Proposed Projects
The Evening Tribune and the Beach and Pier Safety projects should be enough to keep my very busy for quite a long time, but in the top of my head right now is the production of a good, thorough and accurate history of the Grand Haven piers. I have loads and loads of material on these famous structures and some really great ideas on how to present it.
Another consideration is a Grand Haven area 'then and now' picture project to serve as a gallery for the site.
Over the past eight years I have read every single Tribune on microfilm from 1891 up to 1917, indexing over 6000 articles. Half of these have been formatted into a searchable spreadsheet. I would like to finish recording these to the spreadsheet and include it on the site.
The historical booklet series will continue. The most requested topic is Grand Haven ghost stories. The next booklet may consist of Grand Haven ghost stories, strange phenomena and fascinating facts. Actually, I have enough of this material to make several such booklets.
I have a serious concern regarding the preservation of the fountain in the Grand Haven Central Park. The present fountain is not the same as the one constructed at the park's dedication in 1901. That fountain was purchased through a local hardware store. It was replaced by a much older fountain that was built in the front courtyard of the Sheldon Magnetic Mineral Springs in the early 1870s. It was moved to the Sheldon estate after the great fire of 1889 and then to the park. It used to have a conical cover to protect it from the winter elements, but nothing like that is being done now. It should be expertly inspected and condition assessed.
There has been a long on-going debate as to what exactly should crown the summit of Dewey Hill. Grand Haven has always held a premier reputation as a life saving community that goes far beyond its designation of Coast Guard City USA. A replica of a famous sculpture depicting an early US Life Saving Service crew launching a rescue boat would be appropriate.
This list could go on and on. There are six 100 year-old treasure search shafts on 5-Mile Hill that should be verified and marked. Actually state and federal laws require that they should be examined and marked as public safety hazards. There is a Native American cemetery beneath the present Chamber of Commerce extending along the riverfront at least to Clinton St. There are still bodies buried in Central Park that were never moved to Lake Forrest Cemetery. The basement of the old museum at the train depot could be transformed into an engine/boiler room representing those on the old steamships that plied our lake and harbor. There are a number of time capsules in downtown buildings. The magnetic mineral springs taps are beneath the Fifth Thirds Bank. There are scores of shipwrecks beneath the State Park. The possibilities involved here are endless and more ideas are constantly wondering into my mind.
Some of these projects require immediate attention. Others will be left for future generations.