Name/Title
Street names: Gay, Elizabeth, River, Park, Simonson, HerbertEntry/Object ID
2025.13.01Scope and Content
Single-page, laser-print of a short "Meanderings" essay by Kirke White titled "What's In a Name" that tells the story behind many of the street names on the north side of Saugatuck.Context
Meanderings
What's In a Name
By Kirke White
When I was a schoolboy, I spent my entire summers at my grandmother's cottage on Gay Street. Gay Street was a dead end two-rut road off the north end of Butler Street and named for the village founder, William Gay Butler. In about 1971 the village fathers decided to honor long term public works superintendant Harry Newnham with a street and renamed Gay Street Newnham Street. I remember Harry in his pith helmet doing everything needing done, including the water system (before Kal Lake Authority).
Much more recently, Elizabeth Street caused confusion. The section along the Mildred Peterson Preserve was considered an extension of Elizabeth Street farther up the hill, but it was in no way aligned or connected. The city fathers decided to end that confusion by honoring long time public works director Bruce Simonson and renaming the lower section Simonson Drive. We now have two streets named after long-time public works directors.
But I couldn't end this tale without mentioning another street name change. When I was young, the road along the other side of the river was called River Avenue.
Apparently this caused some confusion with Water Street on this side of the river, so River Avenue was renamed Park Street quite a while ago. The only problem with this was we already had a Park Street. It was a little short block that ran down from Holland Street to the now Simonson Drive. Since the Maury Herbert family lived on the corner at that time, the old Park Street was renamed Herbert Street. Now many years later, Bruce had just retired and Scott Herbert has replaced him as public works director. I kid Scott that two of his predecessors had to work for many years to get a street named after them, but he got one automatically. I found out from Scott that Maury Herbert, an adult I had known when I was little, was his great-grandfather. What's in a name!Collection
Transportation: highway and road infrastructureCataloged By
Winthers, SallyAcquisition
Accession
2025.13Source or Donor
Bella, Victor "Vic"Acquisition Method
Donation, unconditionalArchive Details
Creator
White, H. Kirke 1931-2019Date(s) of Creation
circa 2019Location
Box
064 Writings by local peopleRelationships
Related Person or Organization
Person or Organization
Butler, William Gay 1799-1857, Newnham, Harry W. 1891-1970, Kalamazoo Lake, Water & Sewer Authority, Mildred A. Peterson Nature Preserve & Interurban Trail, Simonson, Bruce, Herbert, Maurice W. 1906-1971, Herbert, ScottCreate Date
April 28, 2025Update Date
April 28, 2025