Holland Area Historical Society connects generations through stories of the past

This is part of the Shore Stories: Life Along the Lakeshore series, which includes columns by local and former residents about how people are making a difference along the Lakeshore.

What makes a community a good place to live? Along the Lakeshore, the answer can be found in the people who volunteer their time, the organizations that care for their neighbors, the groups that protect our natural resources, and the many individuals who work to make life better for others.

Some make a difference by meeting immediate needs. Others enrich our lives through education, culture, recreation, and opportunities to connect with one another. Others help us understand and appreciate our communities’ history.

The Holland Area Historical Society is among those organizations making a difference by preserving and sharing the stories of our past.

History is all around us. It lives in the buildings we pass, the traditions we continue, the businesses that have served generations, and the stories handed down within families. Yet, without people and organizations committed to preserving those stories, much of our community’s heritage could be forgotten.

The Holland Area Historical Society helps keep that heritage alive through educational programs and presentations that explore the people, places, and events behind the area’s development. Its six presentations each season offer opportunities for local history enthusiasts and curious community members to learn more about the place they call home.

Understanding our community

This season is the society’s 60th year of helping residents learn about earlier generations and their roles in the community’s culture, faith, and industrial growth.

These programs do more than look backward. They help us understand how our communities developed, how earlier generations responded to challenges, and how their efforts contributed to the Lakeshore we know. They also bring people together through a shared interest in learning and discovery.

In a world that often focuses on what is new, there is value in remembering what came before. Knowing our history gives us a stronger sense of place and a greater appreciation for the people whose efforts helped build our communities.

This season’s programs offer several ways to make those connections. They explore the waterways that carried commerce, a church building that became a theater, the experiences of wartime families and soldiers, and a sacred site whose history reaches back thousands of years.

Making a difference takes many forms. Sometimes it means lending a helping hand. Sometimes it means protecting a treasured place. And sometimes it means making sure the stories of yesterday will be available to inspire and inform the generations of tomorrow.

Along the Lakeshore, all of these efforts matter. The Holland Area Historical Society’s part is to keep our local history a living part of our community, remembered, shared, and valued for years to come.

Discover the 2026-27 programs

The season opened Oct. 12 with Valerie VanHeest’s Great Lakes Shipwrecks. The presentation explored 12 historic shipwrecks that trace the development of commercial transportation on the Great Lakes during its first 250 years.

Five programs remain, each offering another opportunity to discover the stories of our region:

• Nov. 9: History of the HCT, presented by Laurie Van Ark. Follow the 67-year history of the Holland Community Theatre and its building, which dates to 1889, when it began as Grace Episcopal Church.
• Feb. 8: Life on the Home Front, presented by Deb Wake. Learn about the many changes World War II brought to the United States and locally in Holland, including rationing, scrap drives, prisoners of war, sports, entertainment, and local stories of the war effort.
• March 8: Sacred Cemetery: The Norton Mounds, presented by Katrina Furman. Explore the 2,000-year-old Norton Mounds site along the Grand River, a sacred place for the West Michigan Anishinaabek.
• April 12: When Gangsters Came to West Michigan, presented by Jeanette Weiden. Discover how bank robberies in Holland and Grand Haven during the 1930s were tied to the criminal activities of Eddie Bentz and his associates.
• June 14,: Heroes of the Civil War, presented by Dave Broene. Hear stories of the unsung heroes of the 25th Michigan Infantry during the Civil War.

You are invited

If you enjoy learning about the history of our community, the Holland Area Historical Society welcomes you to join us. Programs are free and open to everyone.

We meet from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. on the second Monday of October, November, February, March, April, and June at Pillar Church, 57 E. 10th St. in Holland, at the corner of Ninth Street and College Avenue. Enter through the northeast glass door, which has an automatic opener and no steps.

Come discover stories about the people and events that contributed to our Lakeshore heritage. We look forward to seeing you!

Photos courtesy of Bette Johnson

Bette Johnson is a member of the Holland Area Historical Society. For more information about HAHS, contact the group at hollandahs@gmail.com or P.O. Box 1874, Holland, MI 49422-1874.