Name/Title
Edna Boyce letter to Mary HotrumEntry/Object ID
2016.27.07Scope and Content
A letter written in 1923 by Edna Boyce to Miss Mary Hotrum of Allegan describing daily life in Saugatuck. It mentions the stairs at Mt. Baldhead, a "ride" to Jenison and Macatawa and a movie at the Pavilion.
The front of the envelope is a copy of a postcard image which was popular at the time showing the town from Mt. Baldhead and two large ships possibly the North or South America and the Alabama. The words "Saugatuck, Michigan's Greatest Summer Resort and Golf, Dancing, Tennis, Bathing, Boating, Fishing, Good Motoring" appear on the top of the image.
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Letter to a Friend [the SDHC newsletter insert, pg 85-85]
Sometimes a simple letter can give a wonderful slice of an era. This short letter dated May 13, 1923, was brought to the museum recently by Mike and Marcia Raleigh of Indianapolis, Indiana, who picked it up in a Cincinnati, Ohio, antique store. The envelope bore the return address of the Fruit Growers State Bank and had a color picture that covered the entire non-address side showing a view of the town from Baldhead with the Georgian Bay boats North American and South American tied up near the Big Pavilion. The recipient was Miss Mary Hotrum of Allegan and the writer was Edna Boyce whose career at the bank, later Citizens Bank and Trust, still later Shoreline Bank, spanned more than 50 years.
Saugatuck, Mich. May 13, 1923
Dear Mary:
Thought I'd try to write you a few lines tonight before going to bed.
I intended to tell you when I saw you last Saturday how you folks would find me when you came down. I'd be very glad to have you come down next week Thursday night. It isn't likely you'll get here before I leave the bank and so follow the main street five blocks out from the bank. It's one block beyond where the paved road turns toward Holland and you turn to the right and it is the second house on the left hand side of the road. It is a white house. That's about as near as I can tell you. I guess probably you'll be able to find your way into Saugatuck and the bank is right on the main street. I suppose you're still on fast time there, so by that you'll gain an hour in coming here.
There's nothing much going on here week nights unless they should happen to begin their movies here daily as the papers said they were to do later. They have just been open on Sat. nights until now and they have shows Sat and Sunday nights.
Miss Baker and I went to see "Freckles" Barry in "Penrod" last night and I thought it was never going to end.
It seems as if I had been on the go ever since I got up this morning. I went to the store for milk, came back and then went down again to church, after dinner, some friends of Miss Baker's came down and we went for a long ride out to Jenison and Macatawa and back again. It seemed that everybody was out today. There seemed so many cars on the road. After we got back, Miss Baker and I went for a long walk and by the time I got back I thought I was about dead. I don't walk enough during the week so that when I take a long walk I notice it more, but I'll probably get used to it before long.
How did you like the snow storm? Some snow, wasn't it? Baldhead has sure been popular today. There have been people up on it all day.
Well there's nothing else to write of, I hope to see you folks then a week from Thursday night.
With love EdnaContext
Edna Boyce would have been 20 years old when she wrote this letter and apparently was living in the home of Miss Baker, even in 1923 single women did not simply "get an apartment. " The directions to the Baker house reflect the turns in the road to Holland that were present prior to the building of the sweeping curve during the road construction of 1935-36. The movie theater at the Big Pavilion was sometimes open weekends in May and September, but during the summer was open daily, with a daily change of feature. Edna's Sunday afternoon drive took them to Jenison Park on the southwestern edge of Lake Macatawa where there was an electric amusement park, and to the summer cottage settlement of Macatawa nearby. Snow occasionally occurs, but is rare, in Saugatuck in MayCollection
1880 Tourism steamship era -1930, Transportation: water, Letters and correspondenceCataloged By
Voss, MaryAcquisition
Accession
2016.27Source or Donor
Found in the SDHS/SDHC collectionAcquisition Method
DonationArchive Details
Creator
H.C. Simonson & Co. PublishersDate(s) of Creation
1923Location
Filing cabinet
Files Accession NumberGeneral Notes
Note
Notes: Donated by Mike and Marcia Raleigh of Indianapolis, IN (no date)
Status: OK
Status By: Mary Voss
Status Date: 2016-09-07Create Date
September 7, 2016Update Date
November 9, 2023
