An act of the legislature in 1867 authorized Ada Township to borrow up to $3000 for the purpose of building or repairing bridges in the township. This bridge was built about that time, apparently by William Holmes. The design for the trusses was . . . — — Map (db m182789) HM
Dedicated To All The
Men And Women Of This
Community Who Helped
To Preserve The Freedom
Of This Great Nation
Plainfield Charter Township
2003 — — Map (db m176432) WM
William Hyser
William Hyser (1826-1909), pioneer surgeon and Civil War captain, came to Plainfield Township in 1850, when it was a lumber center. In 1852 he built this Greek Revival house as a home and an office for his medical and civic . . . — — Map (db m176433) HM
Byron Township Hall was built in 1876. Byron Center had been platted four years earlier from the Samuel S. Towner farm which was located in the geographic center of the township. The hall housed the township library until 1963 and continued to house . . . — — Map (db m176439) HM
South Christian Sailors Anchor from U.S.S. Stockham-DD683 U.S. Navy Destroyer. Served W.W. II & Korean Conflict 1944-1957. Earned eight Battle Stars for W.W. II service.
Saipan Tokyo Korea — — Map (db m299421) HM WM
In memory of
all those
who have given
their lives in
the service of
our country
1776 - 1918
for God and country
In memoirium
World War II
and the
Korean War
1954
In memorium
Vietnam
War 12-22-61 ---- 5-7-75 . . . — — Map (db m216909) WM
David Kinsey, the founder of Caledonia village, settled on this site on April 13, 1856. He replaced his temporary lodging, a board shanty, with a plank house shortly after he arrived. Occasionally, Indians would be found sleeping on the first floor . . . — — Map (db m216775) HM
Organized baseball's player contract "reserve clause" was upheld in a federal court case decided in Grand Rapids in 1914. The reserve clause bound a player to his team for as long as the team chose to keep him. He could not play anywhere else . . . — — Map (db m245753) HM
The Grand Rapids Black Sox were a Grand Rapids-based Negro League team that traveled throughout Michigan in the 1940s & 1950s. Ted Rasberry (pictured second from the left) was pivotal in bringing Negro League Baseball to Grand Rapids. As the owner . . . — — Map (db m271572) HM
The Pine Island Drive Bridge is a rare Michigan example of a reinforced concrete rainbow arch bridge. A type of through arch design, this bridge, built between 1922 and 1924, replaced a steel truss bridge. The low river banks at the crossing of the . . . — — Map (db m176423) HM
In 1847, Alpine Township was set apart from Walker Township at a meeting held in a schoolhouse in present-day Comstock Park. Edward Wheeler was elected supervisor. Subsequent meetings were held in a log school one-half mile east of here on the . . . — — Map (db m176424) HM
In the 1880s the Grand Rapids Street
Railway Company began developing a
trolley park at the end of its line at
Reeds Lake. In 1886 a Grand Rapids
newspaper held a naming contest for
the park. A half-dozen judges selected
the winning name, . . . — — Map (db m240637) HM
During the 1930s and 40s, Pearl Kendrick, Sc.D., and Grace Eldering, Sc. D., with the assistance of Loney Clinton Gordon, developed the vaccine for whooping cough in a Michigan Department of Health lab in Grand Rapids. The vaccine has saved the . . . — — Map (db m281076) HM
In honor of the loyal service
of the 6th, 7th and 10th Regiments
Michigan Cavalry Volunteers
1862-1864
Battery K 13th Battery
Camp Kellogg and Camp Lee
were located within
the present boundary limits of
Bridge, Union, Lyon and . . . — — Map (db m242048) HM WM
Father Frederic Baraga established the Mission of the Blessed Virgin Mary on the west side of the Grand River in 1833 and began Catholic education in Grand Rapids. During his seventeen months there, some thirty Odawa children and about a . . . — — Map (db m240460) HM
The first Catholic Church in the Grand River Valley, St. Mary's Indian Mission at the Grand River Rapids, was dedicated just a few yards west of this spot by missionary Father Frederic Baraga on April 20, 1834. Baraga (1797-1858) had come here in . . . — — Map (db m243435) HM
This tablet marks the site of the first Baptist mission station for the Ottawa Indians on Grand River established in 1827 conducted by Rev. Leonard Slater under the auspices of the American Baptist Missionary Union — — Map (db m240644) HM
On this site for 114 years stood the historic German-English schoolhouse. Built in 1868 by the German-English School Association, the structure was used as a school and meeting house for the pioneer German families of Grand Rapids. In 1880 it was . . . — — Map (db m240641) HM
This plaque is issued by the
Historical Society of Michigan
in recognition of
Grand Rapids
Public Library
founded in 1871
for more than 150 years of
continuous operation in service
to the people of Michigan
and for contributing . . . — — Map (db m241340) HM
The Burton Heights area was first settled in 1833 when Barney Burton and his wife, Harriet, purchased 320 acres on the east side of what is now Division Avenue between Burton Street and 28th Street. Other settlers followed, including the Garfield . . . — — Map (db m245754) HM
Claytor was an educator, civil rights activist and the first African American President of the Grand Rapids YWCA and the national YWCA.
Born Helen Jackson in Minneapolis, Minnesota, she moved to Grand Rapids in 1943 and married Dr. Robert . . . — — Map (db m242361) HM
Between 1884 and 1903, when three of its spans were swept away by a Grand River flood, a wooden bridge connected Comstock Park with the City of Grand Rapids. A year later, on the same location, a wrought iron truss bridge was built at a cost of . . . — — Map (db m242565) HM
In the fall of 1872, ground was broken on the corner of Sheldon and Maple for a new three-story brick school building in the Second Empire style. In September of 1873, the Sisters of Mercy, a community founded in Ireland, left their convent in . . . — — Map (db m240463) HM
During Grand Rapids' growth at the dawn of the 20th century, the west side of the Grand River became home to a large population of Polish and German immigrants. Among those Polish immigrants were Tomasz and Julia Kaicel, parents of Stanley Ketchel . . . — — Map (db m243434) HM
On this site
November 25, 1883
The Salvation Army
commenced operations in
the state of Michigan
serving with heart to God
and hand to man — — Map (db m242884) HM
The Village of Grand Rapids was organized by an act of the Michigan legislature on April 5, 1838. Located on the east side of the Grand River, the village was bounded by Fulton Street on the south, Hatch's Addition on the east, Hastings Street on . . . — — Map (db m242112) HM
The Massillon Bridge Company of Ohio built this $31,000, four-span bridge for Grand Rapids in 1886. The rust-resistant wrought iron used in its four Pratt trusses accounts for its durability. In 1921 the western truss was shortened when the west . . . — — Map (db m176446) HM
Established in 1864, the Cascade Christian Church is the oldest of its brotherhood in Kent County. Alfred Stow and his parents, Zebulon and Edytha, who settled in the area in the early 1860s led the efforts to organize the church. The Stows had also . . . — — Map (db m182788) HM
Built in 1898, Cascade Township Hall is a rare example of a well-preserved nineteenth century frame town hall. Cascade Township was established on April 3, 1848, when the state legislature set off Ada and Cascade Townships north and south of the . . . — — Map (db m182787) HM
The 126th Infantry Regiment has been in active military service since 1855. The regiment began as militia companies in Grand Rapids. They provided the core of the Third Michigan Infantry Regiment, which served in the Civil War. After the war, . . . — — Map (db m199196) HM
Barber and Mary Swan Briggs migrated to the Ann Arbor area from New York State in 1834. They moved to a large parcel of land near Grand Rapids in 1850, clearing it for a farm and constructing this house in 1850-52. Their son Edward served in the . . . — — Map (db m202669) HM
Monroe Avenue Water Filtration Plant
During the late nineteenth century, Grand Rapids residents relied on private companies to provide purified drinking water. As the city grew, so did the need for clean water. In 1900 a city-owned facility . . . — — Map (db m176429) HM
Dedicated to the men and women wounded in all our wars preserving the freedom of the United States
Combat Wounded
My stone is red for the blood they shed. The medal I bear is my country's way to show they care. If I could be seen by all mankind . . . — — Map (db m190049) WM
In April 1886, the Board of Managers of the Michigan Veterans' Facility set aside five acres for a cemetery. The Grand Rapids Post of the Grand Army of the Republic dedicated the cemetery on Memorial Day, May 31, 1886. The original cemetery was . . . — — Map (db m176444) HM
The Michigan Veterans Facility (formerly the Michigan Soldiers Home) was authorized by Act 152 of the Public Acts of 1885, which provided for the establishment of a home for disabled Michigan veterans. This act resulted from the efforts of Civil . . . — — Map (db m176445) HM
Nicholas H. Blodgett Pfc US Army July 21, 2004 Gregory J. Fester Maj US Army Res Aug. 30, 2005 Ross A. Smith Cpl US Marine Corps Feb. 9, 2006 Al'Kaila T. Floyd Sgt US Army July 13, 2006 Brandon L. Stout Sp4 Army . . . — — Map (db m263011) WM
Senator, statesman, architect of bipartisan American foreign policy
Instrumental in creation of United Nations, Marshall Plan, North Atlantic Treaty Organization — — Map (db m252865) HM
Born 1797
Ordained a Priest 1823
Consecrated a Bishop 1853
Died 1868
Proclaimed Venerable 2012
Bishop Frederic Baraga
1797-1868
Born in Slovenia and educated in Vienna, Baraga was ordained to the priesthood in 1823. A . . . — — Map (db m168170) HM
This tablet was erected by the Department of Michigan Woman's Relief Corps - In memory of, and dedicated to the Veterans of the Civil War.
O vangard of freedom, a silent salute,
let love be our language for words they are mute.
While o'er . . . — — Map (db m261510) WM
Dedicated to the men and women
wounded in all our wars
preserving the freedom of the United States
My stone is red for the blood they shed.
The medal I bear is my country's way to show they care.
If I could be seen by all mankind maybe . . . — — Map (db m261511) WM
On November 8, 1833, four years before Michigan became a state, three commissioners appointed by Territorial Governor George B. Porter designated this square as the seat of justice for Kent County. Five years later, with its population grown to . . . — — Map (db m242109) HM
On September 18, 1836, twenty-two persons, under the direction of the Reverend Silas Woodbury of Kalamazoo, founded one of the first Protestant congregations in Grand Rapids. Initially a Presbyterian parish, the church was reorganized under the . . . — — Map (db m99986) HM
Fountain Street Baptist Church
In 1869, the Reverends Nathan A. Reed and Isaac Butterfield merged their two churches into the Baptist Church of the City of Grand Rapids. The Reverend Dr. Samuel T. Graves served as pastor until 1885, when . . . — — Map (db m176448) HM
Middle Stone Top
1941 - 1950
1945 - 1953
They Perished
Defending Us
★Korean War
Middle Stone Top Back Side
City of Grand Rapids
State of Michigan
1850
Motu Viget (Strength in Activity) . . . — — Map (db m263008) WM
Left Obelisk
Plaque 1
Erected by the Citizens of Grand Rapids
With funds voluntarily subscribed therefor and dedicated November 11, 1926.
To the memory of the men and women of Grand Rapids who made the supreme sacrifice in . . . — — Map (db m263014) WM
This site was originally on Island #1 of four islands in the Grand River. The island area would be from just across Pearl Street to Louis Street on the west side of Campau Avenue. Over time this area was filled in to control river flooding, . . . — — Map (db m252940) HM
Stone 1
Adamson, Donald Bruce Allen, Richard James Atkins, Matthew D. III Aylworth, Randall Ray Bader, William Bagen, Ronald Bailey, Dauid Orin Behm, Daniel Louis Bigelow, Paul Lee Bodell, Larry Allen Borr, . . . — — Map (db m263012) WM
In 1870, six women who had been meeting for a year to study history, organized Grand Rapids' first Ladies Literary Association. The group was also instrumental in opening the first public library in the city that same year. In 1882 the association . . . — — Map (db m99985) HM
Little Park Deeded in 1849 Canton Smith, early pioneer settler who came to Grand Rapids in 1837, deeded this 11/100 of an acre to the City as a gift on August 8, 1849. State Street Park remained merely a green "spot" until 1913, when the sculpture . . . — — Map (db m259299) HM
One of the most devastating events in Grand Rapids history occurred on the morning of July 26, 1883. Two weeks of record-setting rains had raised the Grand River to flood stage. When lumbermen tried to take advantage of the high water to float . . . — — Map (db m153293) HM
Robert Indiana
(American, 1928-2018)
Polychromed Aluminum
Frey Foundation, Grand Rapids
This sculpture is one of the most significant works in the history of American art. Created by legendary Pop artist Robert Indiana, it was . . . — — Map (db m253149) HM
Kent County Civil War Monument
[Explanation of sections of the monument from top to bottom]
Men from Kent County took part in every major battle during the four years of the war. Sixteen of those important battles are listed . . . — — Map (db m252876) HM
Michigan Centennial Business
This plaque is issued by the
Historical Society of Michigan
In Recognition of
Paul Steketee & Sons
Founded in 1862
For more than 100 years of
continuous operation in service
to the people of Michigan . . . — — Map (db m176436) HM
Rich DeVos and Jay Van Andel began a lifelong friendship and business partnership while still in high school. Their major business venture, Amway Corporation, grew into a global company that helped millions of people own their own businesses.
. . . — — Map (db m252942) HM
Roger B. Chaffee
Lieutenant Commander, United States Navy
1935-1967
Grand Rapids Native - US Navy Aviator - NASA Astronaut
Roger Chaffee perished during a test of Apollo 1 on 27 January 1967 with crewmates Virgil "Gus" Grissom and Edward . . . — — Map (db m189913) HM
Rosa Louise Parks became known as the mother of the modern day civil rights movement after she refused to surrender her seat to a white man on a Montgomery Alabama bus on December 1, 1955. Her action sparked a 381-day boycott of the bus system . . . — — Map (db m252866) HM
Rosa Parks
On December 1, 1955 Rosa Parks changed American history forever.
Riding on a bus in Montgomery Alabama, she refused to give up her seat to a white man.
Her dignified defiance sparked the 38-day Montgomery . . . — — Map (db m252872) HM
On January 25, 1945, Grand Rapids was the first community in the world to reduce tooth decay by adding fluoride to its water supply. This sculpture was commissioned to celebrate and commemorate that historic event.
Before water fluoridation, . . . — — Map (db m252933) HM
That so long as grass grows or water runs,
the deeds of the soldiers will be kept
fresh and green in the hearts of the people.
Capt Charles W. Watkins, 10th Michigan Cavalry
September 17, 1885 dedication speech — — Map (db m261508) WM
Dedicated to those who gave their lives for their country in World War II and the Korean Conflict - October, 1949 - May, 1958
Richard M. Petter William Reed Gerald W. Roberts Ralph L. Roberts Bruno R. Runcel Charles Schooley Ernest . . . — — Map (db m258851) WM
To the memory of
The Rev. Fr. Frederick Baraga
Missionary to the Indians of Grand River Valley
1833 - 1835
and The Rev. Fr. Andreas Viszaczvy
priest of St. Andrew's Parish
1835 - 1853
On this site stood the frame house used as a . . . — — Map (db m252704) HM
Both of these schools are institutions of the Christian Reformed Church, which was founded in 1857 by Dutch immigrants whose religious roots lay in the Calvinist Reformation. The seminary began in 1876 in an upper room of a school building on . . . — — Map (db m266494) HM
Boy Scout Troop 15. In 1918, eight years after the Boy Scouts of America incorporated, Trinity Methodist Episcopal Church chartered Boy Scout Troop 15 with a membership of twenty-six boys. The troop number changed to 215 in the 1940s. Among . . . — — Map (db m176452) HM
Aquinas had its beginning in 1887 as the Novitiate Normal School of the Dominican Sisters of Marywood. In 1922 it became Marywood College of the Sacred Heart. When the college was moved downtown in 1931, it became the coeducational Catholic Junior . . . — — Map (db m199193) HM
1906-1908 Construction years--under the direction of Edward Lowe and Susan Blodgett Lowe
1908-1938 Residence of the Lowe Family
1939-1945 Administration/classroom building of the University of Grand Rapids
1945 . . . — — Map (db m199195) HM
Mathias Alten Home & Studio
Grand Rapids painter Mathias Joseph Alten and his wife, Bertha, bought this house in 1914. Built in 1907, it was Alten's home and, from 1930 to 1938, his studio. Alten, who emigrated from Germany to Grand Rapids . . . — — Map (db m176453) HM
Shrine
Of
Our Lady
War Dead Memorial
Planned, Funded and Erected By
Aquinas College Students
1948-1953
In Memory Of
Stephen Paul Hansknecht
Class of 1983
Presented by His Hamily — — Map (db m176474) WM
This area contains three horse sculptures of different sizes by Nina Akamu,
inspired by a monumental equine sculpture first envisioned by Leonardo
da Vinci. The 15-inch version here was created specifically to be touched.
Feel the details of this . . . — — Map (db m307939) HM
Leonard Benjamins (1840-1902) emigrated from the Netherlands with his family in 1847, settling in the Grand Rapids area. In 1868 he started a clothing business that operated for thirty years. Around 1886, he constructed this stately Queen Anne house . . . — — Map (db m176449) HM
Side A The first Central High School opened in a stone building three blocks to the west. The state legislature instituted high school grading in 1859, and the first Central High School graduation was held in 1862. Two successively larger . . . — — Map (db m99990) HM
Side A Central Reformed Church was formed on April 23, 1918, by the merger of the first two Reformed churches in the Grand Rapids area: the First Reformed, an English-speaking church organized in 1840; and the Second Reformed, a . . . — — Map (db m99981) HM
This Italianate house was constructed
in the early 1860s by local builder
Reuben Wheeler for Martin Sweet
(1819-1905). his wife Desdemona
(1817-1890), and their three children.
Sweet came to Grand Rapids in 1846.
Soon he owned nineteen . . . — — Map (db m307583) HM
Built between 1865 and 1870 by James and Hannah Gallup, this Victorian style villa is one of the oldest homes in the Heritage Hill Historic District. Gallup and his family lived here until 1896. The house was later owned by several prominent Grand . . . — — Map (db m99991) HM
Designed by local architect William G. Robinson, this castle-like edifice was constructed in 1884-86 for Colonel E. Crofton Fox and his brother Charles. Built of granite block imported from Scotland, this house is a fine example of Chateauesque . . . — — Map (db m99984) HM
This elegant and perfectly preserved Victorian mansion was built for Carl G. A. Voigt in 1895. Voigt came to Grand Rapids in 1870 and ran a mill and dry goods store with W. G. Herpolsheimer. In 1902, when the partnership ended, Voigt took over the . . . — — Map (db m99983) HM
Gerald R. Ford Boyhood Home
Gerald R. Ford, the thirty-eighth president of the U.S., lived here from age 8 to 17 (1921-1930). Of all his boyhood homes, Ford remembered this one most vividly. In his autobiography, Ford recalled that he and . . . — — Map (db m176451) HM
On August 5, 1852, Father Charles Louis DeCeuninck purchased ten acres of land for the formation of Saint Andrews Cemetery. The land was deeded to Bishop Lefevere on December 7, 1852. It was the first permanent Catholic cemetery in Grand Rapids. . . . — — Map (db m176450) HM
Located near this site was the trading post of Louis and Sophie Campau, Grand Rapid's first permanent white settlers. Louis, a veteran of the War of 1812 and an experienced fur trader, arrived in November 1826 to begin trading with the area's . . . — — Map (db m252989) HM
On July 13, 2015, at the intersection of Washington Street and Lafayette Avenue, the last remaining sewage overflow point in an antiquated system of combined sanitary and storm sewers was sealed. With this action, the City of Grand Rapids . . . — — Map (db m253419) HM
What is Significant About This Site?
[South side of tower, facing Lyon Street NW] Grand Rapids
City Hall
1888-1969
On this site sat the former Grand Rapids City Hall from 1888 to 1969. With its majestic clock tower . . . — — Map (db m252861) HM
Grand Rapids is a city divided by the Grand River. In its earliest days, settlers crossed the river in small boats or canoes, or on frozen ice during the winter and temporary foot bridges in the summer. The need to tie the city together led to . . . — — Map (db m153292) HM
"La Grande Vitesse," the bright red stabile created for Grand Rapids by renowned artist and sculptor Alexander Calder, is a distinctive downtown landmark. Weighing 42 tons and standing four stories high, the steel abstraction was named "La Grande . . . — — Map (db m241509) HM
Reverend Parks was the first African American to be elected mayor of Grand Rapids.
Born in Lyles Station, Indiana, Parks moved to Grand Rapids in 1966 to become pastor of First Community AME Church. In February of 1968, Parks was elected and . . . — — Map (db m242111) HM
This is a 1/23rd scale model of the giant sculpture created specifically for Vandenberg Center by the great American artist, Alexander Calder.
The Calder Stabile is the first work of monumental public art in American history to be financed . . . — — Map (db m252864) HM
The Grand, Michigans longest river, rises from a spring-fed pond near Jackson and flows 270 miles westward before emptying into Lake Michigan. Formed more than 13,000 years ago by melting glaciers of the last Ice Age, the ancient Grand changed its . . . — — Map (db m153294) HM
Vandenberg Center. Vandenberg Center encompasses 12.5 acres lying to the northeast of this site. It was part of the land originally registered on September 19, 1831, by Louis Campau, Grand Rapidss first permanent settler. Campau platted the . . . — — Map (db m232215) HM
In 1853, John and Christina Cutler and their ten children came to this area from New York and founded the town of Cutlerville. In 1891 Cutlers son John Isaac built a three-story brick house. The interior was embellished with hardwood and heated by . . . — — Map (db m176438) HM
This house was built in 1908-09 for local clothier Meyer S. May and his wife. Sophie Amber. Frank Lloyd Wright designed the house in the prairie style. It was his first major commission in Michigan. May was the son of Abraham May, founder of May and . . . — — Map (db m170291) HM
This area is dedicated to the Ottawa Indian village site that existed along this riverbank, many centuries before the coming of non-natives in this area. It is the heart of a large native community that continues in this region.
Descendants of the . . . — — Map (db m176510) HM
Long before contact with Euro-Americans, Native Americans lived near Baw-wa-ting, the rapids. Some 2000 years ago Hopewellian Indians built numerous burial mounds in the area. This mound group became known as the Converse Mounds. As early as the . . . — — Map (db m176443) HM
Elizabeth Anne "Betty" Bloomer was born in Chicago and raised in Grand Rapids. She became an accomplished dancer and was fashion coordinator for Herpolsheimer's Department Store. On October 15, 1948, she married Gerald R. Ford. Together they had . . . — — Map (db m176431) HM
Beyond these gates is the final resting place of our Nation's 38th President Gerald R. Ford and his wife Elizabeth R. Ford
President of the United States 1974 -1977 Vice President of the United States 1973 - 1974 United States House of . . . — — Map (db m99970) HM
The first cabinet maker in Grand Rapids was William Haldane, who in 1837 set up a shop in his home at the corner of Pearl and Ottawa Sts. During the ensuing decades Grand Rapids attracted increasing numbers of furniture craftsmen. Under able . . . — — Map (db m176435) HM
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