Pump House Michigan Historic Site Application Research

Object/Artifact

-

Saugatuck Douglas Historical Society

2022: Cast metal Michigan Historic Site marker number L2284 documenting the history of the Saugatuck Pump House. The site entered the national registry in 2015 and the single-post marker was erected in 2016 in the category Industry and Invention (1875-1915)
2022

Cast metal Michigan Historic Site marker number L2284 documenting the history of the Saugatuck Pump House. The site entered the national registry in 2015 and the single-post marker was erected in 2016 in the category Industry and Invention (1875-1915)

Name/Title

Pump House Michigan Historic Site Application Research

Entry/Object ID

2022.60.01

Description

Thick stack of forms, documentation, plans and paperwork to support the Saugatuck-Douglas History Center's application on behalf of the Saugatuck Pump House for registration as a Michigan Historic Site. To view/download application, see CatalogIt "Place" profile for Pump House. The marker application was created by James Schmiechen and Richard E. Donovan and reviewed by R.O. Christensen, Ml SHPO.

Context

Marker text: Saugatuck Pump House: The village of Saugatuck built this structure in 1904 to house the community’s first water pumps. The building’s construction cost about $720. The pumps were part of a water system designed by John W. Alvord, an engineer from Chicago. The two gas-powered pumps brought water from seven wells up to a 100,000-gallon reservoir, located at the top of Lone Pine Dune, just north of Mt. Baldhead. Gravity fed the water through pipes under the Kalamazoo River to Saugatuck’s buildings and fire hydrants. Saugatuck Pump House: In 1912 the Pump House was doubled in size to make room for the village’s first electric power station. By the 1930s, the pumps and power station could no longer keep up with demand, and the village built new facilities elsewhere. The building was vacant until 1972 when it was converted into a summer cottage that Dr. William Shorey and his family rented. In 1992 the Saugatuck-Douglas Historical Society began using it as a museum. The Pump House was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 2015.

Cataloged By

Winthers, Sally

Acquisition

Accession

2022.60

Made/Created

Date made

2015 - 2016

Dimensions

Dimension Description

The actual historic marker

Height

36 in

Width

24 in

Location

Box

063 Museum Development 1992-present

Relationships

Related Person or Organization

Person or Organization

Saugatuck-Douglas History Museum/Shorey Cottage/Pump House

Person or Organization

Donovan, Richard, Schmiechen, James A., Wagenaar, Larry J., Historical Society of Michigan (1874-), Michigan Historical Commission, Alvord, John Watson 1861-1943

Create Date

July 28, 2022

Update Date

February 7, 2023