Historic Sites— Explore the rich history of Grand Rapids fertile region where covered bridges still stand and historic homes are a part of the downtown fabric. Home to one of Frank Lloyd Wright’s historical homes that you can tour, Grand Rapids is also known for its Dutch ancestry. Michigan’s West Coast has authentic Dutch heritage museums as well as historic museums profiling shipping, lumber and furniture industries of long ago. Travel to the nearby lakeshore for maritime history and experience a close-up view of some amazing lighthouses on Lake Michigan.

Bridges

Stroll through history on picture-perfect covered bridges:

• Ada Covered Bridge, rebuilt to its 1850s-era glory with the help of Ada's Amway Corporation.
• Fallasburg Covered Bridge, on the National Historic Register and one of only three Michigan covered bridges open to vehicle traffic.
• Bowen Mills Bridge, a scale replica on a 19-acre pioneer village that also houses an 1864 Grist & Cider Mill, a 17-foot Water Wheel, and much more.

Historic Homes

See where and how we lived in times past:

• Heritage Hill Historic District, adjacent to downtown Grand Rapids, includes 1,300 homes dating from 1848; take a self-guided walking tour see more than 60 architectural styles.


The Voigt House



Wright's Meyer May House

• Voight House Victorian Museum is an opulent 1895 home preserved with original furnishings and personal possessions.
• Meyer May House is a dazzling restoration of a 1908 Frank Lloyd Wright prairie-style home.
• Cappon House & Settlers House Museums showcase the "upstairs-downstairs" division of late 1800s life in Holland - one is an Italianate mansion built by a rags-to-riches Dutch immigrant, the other is a simple working-class home.
• Hackley & Hume Historic Site includes two Queen Anne homes built in the 1880s by two of Muskegon's most prominent lumber barons.

Dutch Heritage

Explore the lifestyles of our Dutch ancestors:

• Dekker Huis/Zeeland Historical Museum, in an 1876 home, tells fascinating stories of Dutch settlers and fine furniture-makers.
• Dutch Village is a 10-acre theme park recreating a 19th-century Netherlands village - complete with a towering 25-bell carillon and wooden shoe factory.
• Windmill Island is a 30-acre park featuring a working Dutch windmill, antique carousel, miniature Netherlands village and more.

Lighthouses

Michigan has more lighthouses than any other state, including:

Grand Haven Lighthouse

• Grand Haven Lighthouse is a fire-engine red, 51-foot cylindrical tower on a walkable pier at Grand Haven State Park.
• Holland Harbor Lighthouse, aka "Big Red," is a three-story building with twin gables and diamond-paned windows.
• Muskegon South Pier Lighthouse, built in 1903, is a red tower topped with a parapet and lantern room.

Maritime History

Chart a course for Lake Michigan lore:

• Great Lakes Naval Memorial & Museum features a real WWII submarine, a Prohibition-era Coast Guard cutter and more.
• SS Milwaukee Clipper is a historic 361-foot passenger and package freight steamer restored to her former glory to serve as a museum.
• Keewatin Maritime Museum lets you tour a 1907 coal-burning overnight passenger steamship that sailed the Great Lakes.

Museums

Delve into specific eras, industries and avocations:

• Public Museum of Grand Rapids offers world-class exhibitions on history, nature, cultural heritage, Native Americans and more - stroll a 19th-century Grand Rapids cityscape, ride a 1928 carousel and eat in the cafe overlooking the river.
• Gerald R. Ford Museum pays tribute to the life and times of our 38th president, a Grand Rapids native.
• Engine House No. 5 is an antique fire station displaying 19th-century firefighting equipment.
• Coopersville Farm Museum focuses on rural, agricultural and farm life.
• Coopersville Historical Museum, a former train depot, features railroad memorabilia, a century-old sawmill, and more.
• Tri-Cities Historical Museum in downtown Grand Haven occupies the former Grand Trunk railroad depot built in 1870.
• Holland Museum offers a crash course in lakeshore history from the arrival of Dutch settlers in 1847.
• Gilmore Car Museum displays more than 175 antique, classic and collector cars in a rural country setting.
• Saugatuck/Douglas Historical Society Museum, housed in an old pump house at the foot of Mount Baldhead, showcases the unique character of these two resort villages.
• Fire Barn Museum, a replica of an 1890s fire station, salutes the heroic tradition of firefighting.
• Muskegon County Museum preserves the history of Muskegon County with collections of Native American artifacts, household items, toys and games, animals, shells, rocks and minerals.

News from Rapid Growth

Aquinas College celebrates first century of Holmdene house

May 14, 2008

By: Deborah Johnson Wood

The venerated old manor house anchoring Grand Rapids’ Aquinas College campus celebrates its first 100 years this Saturday. The celebration features tours of the mansion, the historic gardens and the showing of a circa 1930 film of the estate.

The landmark, called Holmdene after “holm,” a type of oak tree, and “dene,” Old English for “estate,” was the home of Edward (1860-1938) and Susan Blodgett Lowe (1865-1931). Edward Lowe was the grandson of Richard Edward Emerson Butterworth, a pioneer in the gypsum/plaster industry and co-owner of the Butterworth and Lowe Iron Works with Edward’s British-born father, James Lowe.

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RG TV: Jammin on Wealthy Street

February 13, 2008

Dozens of local musicians and bands gathered this week at the Wealthy Theatre for the 9th Annual WYCE Jammie Awards. Vlogger Andy Dragt compiled this sample of the sights and sounds. 

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$1.6M renovation of Heartside's Ladies Literary Club building well underway

January 9, 2008

By: Deborah Johnson Wood

The $1.6 million renovation of the 121-year-old Ladies Literary Club at 61 Sheldon SE, Grand Rapids, is far from completed. But that hasn't stopped the owner, Calvin College, from hosting concerts and other events in the historic auditorium.

One of those events is Calvin's renowned January Series, which runs through January 23. The Ladies Literary Club is one of 12 new venues around the country hosting live web casts of the January Series—a technological event that Series organizers added this year.

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Finding Founders

December 12, 2007

Bringing dying urban neighborhoods back to life requires a convergence of creative people, smart policies, and plenty of money. A good brewery doesn't hurt either.

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Grand Rapids foundation prepares for $4.5M renovation of Anheuser-Busch building

November 28, 2007

With 17,000 square feet of usable space the organization will have room to hold conferences and seminars, donor events, and expanded office space—they now have 7,000 square feet.

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See all 18 articles.