The first stop on our Great Lakes cruise was in Muskegon, Michigan. Here, we took a tour of the city and stopped at some of the major historical sits around town. My favorite stop was at the Hackley and Hume Historic homes. These two elaborate Queen Anne style homes have been restored to their original 1880's glory and they are stunning!
Our group was divided into two smaller groups and we took turns touring each of the houses. My gourd began with the Hume Home, which is the simpler of the two, it is more practical and was built to house a large family with lots of children.
Thomas Hume (1848-1920) arrived in Muskegon from Ireland in 1870. In 1872, he joined Charles Hackley's lumber firm as a bookkeeper. In 1881 Charles Hackley and Thomas Hume became partners in the very successful lumbering firm of Hackley and Hume.
In 1887, Hackley purchased a series of lots on the corner of Webster and Sixth. He immediately sold one and one-half of these lots to Thomas Hume, and then constructed his own house on these lots. Hume engaged architect David S. Hopkins (who also designed Hackley's house) to design his home. It was completed in 1888.
I loved the patterns on the wallpapers
Next, we toured through the Hackley house, which is much more ornate. The elaborate 13-color exterior paint scheme has been reconstructed from the original tones and the windows are a mix of shapes, including horseshoe and round; some are made from French plate glass and decorated with stained glass.
Walking into this home was like walking into the past. From floor to ceiling, this home is marvelously detailed and ornate. I have no doubt you could spend hours looking at the beautiful carvings which adorn ever post, rack, drawer, and beam. When you consider this is all hand-carved, it makes the level of craftsmanship and artistry that much more impressive to behold.
The stained glass windows in this house were cause for major heart eyes, they are gorgeous.
I love when ceilings are painted or covered in wallpaper, it is such a fun, unexpected way to decorate a room.
After our time in Muskegon and the Hackley and Hume homes, we drove to Holland, Michigan. Holland was founded by Dutch Americans, and is in an area that has a large percentage of citizens of Dutch American heritage.
While in Holland, we visited Windmill Island, a park that is home to the 251-year-old windmill, De Zwaan (which means "the swan"), the only authentic, working Dutch windmill in the United States.
In 1964, the City of Holland purchased the windmill De Zwaan from a retired miller in the town of Vinkel in the province of Noord Brabant, the Netherlands. The windmill was shipped from the Netherlands to the port of Muskegon, Michigan, then was brought by truck from Muskegon to its present location on Windmill Island. Reconstruction of the mill began in 1964 and the park opened in April 1965. The island, formerly farmed by Henry F. Koop, was chosen because of the favorable wind conditions there.
De Zwaan is also home to the first Dutch-certified miller in America AND the first woman admitted into the Dutch Miller's Guild.
In 2006 when Aliza Crawford traveled to the Netherlands, and decided to further her training as a miller. After much discussion, the Dutch Mill Society approved her to enter its training program. After studying two large books, all in Dutch, she passed the exam, becoming the first Dutch-certified miller in the Americas.
In 2009, a Dutch miller came to Holland, MI to review the DeZwaan mill and determine whether Crawford would be admitted into the Dutch Miller’s Guild.
“I was the first woman to be admitted,” she said. “There were 25 Dutchmen and myself when I was admitted. I think that it takes somebody really special and unique to fully embrace this and really want to do it as a profession, but I hope that we do see a further increase in the future, and maybe in some way, through my own journey and my choices that I’ve made in life, I can be an example and a role model for other women and young girls; and if I can, then it’s a life well-lived.”
There are so many fascinating people in this world, and I love learning about them!
The park also includes about 36 acres of gardens, each year Windmill Island Gardens hosts approximately 55,000 tourists, most of whom come during May when they have the Tulip Time Festival. Over 100,000 tulips are planted on the island each year in beautiful gardens filled with flowers summer through autumn. In addition to the windmill, the park includes replicas of several historic buildings in the Netherlands.
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