SAUGATUCK-DOUGLAS HISTORICAL SOCIETY | BOX 617 | DOUGLAS, MI 49406 | 269-857-5751 | www.sdhistoricalsociety.org DECEMBER 2008 LETTER FROM THE HOLIDAY PARTY PRESIDENT Dear SDHS Members, I was trying to write a SDHS parody to the story, The Night Before Christmas, but just couldn’t get it to rhyme the way it should and get the message across. Que Sera, Sera didn’t fit this time. I know that a newsletter in December is something that has not been done in the past, but we want to continue to keep the lines of communication open all year long. The Society is busy and many things are happening and much will be happening in 2009. I guess you could say this is a small historical event. The recent Holiday Party was a success and it was wonderful to see so many of you come out, in spite of the weather. A Thank You to everyone who helped plan the evening and to Mike Johnson and his hardworking staff at Coral Gables. SDHS continues to move forward and you should all have received your membership renewal information in the mail recently. We hope that you will mail your renewal back to us soon. Your membership is important to the success of the Society. If you did not receive one, please let us know by emailing us at [email protected] or calling the SDHS office at 269.857.5751. For those who have responded, we thank you. Now for a plug --- we are in need of volunteers to plan the 2009 St. Pat’s Pub Party. Many of our members are away during these cold winter months and those who remain are reluctant to take on such a project alone. I would like to suggest that teams of two or three volunteers work together on different aspects of the party. A team to work with Mike and his staff at Coral Gables, a team to work on the auction, a team to work on decorations, the mailing and tickets. These are just a few examples. If this sounds more manageable and you are willing to help and be a part of the party, please let me know. Everyone looks forward to the event every year. You may call me at 269.561.2305 or email me at [email protected]. We will provide a to-do list so that we don’t miss anything. On behalf of the Board I want to wish you all a wonderful holiday season and all the best in 2009. I personally wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Kathy Sturm Give a SDHS membership as a Christmas gift! "Your friends are the most likely new members of SDHS". It's easy - let's grow! Ed Kelly 09 SOCIETY CALENDAR The 2009 Society Calendar is now up on the Society's web site --- click HERE and be sure to stay current on what's happening this year. IMAGE BLOG In two months the image blog has been viewed by 115 different users. The average person looked at 15 pictures. As expected, most users are from the local area but the site has been viewed by people from Japan, the Netherlands and from U.S. states including Utah, South Carolina and Virginia. Click HERE to see what all the excitement is about on the Society's new Image Blog. If you need a little tutorial, click HERE to go to the Society's November 2008 Newsletter and scroll down toward the bottom. By comparison, over a two year period our Commercial Record on line archive has been visited 5,000 times. Those users viewed 45,000 Photos courtesy of Jane Schmidt pages of the paper. SINGAPORE LAST MINUTE HOLIDAY SHOPPING? Do it the easy way! Give Saugatuck-Douglas Historical Society books. History by Camera – Hard Cover $100 History by Camera – Soft Cover $30 To place your order, contact Fred Schmidt by Historic Marker located in front of Saugatuck City Hall REPLYING to this e-mail or by phone at 269- 857-1620. We accept cash, checks or credit cards. Looking for a fun outing over the holidays? Maybe it’s time to check out the Singapore and South Haven WANTED. WANTED. exhibits at the Kalamazoo Valley Museum. Located in the permanent history gallery on the second floor, the WANTED. Singapore exhibit tells the story of this boom-to-buried town at the mouth of the Kalamazoo River. The glory For upcoming 2008 Saugatuck-Douglas Historical years of South Haven as a Jewish summer resort are Museum’s 2000 Exhibition: "Summertime: A featured in an exhibit, too. Temporary exhibits on Century of Leisure and Fun on the Saugatuck Native American quilts from the Great Lakes region, area Lake Michigan Shore" – for loan, your and one about toys from the 50s and 60s are also worth photos, recollections, home-movies, memorabilia, your time. souvenirs, menus? theater programs? post cards? hotel items? sport equipment? fish photos and The Kalamazoo Valley Museum, at 230 N. Rose Street boat photos? a water ski? cottage stuff, period in downtown Kalamazoo just north of the Radisson, is beach toys, and so on. planning a complete overhaul of its history gallery, which is slated for completion in 2010. So you do have With particular interest in documenting the period some time to catch the Singapore and South Haven since 1940 – but we will take the subject back to exhibits. You might want to go soon, however, and the 1890s. Should be Saugatuck-Douglas area also take a walk through the holiday glitz of Bronson related. Park to the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts. Currently showing there is “Spared from the Storm”, a truly Contact Jim Schmiechen ASAP – 269.414.9199 wonderful exhibit of masterworks from the New or [email protected]. Your help Orleans Museum of Art, which runs until February 8th. will be greatly appreciated by the entire This traveling exhibit is helping the NWMA get back design/concept team of your museum. on its feet following Katrina and Kalamazoo is its only venue in the Midwest. Photos will be digitized and returned for quick loan turn around. Or would you like to join in Admission to the KVM and KIA is free. “Spared from plan/install/manage this exhibit? the Storm” tickets are $10 for non-members and $5 for members, although everyone pays $5 on Fridays. Check out www.kiarts.org and www.kalamazoomuseum.org for directions and schedules. Nancy Woods WHO IS THE OLDEST PERSON IN THE SAUGATUCK-DOUGLAS CEMETERIES? by Chris Yoder With the recent passing of SDHS stalwart Sylvia Randolph at the age of 103, the community loses not only a much beloved citizen; but also one of the oldest in the history of Saugatuck-Douglas. Who was the oldest? Saugatuck Township records show that a Lucy Picket died in 1882, is buried at Riverside Cemetery, and claims she was the "oldest age, 115 years old". These records also say '"VERY OLD AGE died at Saugatuck, somewhere in Potters field". This "fact" is supported by the entry in the Commercial Record at the time. She is also mentioned in an 1882 issue of THE PHRENOLOGICAL JOURNAL AND LIFE ILLUSTRATED, which cites her age at death as 115, followed by two gentlemen at 106, and others over 100. So was Lucy the oldest buried in Saugatuck? No! In fact she was not really 115 years old at all. The 1880 census shows that Lucy Picket, age 81 born New York, was living in Bear Lake Twp, Manistee Co., Michigan. She is shown as "adopted mother" in a household with John Montee, age 27, and his wife Caroline, age 26. The state of Michigan death records include a listing for: "Lucy Picket - Date of death: 22-Apr-1882; Place of death: Saugatuck, Allegan Co; County of Death: Manistee (sic); Sex: Female; Race: White; Marital Status: Widowed; Age: 84 years 3 months 16 days; Cause of Death: old age; Birthplace: New York; Occupation: Speculator." She rests someplace in the Riverside Cemetery Potter’s Field without a gravestone. There are, in fact, six individuals older than Sylvia in our local cemeteries, all at Riverside. The oldest of these is Mabel Dunseth Howson, who, with her husband Louis, summered at their Shorewood community cottage for over 70 years. Louis was the President of the Shorewood Association for over 50 years, and was a partner in the firm of Alvord, Burdick, and Howson. Mr. Alvord designed and put in the Saugatuck Water Works in 1904, and it was through him that the Howson family came to adopt Saugatuck as their yearly vacation spot. Mabel Howson and husband Louis Mabel at 103 years Those older than Sylvia (all at Riverside Cemetery) are: Howson, Mary Mabel - Block-C, R-S, L-3, Gr #1 (Jul. 25, 1888 -Sep. 2, 1993) (105y, 1m, 8d) Erickson, Lillian, - Block-8, R-28, L-17, Gr #1 (Aug. 16, 1895-Aug. 21, 2000) (105 years 5days) Wright, Edna Barr - Block 8, R-25, L-13, Gr # 5 (Jun. 23, 1900-Feb. 5, 2005) (104y, 7m, 13d) Edna Barr Wright Wagner, Frederick John - Block-7, R-28, L-9, Gr#1 (Aug. 4, 1859- Jan. 11, 1964) (104 y, 5m, 7d) Fred Wagner Konecy, Hazel Blanche - Block 1, R-OOE, L-5, Gr 2 (Mar. 24, 1900-Aug. 31, 2004) (104y, 5m, 7d) Thomas, Elizabeth - Block-1, R-2, L-8, Gr #1 (Jul. 1, 1891-Oct. 1, 1995) (104y, 3m) Centenarians younger than Sylvia, (at Riverside) were: Flack, Winifred - Block-1, R-H, L-6, Gr #3 (Sep.