This plaque is issued by the Historical Society of Michigan in recognition of
Village of Nashville
Founded in 1869
For more than 150 years of continuous operation in service to the people of Michigan and for contributing to the growth and . . . — — Map (db m191542) HM
Near here once stood one of the most famous inns west of Detroit. It was run by “Yankee Bill” Lewis, a New Yorker who came here in 1836. His establishment, located on the main road from Grand Rapids to Battle Creek and Kalamazoo, was an unimposing . . . — — Map (db m216617) HM
The area now known as Woodland Township was first settled in 1837 by Charles Galloway and Jonathan and Samuel Haight. In 1842, the state legislature set aside the township, which by then had several hundred residents. The area’s level surface and . . . — — Map (db m216646) HM
Alvah N. Belding
Memorial Library
has been placed on the
National Register of
Historic Places
by the United States
Department of Interior
May 21, 1993 — — Map (db m216061) HM
Alvah N. Belding erected this library in 1917/18 as a memorial to his parents, Hiram and Mary Wilson Belding. Alvah and his brother Hiram began peddling silk around Belding (then Patterson's Mills) in 1858. With the help of their brother Milo they . . . — — Map (db m216178) HM
On April 1, 1912, the citizens of Belding voted to issue a $15,000 bond to build a new city hall. At the time, the city jail was housed in an old barn and the dilapidated building rented by the city as a firehouse was called a “burning shame.” . . . — — Map (db m216068) HM
In memory of the boys of 1861-1865 who offered their services for the integrity and unity of our Grand Republic during the War of the Rebellion
Dan S. Root Post 126
Department of Michigan
Grand Army of the Republic
Organized April . . . — — Map (db m216677) WM
Desert Shield
We stood behind the men & women who stood behind the line in the sand
Persian Gulf War
August 1990 - February 1991
Desert Storm
To honor our men & women who served 1991 — — Map (db m216680) WM
Korean War
June 25th, 1950
July 27th, 1953
And still occupied to this day
The Forgotten War
The first soldier from Ionia County to be killed in action was Pvt. Clayton D. Adams US Army. Adams left for Korea on July 20, 1950 . . . — — Map (db m216683) WM
Afghanistan
Operation Enduring Freedom
All gave some, some gave all!
This memorial is dedicated to all those who served in Afghanistan and to the heroes we lost. — — Map (db m216681) WM
★★★ Chair of Honor ★★★
For
Prisoners of War - Missing in Action
★★★
This unoccupied chair is in honor of those that are still Prisoners of War (POW)or Missing in Action (MIA), and . . . — — Map (db m216682) WM
This memorial was erected to commemorate those who dedicated their lives to serve in the First World War
April 6, 1917 - November 11, 1918 — — Map (db m216678) WM
Built in 1906, the Belrockton is the last remaining boardinghouse of the three provided by the Belding Brothers and Company for its single female workers. A major silk manufacturer in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the company . . . — — Map (db m55242) HM
Pere Marquette Depot
built in 1921
has been placed on the
National Register
of Historic Places
by the United States
Department of the Interior — — Map (db m216064) HM
Completed in 1923 for the Pere Marquette Railway, this depot is typical of the railroad stations that served Michigan towns during the early decades of the twentieth century. The depot replaced an earlier, wood frame station built during the 1880s . . . — — Map (db m216177) HM
Belding Varsity Football jersey #61 was worn by Warren Lane, a graduate from
Belding High School with the class of "63". He married Marcia, moved to
Grand Rapids and entered the Army in 1966, but he will always remain a
Belding son. Warren was . . . — — Map (db m217244) WM
This picturesque covered bridge, one of the last of its kind in Michigan, was built in 1867 by Jared N. Brazee and J.N. Walker, builders of several covered bridges in this area. The name of the bridge derives from the White family, a prominent . . . — — Map (db m55246) HM
St.John the Baptist Church
Organized in 1855 to serve Irish Catholic immigrants, the parish of St.John the Baptist worshipped in a simple church on the Cowman farm until 1868. That year, the parish of seventy families built this church, which . . . — — Map (db m217492) HM
This block was used as a stepping stone to
get into and out of carriages. The side
facing the street is inscribed with the name
John C. Welch. The block originally stood
in front of Welch's residence in the 500
block of West Main Street. One of . . . — — Map (db m216316) HM
Alfred Cornell, Sr., and his family came to Ionia during November,
1833. His son, Dr. Alanson Cornell, was a physician and druggist
who operated a drug store at the southwest corner of Main Street
and Cornell Alley. Dr. Cornell's home was on the . . . — — Map (db m216319) HM
The first store opened in 1834 in a
rented portion of Samuel Dexter's barn. By
1845, the downtown included a hotel,
tavern, wagon repair shop, drug store and
the Ionia Land Office, where land purchases
were made for all areas of Michigan to . . . — — Map (db m216307) HM
Jonathan Hale and Son was a mill formerly
located at 227 South Steele Street. Hale
operated flour and feed mills in several
other Michigan cities, including Lyons and
Stanton, before opening the Ionia mill in
1901. By 1907, the Ionia mill had . . . — — Map (db m216310) HM
This tablet is dedicated to the memory of
Samuel Dexter · Erastus Yeomans · Oliver Arnold · Joel Guild · Edward Guild · Darius Winsor · and their families
and
Dr. William B. Lincoln · Winsor Dexter · Warner Dexter · Patrick M. Fox · Abram . . . — — Map (db m215982) HM
- Owner of the Ypsilanti Reed
Furniture Company in Ionia, the
world's largest reed furniture factory
and one of Ionia's largest employers
- Investor in many business
ventures in Michigan and beyond
- Graduate of the University of Michigan, . . . — — Map (db m216322) HM
Governor of Michigan, 1927-1931, Fred W. Green was born in Manistee in 1872 and grew up in Cadillac. A partner in the Ypsilanti Reed Furniture Co., he moved the business to Ionia in 1904. Attracted to politics, he served twelve terms as mayor of . . . — — Map (db m215975) HM
Captain Lucius Mills, a local builder, constructed this house for Frederick and Ann Hall in 1869-70. Built of variegated Ionia sandstone, the house is an outstanding example of the Italian Villa style. Frederick Hall came to Ionia County in 1837 . . . — — Map (db m215970) HM
In memory of Wm. H. Borden Post No. 211 Dept. of Mich. G.A.R.
In memory of Wm. H. Borden W.R.C. No. 28
Though we die
We shall live again — — Map (db m216313) WM
In Merritt’s Hall on January 24, 1859, the Reverend Isaac Errett and forty-three members signed the original charter of the Ionia Church of Christ (First Christian Church). The first church of this denomination had been founded in nearby Muir in . . . — — Map (db m215974) HM
Completed in 1885, the Ionia County Courthouse is the largest structure ever built of Ionia sandstone. The handsome three-and-a-half story courthouse replaced an 1840s hall of justice, which had become inadequate for the county’s needs. David W. . . . — — Map (db m215952) HM
Dedicated to the
Korean and Vietnam
veterans of Ionia
County who honorably
served and gave
their all for our
great country.
Korean Conflict 1950 - 1957
Clayton D. Adams - Ionia County •
Clifford C. Castle - Ionia County •
Robert L. . . . — — Map (db m216312) WM
Ionia was established in 1833 by Samuel Dexter. Originally, Dexter named the settlement Washington Center. The name was later changed to Ionia County Seat and then shortened to Ionia. In the mid-1800's, Dexter's home and sawmill stood near this site. — — Map (db m216326) HM
- Born in Ionia County in 1840
- Authorized to raise a company of the 6th Michigan Cavalry in 1862, and quickly rose to the rank of Colonel
- Succeeded Gen. George Armstrong Custer to command his Michigan Cavalry Brigade, then served under . . . — — Map (db m216321) HM
John C. Blanchard
John Celsus Blanchard (1822-1905) epitomizes the American “self-made man.” He left his home in Cayuga County, New York, at age fourteen, bound for the western frontier. Blanchard worked as a laborer in Detroit, Livingston . . . — — Map (db m215933) HM
• Julia Wheelock
(top center)
- One of the area's early school teachers
- Pioneering nurse during the Civil War
- Early advocate for nursing education
• Bertha Brock
(lower left)
- Ionia's premier historian
- Namesake of . . . — — Map (db m216323) HM
This artifact reflects the industrial past of
Ionia. A wide variety of industries,
including furniture manufacturing, a button
factory and industrial and automotive
suppliers, have operated in Ionia
throughout its history. — — Map (db m216325) HM
This one horse plow represents Ionia
County's agricultural past, an important
industry throughout local history. Farming
became especially profitable after the
railroads were built through Ionia, as it gave
the farmers a quicker and more . . . — — Map (db m216306) HM
• Samuel & Anna Dexter
(top center)
- Leader of the Dexter Colony that first
settled the village of Ionia in 1833
- A leading businessman in Ionia
• Erastus & Phoebe Yeomans
(lower left)
- Original settlers of the village
- . . . — — Map (db m216320) HM
The St. John’s Episcopal parish was established on February 4, 1841. Under the leadership of the Reverend Melancthon Hoyt, the parish constructed its first church, now the parish house, that same year. Built on land donated by Ionia’s founder, . . . — — Map (db m215973) HM
St. Johns Parish House
-Erected in 1841-
The first church in Ionia
moved from corner to
present site in 1881
-lot presented by-
Hon. Samuel Dexter
The founder of Ionia — — Map (db m215972) HM
This artifact recalls the importance of the
railroads to Ionia's growth. The first
railroad reached Ionia in 1857, and a
second was built in 1869. In 1871-72, the
Pere Marquette Railroad constructed a
roundhouse and shop in Ionia to . . . — — Map (db m216317) HM
Used for sharpening knives and other edge
tools, this whetstone reflects Ionia's
historical agricultural and meat processing
industries. The trough would have been
filled with water to keep the stone wet
while in use. — — Map (db m216309) HM
In 1856 the Reverend Isaac Errett organized Disciples of Christ congregations in Montrose- (present-day Muir) and Lyons. Membership grew quickly, and in 1861 this church was built to serve Muir. The board-and-batten Gothic Revival exterior masks a . . . — — Map (db m215375) HM
Dedicated to all men and women of the armed forces who honorably served their country. May wherever their shadows fall be in peaceful surroundings. — — Map (db m215917) WM
Dedicated to the men and women of Pewamo and vicinity who served in the armed forces in both World Wars
1917 - 1918
1941 - 1945 — — Map (db m215932) WM
City of Portland In 1833, Elisha Newman filed a federal land grant for extensive land around the Looking Glass and Grand Rivers that would later become the village of Portland. Early Ionia County histories state that Philo Bogue built a . . . — — Map (db m182786) HM
This steel beam recovered from the World Trade Center is dedicated to all of the people who lost their lives in the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 and to all of those who aided in the rescue and recovery efforts.
We Will Never . . . — — Map (db m189571) WM
In Honor Of All Who Have Served In
Operation Iraqi Freedom
Operation Enduring Freedom
Never Forget Those Who Have Made
The Ultimate Sacrifice
In Memory Of
LCPL David A Huhn, USMC — — Map (db m189572) WM
Lest we forget
Dedicated to all the men and women in the Portland area, past, present and future, who served or gave their lives in time of war to defend our great nation. — — Map (db m189573) WM
Railroads were vital to early residents for receiving goods and moving local produce to market. The first train into Portland arrived in November 1869. In 1881, in addition to freight trains, there were six passenger trains daily, three in each . . . — — Map (db m198483) HM
In 1836, when Saranac was settled, the upper Grand River Valley was a promising but undeveloped area. The soil was fertile; Lake Creek provided water power; and the river was navigable to Grand Rapids. The town grew slowly until 1857, when the . . . — — Map (db m55248) HM
Here on old U.S. 16 in Boston Township, Ionia County, the first picnic table along a highway right-of-way was placed in 1929 through the initiative of Allan Williams, county engineer. The table was built of salvage planks formerly used as . . . — — Map (db m55249) HM
Doubtless the oldest
cobble-stone school house
now standing in Michigan
Restored by
the board of supervisors
of Ionia County
in 1918 — — Map (db m216328) HM
In 1843 Calvin Smith became the first white settler in the area. N.G. Chase opened a store here the following year. When Dr. Wilbur Fisher, the area's pioneer physician, began operating a rural post office in 1848, he named the community Smyrna . . . — — Map (db m55244) HM
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
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