After millwrights discover major structural issues, a multi-million dollar restoration project returns the windmill to working order. The project was made possible by community donations both large and small.
The third ‘Dutch treasure’ arrives at Windmill Island. A children’s carousel is purchased from owners in the province of Groningen and brought to West Michigan.
After several years of work, permission is granted to relocate the windmill ‘de Zwaan’ to the United States in 1964. It is taken down in the Netherlands and re-erected in Michigan that winter.
The City of Amsterdam donates the ‘Four Columns’ street organ to the City of Holland. The gift recognizes gifts and support of the community to the motherland following World War II.
The first Tulip Time festival was held in Holland. The idea originated with Lida Rogers, a local schoolteacher, who suggested planting tulips to honor the area’s Dutch heritage.
The City of Holland is founded by a group of Dutch settlers including Rev. Albertus van Raalte. The group was the first of thousands of Dutch to arrive in West Michigan over the next several decades.
