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Macatawa in Ottawa County, Michigan — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
 

Holland Harbor / Holland Harbor Lighthouse

 
 
Side 1 - Holland Harbor / Holland Harbor Lighthouse Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Joel S., August 8, 2013
1. Side 1 - Holland Harbor / Holland Harbor Lighthouse Marker
Inscription.
Holland Harbor (Side 1)
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.

Holland Harbor Lighthouse (Side 2)
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
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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.
 
Erected 1987 by Bureau of History, Michigan Department of State. (Marker Number L394.)
 
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Waterways & Vessels. In addition, it is included in the Lighthouses, and the Michigan Historical Commission series lists. A significant historical month for this entry is July 1705.
 
Location. 42° 46.36′ N, 86° 12.747′ W. Marker is in Macatawa, Michigan, in Ottawa County. Marker can be reached from Bay Road - (Extension of) South Shore Drive when traveling west. Access to the lighthouse is limited and requires a 2/3 mile walk from the gatehouse at the end of Bay Road. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Macatawa MI 49434, United States of America. Touch for directions.
 
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 5 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Holland Harbor Lighthouse / Holland Harbor (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); The Pump House (approx. 0.6 miles away); Ottawa Beach (approx. 0.6 miles away); Central Park Chapel
Side 2 - Holland Harbor / Holland Harbor Lighthouse Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Joel S., August 8, 2013
2. Side 2 - Holland Harbor / Holland Harbor Lighthouse Marker
(approx. 2.7 miles away); Marigold Lodge (approx. 2.9 miles away); Waukazoo Woods (approx. 3.1 miles away); Laketown Township Hall (approx. 4.1 miles away); Graafschap Christian Reformed Church (approx. 4.3 miles away).
 
Related marker. Click here for another marker that is related to this marker. This is the same marker that can be seen at the beach at Holland State Park, directly across the channel.
 
Also see . . .  Holland Harbor Lighthouse. Lighthouse Friends website entry (Submitted on March 26, 2022, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York.) 
 
Additional commentary.
1. "Setting the Record Straight"
This article in the January/February issue of Michigan History indicates that this marker has many inaccuracies. For example:
• The channel was relocated in 1859, not 40 years later.
• The first light was a beacon light, not a lighthouse, and was erected in 1870.
• The "light atop a metal pole" was installed in 1890.
• Only the lower half of the present building was erected in 1907 — and it was not a lighthouse; it was a fog signal building.
• The lighthouse did not reflect the Dutch influence of the
Holland Harbor / Holland Harbor Lighthouse Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Joel S., August 8, 2013
3. Holland Harbor / Holland Harbor Lighthouse Marker
area; the design was a standardized design that was used elsewhere.
    — Submitted December 31, 2018, by Joel Seewald of Madison Heights, Michigan.
 
 
Credits. This page was last revised on March 26, 2022. It was originally submitted on August 12, 2013, by Joel Seewald of Madison Heights, Michigan. This page has been viewed 702 times since then and 12 times this year. Photos:   1, 2, 3. submitted on August 12, 2013, by Joel Seewald of Madison Heights, Michigan. • Al Wolf was the editor who published this page.

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Mar. 19, 2024