second Wednesday of December and there
will be no General Membership Meeting on the second Wednesday of
January.
Enjoy the days ahead - they may be our most
treasured memories! submitted
by Marsha Kontio
A BIG Thank You to the Old School House Daffodil
Trail Bulb Boosters
$1,500 donated
Pearl Ahnen In memory of my dear daughter,
Deneen, who died July 14, 2011 of pancreatic cancer
Anonymous
Valerie Atkin
Vic Bella
Baars & Margo Bultman
Monty Collins & Jerry Dark
Sherry Coupe In memory of Sonna Smith, my Mother
Gina Demos In memory of Ginny Munizzo,
Vasiliki and Thanos Demos with love from the Saugatuck Tea Party
Café
Richard & Ellen Donovan
Dede Dupre & Rob Golub
Floyd Fleming
Janeen Fowler To honor all Mothers who
love Spring flowers
Heather Heuchen Foderingham In memory
of the deceased members of the Heuchen and Foderingham families
Betsy Ann & Michael O. Foster In memory
of Ann H. Curtis, Pier Cove
Rob Kegley
Ed Kelly
Sharon Kelly
Doug & Bonnie Lowe In Memory of Ruth
Wilson Lafountain
Barbara Lucier
Al & Dottie Lyon
Mike Mattern & Bill Hess
Betsy & Jim Muir
Judy Oberholtzer
Teresa O'Brien In memory of Luke
O'Brien
Carol Peterson In memory of Mary Bird
Jones
Ed Ryan
Janet & Fred Schmidt In memory of Harry
C. Vorys
Howard & Paula Schultz
Richard & Martha Shaw
Cynthia Sorensen In memory of Emily Lamb & Marjorie
Sorensen
Sandra Thieda In honor of Harold Thieda
Leslie Thompson In honor of my Mother,
Rosemarie Ash Judi & Howard Vanderbeck
Frank & Charlotte Voris
Sally Winthers In honor of Anna
Holmgaard Kirchert
Herk & Christa Wise
Renee Zita
If
you would like to become a Bulb Booster, send your check to SDHS, PO Box 617, Douglas,
MI 49406. Please be sure to indicate if your donation is being made
to remember or honor a friend or relative.
Planting the Daffodil Trail
Community volunteers and Society members gathered at the Old School
House History Center in Douglas on Sunday, October 28 to plant 1,000
bulbs for large yellow "Dutch Master" daffodils, setting the stage
for a spring bloom to provide an early annual downtown attraction
next year.
Among the youngest volunteers is Jillian Johnson,
Douglas Elementary School 4th grader.
Funded by donors (see list above), the plantings were clustered
along the "Back-In-Time Pathway" that meanders through the Old
School House's 1.16-acre wooded site among other sections already
planted with rhododendrons and various flowering shrubs.
Do You Have A Story to Tell About the Mt. Baldhead
Holiday Star?
Michael L. Anderson Photography
The
star that shines from the top of Mt. Baldhead is being replaced by
a newly designed version for this Holiday Season.
The
Society is putting together a history of the star to be published
in next month's Newsletter.
If
you have any stories, memories, information or historical pictures
of the star you would like to share, please REPLY to this
email.
submitted by Bill Hess
Volunteer Corner
We continue to need help with the very important Archive function.
Mary Voss will be an awesome teacher and the Society will be the
beneficiary. Please contact Ed Kelly at
kel179@aol.com to learn more
about the opportunity.
A new and exciting project is under way to explore the music of the
60's in Saugatuck/Douglas. Mike Sweeney has much knowledge and a
passion to share the music history with our community. If you wish
to help, contact Ed Kelly at
kel179@aol.com
Saugatuck Pop Festival 1968
Thanks to all who volunteer and those who will soon. It makes the
SDHS enjoyable and relevant. submitted
by Ed Kelly
Society Membership
The 2013 new member and membership renewal campaign will begin in
January 2013. We need your help to encourage your friends to become
or continue to be members of our fine organization.
If you wish to make your membership payment in this tax year, feel
free to click
HERE for a 2013 renewal form.
The Dine Around The Village Table events have been very
successful/fun and continue into next year. As an incentive to
encourage more Lifetime Memberships, we are including two
invitations to attend "The Magnificent Trilogy" progressive
cocktail party at three spectacular Kalamazoo River homes on April
28th. This has a value of $200 plus all the fun.
Lets make this a record breaking year for SDHS membership!
submitted by Ed Kelly
Welcome from Jack Sheridan leader of the Society Family History
Group. The Group meeting schedule is the first and third Thursday
of every month. Our next meeting is November 15th at
3:30 in the Old School House. Please join us this fall to see what
we are all about and most importantly, share "lessons learned"
about the many tools available for family research.
Each month in this column I talk about a family history
discovery. Such a discovery is called a EUREKA!
moment. One of the best EUREKA! moments is when we
realize how eager we have become to learn more about our family
history. Our family history becomes in our mind, like a mystery
book one cannot put down. We cannot wait to turn the next page,
read the next chapter, and ponder the outcome.
Who were these people? The question echoes, fueled anew after
successes like discovering the maiden name of a great grandmother,
an 1880s family photo, often a wondrous flood of info from a
distant relative. And satisfaction comes with mastering techniques
necessary to search millions of record collections in an instant.
The family tree grows branch on limb, leaf on branch. The pieces
of your giant puzzle begin to come together.
Have you always wanted to learn more about your family history,
but have not known where and how to begin? Here is a suggestion.
Our SDHS Family History group wants to help you. A starting point
is to record what you know about your parents, grandparents, and
great grandparents and send it along for a review by our
volunteers.
If you are reading this newsletter on-line, you can print off
these blank family history data forms. Click on one for your
mother and another for your
father.
Next fill out what you know and snail-mail the forms to SDHS
Family History, Box 617, Douglas, Michigan 49406, or scan and
email a copy to either
cyoder@tds.net or
jack.sheridan@gmail.com.
Give us time for an initial assessment. We will soon be back to
you with whatever can be readily found and with suggestions on the
next steps to take to learn more. Future further help is always
available from the Family History group. Your family history does
not have to have any connection to the Saugatuck-Douglas area.
If you aren't on the internet, call Chris Yoder [269 857-4327] or
Jack Sheridan [269 857-1744] and we'll get a work sheet to you.
In April 2012
the 1940 United States census data was released. Ancestry.com has
now completed indexing the entire census. They are offering free
access to the census. Just click
HERE.
If you
prefer, you may easily browse the local 1940 census results. We
have placed a copy of the census for Douglas (11 pages), Saugatuck
(16 pages) and Saugatuck Twp (19 pages) on the SDHS web site. Take
a look by clicking
HERE.
Questions/comments/advice:
Contact me at:
jack.sheridan@gmail.com
or (269) 857-7144.
Click on the picture
for a higher resolution copy.
Water and Mud Part Two
This panorama photo [top] taken from Baldhead in 1929 reveals how
shallow Kalamazoo Lake was at that time.
The below photo [looking northwest] was taken in 1936. The bridge
and the causeway that we now accept as a natural part of the
landscape was under construction. A massive amount of material was
needed for the causeway because the old bridge was at water level.
That bridge was a drawbridge with a trestle section. It was built in
1870 and remodeled in the early 1900s.
To get fill needed, the lake was dredged with a giant sandsucker
dredge, seen on the lake in the background. Also at that time, a
muddy peninsula extended into the lake along the Coghlin Park
shoreline.
In seventy six years the sediment buildup has filled the lake back
to the 1936 level. All this material would today make a very nice
island or peninsula. How about it?
Click on the picture
for a higher resolution copy.
Next month we move downriver and back in history one hundred and
forty two years.
submitted by
jack.sheridan@gmail.com
Welcome New Members
We would like to welcome the new members who have joined the
Saugatuck-Douglas Historical Society since the last newsletter.
l Joleen Christine,
Douglas, MI
l Laird & Virginia
Stuart, Saugatuck, MI
l Ross T. Hanley,
Douglas, MI
l Charlotte & Patrick
Stewart, Saugatuck, MI
Update to the Society Directory
John and Carol Ortman have moved to Mount Dora, FL. There new
address is 435 East 6th Avenue, PO Box 1390 Mount Dora ,
FL 32757
Sally Winthers & Stacy Honson
Receive "Village Table" Award
Society members Sally Winthers and Stacy Honson show the recently
received Leadership In History Award of Merit
certificate from the American Association for State and Local
History (AASLH) honoring the Society's new cookbook The
Village Table: A Delicious History of Food in the Saugatuck-Douglas
Area.
Compiled by Stacy with graphic design by Sally and historical
content edited by Kit Lane, the book celebrates the
Saugatuck-Douglas area by exploring its food: what the settlers
found, fished, gathered and grew, and what we eat today. Historical
commentary ranges from survival strategies of early settlers to
changes in fishing, the ecology of Lake Michigan and the growth of
farming.
This 144-page publication, featuring menus and recipes that favor
locally available ingredients, cross-referencing by separate
historical and culinary indexes, and spiral "lay flat" binding, is
offered for holiday gift-giving at $35. A limited supply of
hand-bound, hardcover issues also is available.
Orders may be placed by phone at (269) 857-5751, with all proceeds
benefiting the Historical Society and its volunteer-driven programs.
Or just REPLY to this email and we will be in touch to take
your order.
The AASLH Leadership In History Awards program was initiated in 1945
to establish and encourage standards of excellence in the
collection, preservation and interpretation of state and local
history throughout the United States. Winners were announced earlier
in the year, with awards officially presented at the Association's
annual awards banquet in October, in Salt Lake City, Utah, citing
the Society's entry as "... a wonderful example of a historical
society capturing the attention of the general public by wrapping
their history in the familiar form of a cookbook".
Historic Home for Sale
One of Saugatuck's most historic
homes is for sale! "The Chalet", the Pleasant Street home of the
famous Saugatuck painter and architect Carl Hoerman is being
offered for sale by the family. He built it single-handedly in the
1920s, just south of "Kemah", and he and his wife Christiana lived
there until the end of their lives. The home has been handed down
in the family until now.
In 1920 Hoerman gave up his
architectural practice in Chicago and moved with his wife to
Saugatuck. When he first settled here, he had land on Silver Lake
and started a tree nursery, but in 1922 he gave this up to devote
more time to his painting. In 1923, Hoerman built the Chalet, his
residence, studio and private gallery.
"Located on a hillside and
commanding a view of the Kalamazoo River, the Chalet is a monument
to Hoerman's artistic versatility. In its many fascinating
details, the Chalet reflects the hand and mind of a master
craftsman, a craftsman whose range included the arts of
stonemasonry and leaded glass as well as woodcarving,
architectural design, and painting." For more details, click
HERE.
submitted by Chris Yoder
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REMINDER
Society's Monthly Meeting
Wednesday, November 14 at 7 pm
at the Old School House History Center
Tales From The Crypt
A post-Halloween visit from 28 full-time residents of Ganges' Taylor
Cemetery will be "brought to life" by Marsha Kontio, Kit Lane,
Barrett Randolph, Steve Williford and Chris Yoder.
Refreshments to die for.
You won't want to miss this one!
Made Your Reservation to the
Jolly Holiday Dinner Party?
Have you made your reservation for the
Society's Annual Holiday Party yet? Reservations are required. Click
HERE to print your Reservation Card or just REPLY to
this email if you are letting us cook. Just include the names of
those who will be attending, whether you will be bringing a Salad,
Side Dish or Dessert and if you have a preference with whom you
would like to sit with. If you don't plan to cook, please send a
check for $18 per person to SDHS, PO Box 617, Douglas, MI 49406
along with any seating preference.
From gourmet dinners in exclusive homes to casual
cocktail parties, these culinary events all feature great food and
great times for a great cause.
Dining Around the Village Table is a series of culinary events
that celebrate everything delicious in the Saugatuck-Douglas area.
100% of tickets sales fund the Saugatuck-Douglas Historical Society
and are tax deductible.
Tickets for events are assigned first come,
first served. To reserve your place, call 269-857-5751 or REPLY to
this email. Reservations and pre-payment are required for all
events.
Don't delay, tickets for these events will go
quickly
Tuesday, February 12, 2013 - 5 to 7pm
Laissez les Bons Temps Rouler
(Let the Good Times Roll)
TICKETS ARE STILL AVAILABLE!
Stacy Honson and
Stephen Mottram will be serving up classic New Orleans' fare as a
warm up to the Douglas Mardi Gras parade. The location will be Mark
Neidlinger's unique Crow Cottage, perfectly located just off Center
Street.
Tickets: $40 per person.
Hosted by Mark Neidlinger
31 Spring St, Douglas, MI 49406
Sunday, April 28, 2013 - 5 to 8pm
The Magnificent Trilogy
TICKETS ARE STILL AVAILABLE!
A progressive
cocktail party and home tour of three magnificent homes on the
Kalamazoo River.
Tickets: $100 per person.
Hosted by Monty Collins and Jerry Dark, Sandra and Travis Randolph,
Skip Schipper and John Seros
3440 - 3442 Riverside Drive, Saugatuck, MI 49453
Friday, May 3, 2013 - 5 to 8pm
A Toast to the Dunelands
TICKETS ARE STILL AVAILABLE!
Ken Tornvall will
host a kick off party for the 2013 SDHS Museum exhibit opening at
his home: an amazing restoration of a classic Michigan barn.
Tickets: $50 per person.
Hosted by Ken Tornvall
540 Campbell, Saugatuck
Sunday, June
23, 2013 - 11:30am
Always on a Sunday Brunch
TICKETS ARE STILL AVAILABLE!!
Katherine and Mike Economos will host a Sunday Brunch at their home on the dunes
overlooking the Kalamazoo River. Expect charming gardens, fabulous
views and a delicious meal.
Tickets: $50 per person
Hosted by Catherine and Mike Economos
716 Park St., Saugatuck, MI 49453
What You Missed!
"Pre-Halloween Parade Rooftop Bash" on Saturday, October 27 at the
Douglas Harbor Lofts condominium home of Judi and Howard
Vanderbeck,150 Center St. Co-hosted by Saugatuck's Janie and Jim
Flemming, this event offered drinks and an outdoor grilled dinner of
ribs, knockwurst, corn-on-the-cob, salads and more, grilled and
served outdoors on an expansive second-floor patio.
A riverside home tour and wine-tasting party Saturday, November 3,
hosted by Renee Zita and Ed Ryan at their home in Newport Harbor,
overlooking the Kalamazoo River, bayous and wetlands from 3023
Harbor Road. Co-host Tom McCarthy offered a selection of wines from
Wine Sellers of Saugatuck, complemented with signature appetizers by
Jim Petzing of Zing Drink/Eat Restaurant in Douglas.
The Owners of Ashton
"Then and Now" Photos of Ashton appeared in the October Newsletter
On Wednesday, Oct. 1, 1913, friends and relatives of Mr. and Mrs.
George Henry ("Henry") Shriver gathered at their Saugatuck home
("Ashton" on the corner of Mary and Joseph Street) to help celebrate
their Golden Wedding Anniversary. The home was decorated with ropes
of yellow, white and green and yellow flowers decorated the rooms.
At exactly seven o'clock, Mendelssohn's Wedding March was played as
the bridal couple was led in by a group of family children, up a
flower strewn pathway to a canopy of green and yellow. The bride,
Mary Josephine Greenhalgh, carried fifty yellow roses and was
dressed in white lace over white satin. Her husband wore
"conventional black". They were followed into the room by their sons
and daughters.
The Rev. Millar conducted a service, a daughter told the history of
her parent's lives, songs were sung, and speeches were made. Fred
Wade spoke of loved ones in a home, Dr. Walker of "the ties that
bind one another together", and Mrs. D. A. (May Francis) Heath of
"the Matrimonial ship, of the many rough voyages through life, the
storms and squalls and then the beautiful calm." The guests went to
the dining room for a two course lunch served by the daughters.
Fifty years before, on Oct. 1, 1863, George Henry Shriver and Mary
Josephine Greenhalgh had been married. They were to become the
parents of twelve children, five of whom died in infancy, and one in
young womanhood.
According to May Heath's book Early Memories of Saugatuck:
"George Henry Shriver was born in Buffalo, N. Y., April 10, 1844,
the son of George Henry Shriver of Montreal; his paternal
grandfather was a German, leading an army into Montreal, and
remaining there for some time, and was married to a French lady,
Minna Dumas. The Shrivers way back to the time of Charlemagne were a
family of soldiers. Henry Shriver spent his boyhood in Buffalo,
where in Oct., 1863, at the age of nineteen, he married Miss
Josephine Greenhalgh, aged 16. They went to Titusville, Penn., in
the great oil craze of '64 and in 1865 he joined the 74th New York
State Militia, Co. A., who were sent to quell the riots then
prevalent in New York City. He then served 68 days in the Civil War,
when the war ended and he received an honorable discharge."
"When he first came to Saugatuck, he, with W. G. Edgcomb, owned
what is now the "Lortin" farm, living in those days when Indians
often came to their door, saying "Injun eat," and they were always
sure of a welcome there and food too."
"At that time when the country was new, they suffered the
terrible "ague siege" which claimed many of the early settlers.
Later Henry and his brother, Charles Shriver, and Harry Holt went
into the fishing business, and the Shrivers built nice homes at the
mouth of the Kalamazoo, where now are the Ox Bow Inn and the Art
School; they lived at the mouth thirty years, when they moved to
Saugatuck in 1902."
They arrived in Saugatuck in the spring of 1868 with his brother
Charles, who had married Mary Josephine's sister Maria. Initially
buying a farm on the Allegan Road, they eventually purchased a tract
of land at the bend of the river on the old channel at what came to
be known as "Shriver's Bend". The large home there became "Shriver's
Inn" and was operated as a guest hotel by the family for many years.
Several years after Henry and Josephine moved in to town, In Aug.
1905, brother Charles Shriver went out with a guest in his sailboat
"The Bird" to draw in some fish nets and was never seen again.
In later years, Henry suffered from rheumatism, but loved to work in
the garden. He died Apr. 20, 1924. Josephine, was born in Hamilton,
Canada March 17, 1854 and moved to Buffalo with her parents at the
age of six. She died at her home "Ashton" on Feb. 7, 1926, and the
funeral was conducted from there by Rev. Millar. As May Francis
Heath wrote about them in her book:
"Their home was a happy one and the latchstring was always out to
friend or stranger, and they had hosts of friends in whose memory
they live."
(We thank Barbara Figeley for the photos of Henry, Josephine, and
Charles Shriver. Digital copies of these are a part of the Ellen
Greenhalgh Collection at the SDHS.)
submitted by Chris Yoder
Mt. Baldy Station
The Mt. Baldy Station in the
Back-In-Time Garden at the Old School House is moving along. Stop by
to see the progress the next time you're at the Old School House.
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Click
