This is part of the Shore Stories: Life Along the Lakeshore series, which includes columns by local and former residents about their lives.
My story of the Warm Friend Tavern begins in 1624, long before a single brick was laid. The northeast corner of Eighth Street and Central Avenue did not exist and was a true wilderness occupied by a small band of Native Americans.
Travel in Michigan was by water and nearly every point where a river emptied into Lake Michigan you could find a small tribal village. Without a written language for reference, we can assume the small villages were visited by French trappers and traders prior to 1624. Written records for our area began about 1650 when a group of French clerics mapped the rivers along the Lake Michigan shoreline. During my research I found a reference to a creek called "Frenchman's Creek" located east of Holland and flowing into Black River (now the Macatawa River).
The last major treaty with local tribes was in 1836 and it opened up the remaining lands north of the Grand River for settlement. Michigan became a state in 1837 and people were pouring in and investing in cheap land for a fast profit.
The year 1836 appears to be a pivot-point for the Holland colony as well. Albertus Van Raalte was married to Christiana Catharina De Moen in the Netherlands. The area around Holland was being settled and land speculators were acquiring property at a rapid rate. Saugatuck was settled in 1830 and the village was platted in 1833.
The nearby but now-buried town of Singapore was founded in 1836 and lasted as a commercial center until the 1870s. The town of Superior was founded and platted in 1836 and was located on both sides of Black (now Macatawa) Lake in Waukazoo on the north and Central Park on the south. It had a post office, sawmill, homes and a factory for ship building.
Rise and fall of settlements
Bad economic times and the death of its founder caused it to be abandoned after a few years. Port Sheldon was founded in 1836 and also folded after a few short years. Grand Haven, Allegan, New Richmond (where the Rabbit River flows into the Kalamazoo River), Kalamazoo, Grand Rapids, Ada, Jenison, and Georgetown were all settled and thriving communities long before the Dutch arrived in southern Ottawa County and northern Allegan County.
As the Dutch were pouring into the region the state of Michigan almost immediately established townships. Holland Township was set apart in late 1847 and Fillmore Township shortly thereafter.
Holland in 1847 was isolated. There were no roads as we know them. An 1849 map showed four roads and these might be classed as cleared paths rather than unpaved or sand/gravel roads. The roads shown ran from Holland to Zeeland; Holland to Saugatuck/Singapore; Holland to Port Sheldon/Grand Haven and Holland to Allegan. That year also saw settlements in Chicago (Roseland and South Holland) as well as others setting roots in Wisconsin and lowa.
On a more personal note, my ancestors settled in the Graafschap area, and my wife's settled in the Roseland area. We met at Hope College and our children have settled in the Holland, Zeeland, and Grand Rapids communities. The Holland community thrived over the years and survived the 1871 fire that destroyed a major portion of the city. With recently arrived settlers (including large numbers of non-Dutch) they developed a strong economy. Wanting to diversify, the city and local leaders developed a financial plan (“the Bonus Plan”) to assist with the financing of new business and manufacturing plants.
The Holland Furnace Co. and August Landwehr
The Holland Furnace Company was formed in 1906 by John Kolla and his son-in-law August Landwehr and they moved the business to Holland in 1907 from Ohio. Two other businesses came to Holland that same year: the Brownwell Engine Company and the W.E. Dunn Manufacturing Company.
Again, on a personal note, my father, following service in World War II, worked at W. E. Dunn as a tool and die person until his retirement. Holland Furnace Company flourished and became, like many other local companies, a provider of steady employment and support to the local community. Both Kolla and Landwehr were men of integrity and established rapport with employees, other business leaders, and the community-at-large.
The Warm Friend Tavern owes its existence to August Landwehr. From all accounts he was an extremely talented individual with an abundance of charisma and served on a number of local business boards as well as starting local businesses. He worked to bring the Chamber of Commerce to Holland and was a major mover in establishing the Century Club, Country Club, Masonic Temple and was chairman of the World War I victory bond drive.
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Courtesy ResthavenThe dining area at The Warm Friend Hotel is shown with stained glass pendants. One of the pendants remains at the Warm Friend today.
In December of 1923 he saw the need for a new and modern hotel in downtown Holland. He pledged $200,000 from the Holland Furnace Company and asked local leaders to purchase $300,000 in stock to finance the proposed new hotel to be called the Warm Friend Tavern. The money was raised by January and construction was started in 1924 and completed in 1925. Local businesses provided bedroom furniture, dining furniture, and other occasional pieces. Local contractors also provided needed labor.
The grand opening was held in May 1925, and the key to the front door was attached to a horseshoe and thrown in Black Lake for good luck. The hotel was well run but there were losses in its operation. These losses, over time, and combined with the crisis at the Holland Furnace Company caused the sale of the hotel to Jack and Arthur Vannette in 1965. Resthaven Care Center purchased the property in 1981 for an independent living home.
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Courtesy ResthavenStaff at the Warm Friend Hotel including waitresses and bellhops worn Dutch costumes as their uniform.
August Landwehr was a unique person at a unique time. In researching his time with the Holland Furnace Company, I found countless quotes from newspaper articles, speeches, and company publications. A few are worth repeating, even though they were written in the 1920s:
From a company publication to employees: “Prepare for the job ahead; fill the present job completely; help the man (that should have been person) behind you.”
From a Chamber of Commerce speech: “I believe in giving, and everyone should give. There are two kinds of giving. First giving until it feels good; second, giving until it hurts. The second is done in sacrifice to causes that need the help of us all. First in the church. Second to the needy. Third to the community. There is a class of citizens who hurt to think of giving, and then he never gives. I pity such a man for his life must be a miserable life. I think a man's greatest work is to do something for his fellowman.”
I would have loved spending a day with August Landwehr. To our loss, he passed away July 15, 1937. He suffered a nervous breakdown following the death of his son in a boating accident in 1928. He was not active in the company following the accident.
The hotel was built and operated until 1965. Is there a continuing story about its day-to-day operation? Are there any persons still around who worked there who could share experiences and stories? I'll see if I can find some of them!
Terry Hoffmeyer is a life-long resident of the Holland area and graduated from both Holland High School and Hope College. He served as city manager in Holland and as supervisor of Laketown Township. In addition, during his high school and college years, he served as the bell captain at the Warm Friend Tavern.