Holland Heights in Ottawa County, Michigan — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
The Van Raalte Farm
Photographed by Lugnuts, July 20, 2020
1. The Van Raalte Farm Marker
Inscription.
The Van Raalte Farm. . In 1847 Holland's founder, the Reverend Albertus C. Van Raalte, purchased this property from the federal government for $2.32 an acre. When his son Benjamin returned from the Civil War in 1865, Van Raalte gave him the 160-acre tract. By 1873, when Benjamin married Julia Gilmore, he had built this Classical Revival-inspired house and two barns. Benjamin was a prosperous farmer and agricultural implements dealer. When he died in 1917, his daughter Julia Christina and husband Orlando C. Relmold, inherited the property. The Relmold family came to the farm each summer. Julia Christina considered it her home and often came here for extended visits. In 1883, Benjamin's Great grandchildren sold the farm to the city of Holland which preserved it as a park. The Van Raalte Farm is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
In 1847 Holland's founder, the Reverend Albertus C. Van Raalte, purchased this property from the federal government for $2.32 an acre. When his son Benjamin returned from the Civil War in 1865, Van Raalte gave him the 160-acre tract. By 1873, when Benjamin married Julia Gilmore, he had built this Classical Revival-inspired house and two barns. Benjamin was a prosperous farmer and agricultural implements dealer. When he died in 1917, his daughter Julia Christina and husband Orlando C. Relmold, inherited the property. The Relmold family came to the farm each summer. Julia Christina considered it her home and often came here for extended visits. In 1883, Benjamin's Great grandchildren sold the farm to the city of Holland which preserved it as a park. The Van Raalte Farm is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
Erected 1995 by Bureau of History, Department of State. (Marker Number 608.)
W. Marker is in Holland, Michigan, in Ottawa County. It is in Holland Heights. It can be reached from East 16th Street, on the right when traveling east. The marker cannot be seen from the road. You must follow the drive until it curves to go up the hill to the house. The marker is at the base of that hill. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1076 E 16th St, Holland MI 49423, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in West Michigan, specifically in Greater Grand Rapids, and in one of the Lake Michigan Shore counties. It is also in the American Midwest and on the Great Lakes. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Northwest Territory.
Credits. This page was last revised on August 5, 2023. It was originally submitted on August 8, 2020, by Lugnuts of Germantown, Wisconsin. This page has been viewed 1,111 times since then and 37 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3. submitted on August 8, 2020, by Lugnuts of Germantown, Wisconsin. • Mark Hilton was the editor who published this page.
