The City of Colomas new water tower is a reminder that different structures of its type served our North Berrien communities in the past, begin-ning well over a century ago. The first water towers in this area were constructed alongside the train tracks by the Chicago & West Michigan Railway, which opened here in 1871. Steam locomotives needed their engines replenished with water at regu-lar intervals, so the first lines were equipped with elevated tanks no more than five miles apart.

Many Watervliet Towers In 1892 the Watervliet Paper Mill was built with a brick tower because it housed two 30,000 gal-lon water tanks one that fed sprinklers in case of fire and another that supplied water for paper-making. Other larger water towers were later added at the mill. Watervliets first village water system was built in 1916, with a steel water tower near the

southwest corner of St. Joseph and Main Street. On April 19, 1918, the Watervliet Record wrote The water tower in the park is being used by the kids as a place for trying Steeple-Jack stunts.

NORTH BERRIEN HISTORICAL SOCIETY NEWSLETTER

Vol. VI, No. 2 Hagar Bainbridge Coloma Watervliet Summer 2014

300 Coloma Ave./ P.O. Box 207, Coloma, Michigan 49038 www.NorthBerrienHistory.org

Water Tower Tales from North Berrien History

From Forest to Fruit Belt at the North Berrien Historical Museum is now open! We are proud to show off our recently renovated Nichols-Beverly Barn, just behind the main log cabin building, which is home to this new permanent exhibit. The exhibit im-merses you in the lumbering and agriculture industries that transformed the local landscape and created our modern communities. The barn is a nice cool spot to visit on a sunny day, or a fantastic spot to explore on any rainy day this summer! Highlights of the new dis-play include large-scale historic photos from the NBHS collection, an orchard mural painted by the Co-loma High School Art Club, ceiling-high murals by the Twin City Camera Club, video footage, and sig-nificant, authentic local artifacts that tell amazing sto-ries about the Fruit Belt.

Local Artifacts and Stories Shine in our Renovated Barn Exhibit

Continued on page 4 Continued on page 5

The Fruit Belt Series Our Home-grown Run/ Walk Challenge

Summer Exhibit: Watervliets Water Tower built in 1916 was 145 feet tall with a 55,000 gallon storage tank.

North Berrien Historical Society Board of Directors

Scott Young President Bennet Leedy 1st Vice President Kandyce Hays 2nd Vice President Cindy Young Secretary Shirley Boone Treasurer Marc Hettig Director Karin Miller Director Pauline Morris Director Sherry Polashak Director Tom Scheid Director Sally Williams Director

Staff Tracy Gierada Director / Curator Pauline Wendzel Director of Programs Derek Nightingale Office Manager

300 Coloma Ave. Phone: (269) 468-3330 P.O. Box 207 Fax: (269) 468-4083 Coloma, MI 49038 www.NorthBerrienHistory.org info@NorthBerrienHistory.org

The mission of the North Berrien Historical Society is to preserve and distribute information regarding the history of North Berrien County.

We wish to promote, encourage learning, and disseminate knowledge of the areas

cultural and architectural legacy.

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From the Directors Desk By Tracy Gierada

If you have not yet made a trip to the museum to check out our newest permanent exhibit From Forest to Fruit Belt, please keep it in mind as you plan your summer outings! This newsletter shares some images and information about the exhibit, and reviews some recent agriculture-related programs we held this spring to help introduce the new display (pages 6-7). NBHS also debuted a new website this spring at www.NorthBerrienHistory.org! Be sure youre signed up to receive our free E-News, a once-monthly e-mail reminder about upcoming events along with links to interesting local history stories. Check back often at the new website, as we plan to add pages including online exhibits and volunteer opportunities. This summer we have a line-up of truly exciting talks that will be held in the cool A/C of the museum, at some wonderful offsite locations, and

outdoors in the community. Our Summer Time Travelers programs are back again offering more fun for kids! And as always, look for us and our 1924 Dodge Truck at the Watervliet 4th of July Festival and the Glad-Peach Festival! We will debut a new portable outdoor exhibit at the festivals this year, featuring graphic design courtesy of NBHS member and artist Tom Allen. See you there!

North Berrien History Blog: NorthBerrienHistory.Blogspot.com

Twitter: Twitter.com/NBerrienHistory

Connect with NBHS Online!

Facebook: Facebook.com/NorthBerrienHistory

NBHS Millage placed on August 5 Ballot The North Berrien Historical Society has re-ceived approval for a ballot question to appear before voters on August 5, 2014, regarding the renewal of our millage funding. Our request for .25 mills is again being proposed in the cities of Coloma and Watervliet and the townships of Hagar, Coloma, Watervliet, and Bainbridge. We are again seeking a renewal for four years, 2014 through 2017 inclusive. The museum has informational pamphlets available providing more detail about the millage. We are also excited to share our 2014-18 Strategic Plan, which will guide NBHS towards achieving new goals over the coming years. To obtain copies, please stop in or give us a call at 468-3330.

New in the Gift Shop: By Benton Harbor native Ruth Wilkes

Tuesday, June 17, 7pm

What Lies Beneath: Treasures of Paw Paw Lake. An experienced diver and founding member of the Michigan UnderWater Divers (MUD) Club, Don Mac McAlhany will present a program on the underwater sights beneath the waters of Paw Paw Lake. McAlhany will discuss natural features and wreckage in Paw Paw Lake and show some of the treasures he has recovered during years of diving. The talk will also include details of changes in the lake since the cleanup project began. Free.

Saturday, July 5, 9am

Watervliet Cemetery Tour. During Watervliets Independence Day Festival, meet at the Watervliet Cemetery for a free historical tour. Fascinating stories of past residents will highlight a variety of local history topics. Free.

Tuesday, July 15, 7pm

A Trip on the West Michigan Pike. Former WMU professor Dr. John Geisler will present the history of the West Michigan Pike highway through slides of the current road. He will highlight sites along the route south of Ludington such as railroad depots, hotels, markers and other historical buildings. Free.

Sunday, July 20, 12pm

Bainbridge History Potluck. Bring a dish to pass (optional: make your favorite family recipe!) and meet at Bainbridge Township Hall for a potluck lunch and historical slideshow. Learn about the special history of Bainbridge and its people. Free.

Saturday, July 26, 10am

Hagar History Day. A Hagar Township history slideshow will be presented at Hagar Township Hall, followed by a 30 minute walking tour at Lake Shore Cemetery. Free.

Saturday, August 2, 9am

Coloma Cemetery Tour. During the Glad-Peach Festival, meet at Coloma Cemetery for a free historical tour. Interesting stories of past residents will highlight Glad-Peach history. Free.

Tuesday, August 19, 7pm

Michigan Boys in Blue. John Urschel will give a presentation on Berrien County soldiers experiences in the Civil War with an emphasis on North Berrien. He will trace three regiments throughout the war sharing individual stories through slides, music, videos and more. Free.

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Mark your Calendars! All events are at the North Berrien Historical Museum unless otherwise noted.

Seeking Saturday Volunteers NBHS is now scheduling volunteers to help out during our Saturday open hours through September. Volunteers will assist with exhibit tours and projects with our collection

(training provided). Mark your calendars for a Drop-In Guide Training in the New Barn Exhibit

Saturday, June 28, 10am to Noon Guide Training Books will be available and general tour

techniques discussed. To learn more or to sign up to volunteer, please call the museum at 269-468-3330.

Summer Time Travelers 2014 Here are the dates for our popular summer

programs for children! Please call the museum at 269-468-3330 to pre-register.

June 11 - Shared Waters June 25 - Pioneer Gold Rush

July 9 - Native Americans July 23 - Farm Fresh Foods of the Past

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In the exhibit, visitors will see lumbering tools, bobsleds, and maps that show the intensive cut-ting and use of the native forest over 150 years ago. See a windmill fan close-up and peek in to the barn of a farm homestead. Learn about our range of horse-drawn and engine-powered farm tools. Turn the power crank on a Hardie Spray Rig. The unique his-tory of fruit agriculture and packing are depicted through a 1934 Parrett Tractor, a commercial Fruit Grader, a 1924 Dodge Truck and other equipment used locally. Local video footage from the 1960s shows an apple grader in use, and compares it to a modern commercial apple grader. Throughout this region, farmers found great success growing fruit, but not without challenges. Many related ventures became important to the area including basket-making, fruit processing, farm supply, market exchanges, and fes-tive traditions. From Forest to Fruit Belt was funded in part by a Grant from the Michigan Humanities Council and a Grant from the Berrien Community Foundation. The Exhibit Team included Curator Tracy Gierada,

museum staff Pauline Wendzel and Derek Nightin-gale, and volunteers Scott Young, Cindy Young, Marc & Denise Hettig, Becky Freehling, Will Nich-ols, and Jerry Jollay. Graphic Design was generously provided by volunteer Joe Payovich. NBHS also owes special thanks to the follow-ing organizations and individuals: Watervliet Fruit Exchange, Twin City Camera Club, The Heritage Museum & Cultural Center, Coloma High School Art Club, Coloma High School Welding/ Career and Technical Education, Marys City of David Museum, Monte Package Company, Kaden Photography, Pat & Iva Nichols Family Mary Alyce Hettig Family Alma Arent, Bill Beverly Jr, David Brewer, Steve Campbell, Roger & Bertha Carter, Carabeth Culby, Edward & Donna Dill, Alexander DeFields, Kay & Ilsa Erickson, Mary Smith Erickson, Matt & Christina Gelder, Dave Gibbons, Dennis Hafer, Nylor Hartwig, Ernest Helbling, Marc & Denise Hettig, Fred Holden, Tim Hosbein, Robert & Claudia Jack-son, Walter Johnson, Irma Krieger, Sharron Krieger, Amy Koenigshof & family, Bud Lyndale, Charles Lu-

chies, James Lull, Kristen Maniscalco, Tom McCall, Don & Shirley Misek, Sam Monte, Fred Munchow, Barbara Nichols, Pat & Iva Nichols & family, Will Nichols, Belzora Bibs Page, Mr. & Mrs. Robert Paul, Matt Pay-ovich, Jackie Phillippi, Anthony Pi-raino, Joan Polaskey, Tony Postelli, Paul Pschigoda, James Schultz, Bill Shane, Emily Shoup, Robert Sonnen-berg, Alton & Millie Wendzel, James & Peggy Utterback, Matthew Utter-back, Ron Taylor, Gene Tillman, Cindy Young, Barry Winkel, George & Frances Wooley, Betty Wyman.

Continued from page 1

Page 5

The park later became the site of both Watervliet High School and the water tower, and the illicit climbing of the tower continued to be a trend for many years to come. The old wa-ter tower being climbed was even depicted in a carving at the 2005 Wa-tervliet Ice Sculpture Festival.

Jacobs Tower Hagar Township was home to an unusual private water tower in the dunes from about 1914 to 1928. It was built by Henry W. Jacobs on his lakeside summer estate known as Jacobia. In the late 1910s, the time of the first world war, a widespread but false local rumor held that it was a radio tower for German spies. The 110 foot tall wooden tower pumped water using an airplane engine to serve plumbing to the estates farm buildings and beachside swimming pool. Although it was a private residence, in the mid-1920s local residents were in-vited to Jacobia for a few gatherings open to the pub-lic, including the Fourth of July 1924. If one could climb the many exterior steps, it was said that the view from the top of Jacobs Tower was spectacular on

a clear day the ports at both St. Jo-seph and South Haven could be seen as well as miles of surrounding countryside.

Coloma Time Capsule Coloma was the first North Berrien village to develop a modern community water system. The towns early civic booster Dr. Wil-liam Baker organized a stock com-pany to build the first works in 1908, which began with a strong-flowing well a mile south of the village. The system was acquired by the village and enlarged over the following dec-ades. Appropriately, an early water tower sat in Baker Park before later being relocated to Kraemers Hill, or cemetery hill as it was also called.

Colomas most recent water tower was constructed in a major water and

sewer project in 1958. When it was being dismantled last summer, workers found some June 1958 newspa-pers stuck inside, attesting to the information on the plaque (below) attached to the tower. While the old water tower is now history, both the newspapers and the preserved plaque were donated to the museum by the City of Coloma.

Support NBHS and Save Big with a Super Book!

Continued from page 1

The 2014 Southwest Michigan Super Book contains valuable coupons to hundreds of local busi-nesses, restaurants, and services. When you purchase your Super Book here at the museum, a portion of the proceeds goes towards funding our community pro-

gramming! The price of the book is $38.95, which can be covered by just a few coupons alone. The museum also has the North County supplement available for an additional $2. The 2014 coupons are good until April 30, 2015.

Jacobs Tower on Lake Michigan

This plaque from Colomas old water tower reads Horton Elevated Tank, Capacity: 100,000 gallons, Height to

Bottom 60 feet, Year 1958, Chicago Bridge & Iron Com-pany, Steel treated by Horton Pickling Process

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Things have really been heating up at the mu-seum this spring. Hundreds of people have partici-pated in activities and programs, from an exhibit opening to speakers and school tours, we have had something for everyone to enjoy. We began our spring programs in March with a local legend: Chuck Nelson. The director of Sarett Nature Center for 43 years, Chuck shared with us how the center grew from its founding in the 1960s to serving tens of thousands each year. He entertained and educated us with slides and stories of Saretts im-mense achievements in providing education to all ages in our community over the past 50 years. In April we had perfect spring weather for our annual Spring Break Activity Day: A Day on the Old Farm. Over 350 children and adults enjoyed a glimpse of life on an old farm. They made their own scarecrow, experienced milking a goat, planted seeds to take home, tried traditional farm foods, made but-ter, learned about bee keeping, and participated in a square dance. Our 3rd-Tuesday night program German POWs on Local Farms was a huge success with over

80 people in attendance. The evening was a memora-ble one starting with a brief overview of POW camps in the area by Dr. Howard Poole. It continued with our local panelists Will Nichols, Alton Wendzel, and Herb Teichman sharing unique experiences and memories of POWs on their farms. The floor was then open to the audience where we heard many other up-lifting stories that everyone enjoyed. On a rainy May evening, 65 volunteers gath-ered at the museum to be recognized at our Volunteer Appreciation Dinner. Guests included many of our 2014 Youth Interns and family, along with NBHS Board Members and other volunteers who give hours of their time and talents to the museum each year. Volunteers enjoyed a delicious meal, a slideshow dis-playing pictures of all the events they had supported throughout the year, and a video made by the Youth Interns promoting our new exhibit. After a very long winter of hard work, our From Forest to Fruit Belt Exhibit Opening took place on May 20th. This new permanent exhibit high-lights authentic local artifacts from the lumbering and agricultural industries in Southwest Michigan. Over

Below L-R: 1. Mrs. Lakeshore Stacey Davis speaking at the From Forest to Fruit Belt Exhibit Opening. 2. Dr. Howard Poole starting off the German POW program and our panelists sitting beside him. 3. Countryside Academy 4th grade

visiting the museum for the first time and getting a sneak peek of the new exhibit.

A Spring Full of Activities Attracted All Ages to the Museum

A Day on the Old Farm Spring Break Activities. Above L-R, facing page: 1. Kids finding the needle in the haystack. 2. Volunteers and children learning to square dance. 3. Volunteer Denise Hettig teaches a visitor how to milk a goat.

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Individual ($15)

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Total Amount Enclosed: $________ Send your completed form along with your check to:

North Berrien Historical Society P.O. Box 207, Coloma, MI 49038

Family Donor ($50) Student ($8) Senior ($10)

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North Berrien Historical Society Membership Form

Benefits include: Quarterly Newsletter, Advance invite to special events, and Members-only opportunities

Please check desired annual membership level.

Memberships

Thank you for your support!

Donations

50 people stopped by for a first glimpse of the exhibit and to hear our keynote speaker Mrs. Lakeshore America 2014 Stacey Davis. Stacey and her husband have a 20 acre farm near Coloma where they work with their children to raise and preserve their own meat, fruits, and vegetables. Mrs. Davis is an advo-cate for small farm interests and spoke about her own family connections to both lumbering and farming as she commented on the new exhibit. She also encour-aged the importance of keeping that history alive both in museums and through the small farms that have traditionally fed our communities. We also kept busy at the museum this spring with many school tours. We visited Berrien Springs High School as well as Coloma Elementary for traveling trunk presentations on Native American life. In May, Coloma Elementary 2nd graders and Countryside Academys 4th grade students were excited to visit the museum and be one of the first classes to see the new exhibit. They all seemed very impressed by it. We look forward to seeing more new school groups begin to visit to learn from our exhibit, and developing more great programs for the space.

Sandra Garland Joan Polaskey Martin & Joanne Strebeck Robert & Elaine Gierada Charles & Shirley Boone John & Donna Janke

5. Volunteers Jessica Dibble and Blake Baiers

Virginia Warsko Tom Turner Joe Payovich Graphic Design Tom Allen Graphic Design Zicks Specialty Meats

Alice Mow Virginia Warsko David Scheuer James Lull Mary Melvin

4. Beekeeping Display by Kalamazoo Bee Club

One of our Thank-you Notes from Countryside Academy

Hagar Bainbridge Coloma Watervliet www.NorthBerrienHistory.org

NONPROFIT ORG U.S. POSTAGE

PAID Watervliet, MI Permit No. 29

Newsletter - Summer 2014

P.O. Box 207, Coloma, MI 49038 Temp-Return Service Requested

Summer 2014 Talks* *See inside for location details!

June 17, 7pm What Lies Beneath: Treasures of Paw Paw Lake

July 15, 7pm A Trip on the West Michigan Pike

July 20, 12pm Bainbridge History Potluck

July 26, 10am Hagar History Day

August 19, 7pm Michigan Boys in Blue

Free Admission

Summer Open Hours Tuesday-Saturday,

10am-4pm

The Fruit Belt Series: Our Home-grown Run/Walk Challenge

Summer Exhibit June 6 - Sept. 30 Look for the New NBHS Exhibit at Glad-Peach Fest!