Northside Holland History

Holland City News - Thursday September 1, 1910
Pickle season is upon us, and with it brings research into our area’s storied past of pickle cultivating, harvesting, and transporting.

The G. Garvelink in this incident may be Gerrit Garvelink (1839-1918) who is laid to rest in Pilgrim Home Cemetery.

Holland City News - October 22, 1970

Vernin (Vern) Veldheer, founder of Veldheer Tulip Gardens, died July 20 at age 100. See link below ⬇️

📸 Provided by Veldheer Tulip Gardens

Interesting news from the historic Waukazoo Woods neighborhood, it seems the 40 year old historical marker has been removed to be updated in a way that more accurately describes the area in a two-sided plaque. The problem it seems, is that the HOA took the opportunity to place a large sign for the subdivision. The marker had previously served as the signage for the subdivision and been accepted as such by many.

The updated historical marker will sit a little ways down from the new sign.

Holland City News - Thursday March 18, 1976
Evidence of the beginnings of a tornado on Holland’s North Side

Leonard Bareman was born to Egbert and Elizabeth Bareman in 1886. He served in the Polar Bears in WWI on the Russian front, sending home letters to his girlfriend Cora Ter Beek and marrying her after arriving back home. Leonard went to work for his father’s dairy and couple became the parents of two daughters, Esther and Carolyn.

In mid-March of 1940 the Bareman’s and neighboring families were dealing with a scarlet fever outbreak. James Bareman, Leonard’s younger brother died on March 21, 1940 and Leonard himself died 33 hours later on March 23. The family and five others were isolated and precautions were taken to reduce the risk for the dairy employees and customers. Another brother, Gerrit Bareman and Esther Bareman were also sick but recovered.

James Bareman left behind his wife Lucy Steketee Bareman and two daughters, Elizabeth and Martha.

The Bareman farms were located on Riley near the intersection at 132nd. Photos from Holland Museum’s collection.

Anthonie Vanderkolk’s farm was across from present day West Ottawa High School’s North Building - just north of Pine Creek Corners.

This interesting snippet from The Holland City News published January 9, 1892 recounts Anthonie’s sizable inheritance from his brother in the Netherlands that made it possible for him to move out of the County Infirmary and Poor House in Eastmanville and return to his farm.

Inflation calculators put the value of his inheritance at over $30,000 today.

Silas Sills would have been a familiar face for residents of Holland as early as the 1870’s, as he ventured daily over the picturesque River Avenue Bridge for business downtown just like many Northsiders in his day. He was no stranger, he was born out East and he had learned phrases in Dutch to help him prosper here. What set Sills apart though, was that he was a Black man at a time when Holland had a population of just one Black resident.

Accounts of Silas Sills say he arrived in Holland in 1873 from New Brunswick, New Jersey or New York - at least the year is seemingly confirmed in The Holland City News concerning the 16th anniversary of his arrival - in the article he quipped that he came here “broke” and has since held his own, but always been “busted”.

We find evidence of Sills in Holland for the first time in the 1880 Census living with the prominent and respected attorney Manly D. Howard. This home would have been a stately home on a North ridge of Lake Macatawa. Howard had ample ties out East and could very well have met Sill’s acquaintance on one of his numerous trips - at this point, Howard’s eyesight was failing rapidly if he wasn’t already blind and he would have needed a trusted helper.

Following his work with the Howard’s, Silas had found employment operating the complementary bus for the Holland City Hotel. The bus ran from the train depot to the location of The Warm Friend and according to oral history, Silas even learned Dutch to communicate with newcomers and visitors.

In 1885, Sills was the first to raise the alarm at about 4:30 in the morning after finding a wounded man near the hotel barns - saving his life. He also helped foil a robbery in during his employment at the hotel.

When 102 year old pioneer Anthonie Vanderkolk died, Silas moved to his “sand farm” just north of Pine Creek Corners. Today, this land is across from West Ottawa High School’s North Buiding. It is there we find him as a boarder on the 1900 US Census living with the Vanderkolk widow, an unmarried adult daughter, and a 9 year old granddaughter - all three generations going by the name Jinnie.

Silas died May 12 1907 of Asthma and emphysema at the Vanderkolk farm, Miss Jennie Vanderkolk was the informant on his death certificate. Two days later, Silas was laid to rest at Pilgrim Home Cemetery in a now unmarked grave with the Wesleyan Methodist Pastor Allen R. Merrill conducting the service.

No relatives for Sills could be found at the publishing of his death notice in The Holland City News on May 17, 1907. His life before co ming to Holland is still being researched, but the story of a valued early Black Northside resident deserves to be told and celebrated.

Look at this great 1970’s era map of North Side, Including a proposed I96! Uploaded by user Then_Drag8570 to Reddit and also obrought to Hope to be scanned for preservation.