In the 1910s, Paw Paw Lake attracted tens of thousands of tourists each summer— it was the hey-day of the resort era. Jubilant young folks, especially from Chicago, traveled to North Berrien on Lake Michigan steamers and the interurban railway while the most privileged took automo-biles, a trip averaging 10 hours at the time. The Fleming family of Melrose Park, Chicago, owned a small hotel on Lakewood Point called the May-Bell. Jewett Flem-ing was an engineer in the city while his energetic wife ran the ho-tel. Their two daughters, Ethel and Maybelle, enjoyed the lively sum-mer scene at Paw Paw Lake as young women. The girls frequented the lake’s crowded dance halls which pulsated with the sounds of the jazz age. Among the tourists were musicians and other seasonal workers. In 1919 one such employee was Ray Kroc, a 17-year-old from Oak Park, Illinois. Kroc had dropped out of high school, but his mother (a piano teacher) had made him a strong musician. He was hired to play for the band at the Edgewater Pavilion on the south shore. Another musician that summer was Hans Frey, a farmer near Glenn who

supplemented his income by playing at Paw Paw Lake. Frey’s son Orville remembered that his father performed with Kroc.1 The band would climb aboard

a steamboat in the afternoons to play around the shoreline, using a megaphone to shout, “Dancing to-night at the Edgewater, don’t miss out on the fun!” Ray Kroc and 17-year-old Ethel Fleming were “an item” al-most as soon as they met that sum-mer. Kroc remembered that Ethel and her sister “would canoe over to the pavilion in the evenings and hang around with our crowd. After the dancing was finished, we’d all

go out for hamburgers or have wiener roasts or go canoeing in the moonlight.”2 Kroc began working back in Chicago but continued his relationship with Ethel. The two were married in 1922 and had one daughter, Marilyn, in 1924.

Future McDonald’s Tycoon Fell in Love at Paw Paw Lake

NORTH BERRIEN HISTORICAL SOCIETY

NEWSLETTER

Vol. III, No. 3 Hagar · Bainbridge · Coloma · Watervliet Fall 2011

300 Coloma Ave./ P.O. Box 207, Coloma, Michigan 49038 www.NorthBerrienHistory.org

Free Cemetery Tours October 29

See page 3 for details on all upcoming events!

This photo of the Fleming’s hotel is from a 1907 Paw Paw Lake Guide

Book published in Chicago.

Continued on Page 5

North Berrien Historical Society Board of Directors

Scott Young President Bennet Leedy 1st Vice President Kandyce Hays 2nd Vice President Cindy Young Secretary Shirley Boone Treasurer Ray Mays Assistant Treasurer Marc Hettig Director Karin Miller Director Pauline Morris Director Sherry Polashak Director Tom Scheid Director Sally Williams Director

Staff Alexander Gates Director / Curator Tracy Gierada Director of Education

300 Coloma Ave. Phone: (269) 468-3330 P.O. Box 207 Fax: (269) 468-4083 Coloma, MI 49038 www.NorthBerrienHistory.org info@NorthBerrienHistory.org

The mission of the North Berrien Historical Society is to preserve and distribute information regarding the history of North Berrien County.

We wish to promote, encourage learning, and disseminate knowledge of the area’s

cultural and architectural legacy.

Page 2

From the Director’s Desk By Alexander Gates

I begin with a special thank you to Gwen Els-ner, who recently retired after working at the museum since 2007. It was Gwen more than anyone else who acquainted me with the people, events, and character of our area. As this Newsletter is mailed, I am busy selecting a candidate to fill the Office Manager posi-tion. Please stop by the museum in September and welcome our newest staff member. Another addition this fall will be a new front sign, which is scheduled to be installed by early October. After nearly a year without a sign on Red Arrow Highway, the museum will be more visible than ever before with a change-able, illuminated letter board to promote events. The summer of 2011 was productive in spite of the heat. An ambitious program schedule accompa-nied our current exhibit, Women in Baseball, that proved very successful in drawing both local and re-gional visitors. The exhibit’s mobile panels on Maud Nelson were enjoyed both in the gallery and at Co-loma-Watervliet events. My goal is to continue creat-ing portable displays to utilize both in the museum and out in the community. Currently we are selecting top-ics for another set of traveling panels that will focus on a range of North Berrien historical themes. Thank you to Cindy Young and all the volun-teers who made the Cone Barn and Bake Sale at the Glad-Peach Festival a great success. Despite the Sun-day storm we again made a good profit while convers-ing with many community members. New this year was a 50/50 Raffle organized by board member Pauline Morris. Coloma resident Paulette Drake won a prize of $783. The winning ticket was sold at the Friendly Tavern, which went above and beyond help-ing sell tickets this year. We look forward to doing another raffle next year. Finally, I encourage you to take part in our sec-ond annual Tri-City Heritage Tour on September 24. We have scaled back the event from last year to make it more manageable to explore all of the sites. Check out page 4 for all of the details!

Curator’s Blog: NorthBerrienHistory.blogspot.com

Twitter: Twitter.com/NBerrienHistory

Connect with NBHS Online!

Become a fan on Facebook

Visitors enjoyed our Women in Baseball Exhibit alongside the Cone Barn at the 2011 Glad-Peach Festival in Coloma.

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Mark your Calendars!

Tuesday, September 20, 7pm

Meet Players from the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. A panel of women who played professional baseball in the 1940s-50s will discuss their experiences with AAGBPL teams including the South Bend Blue Sox, Kalamazoo Lassies, and Grand Rapids Chicks. Free.

Saturday, September 24,

10am-4pm

The 2011 Tri-City Heritage Tour. Immerse yourself in local architecture, history, and culture at tour sites throughout the North Berrien and Hartford areas. See page 4 for more details on this year’s event. Free.

Thursday, September 29,

5:30-7pm

Women in Baseball Book Discussion. To complement this year’s museum exhibit, all are welcome to read Jennifer Ring’s Stolen Bases: Why American Girls Don’t Play Baseball (2009) and join us for a lively discussion at the Coloma Public Library. Free.

Tuesday, October 18, 6pm

Annual Dinner and Membership Meeting. Enjoy a meal with friends as we review the accomplishments of NBHS in the past year. Invitations will be mailed to members in late September. See below for more details.

Saturday, October 29

Halloween Cemetery Tours. Fascinating personal stories will captivate you on a fun walk through our beautiful and historic city cemeteries. Coloma Cemetery tour begins at 11am, Watervliet Cemetery tour begins at 1pm. Free.

Tuesday, November 15, 7pm

Back in Historic Benton Harbor. Bob Myers, Curator at the History Center at Courthouse Square in Berrien Springs, will present a slide show summarizing his book Greetings from Benton Harbor, to be published in late 2011.

December 1-4 North Berrien Holiday Open House. An event quickly becoming a community favorite— contact the museum if you’d like to decorate a tree or volunteer to help!

All events are at the North Berrien Historical Museum unless otherwise noted.

Chicago-based author Barbara Gregorich specializes in children’s books, but a lifelong passion for baseball has also influenced her work. In the early 1990s while research-ing for her novel She’s on First, Gregorich began to inten-sively document the lives of early female baseball players, including studying the Watervliet Record for information

about pitcher Maud Nelson. Her research resulted in the 1993 book Women at Play: The Story of Women in Baseball, which received the MacMillan Award from the Society for American Baseball Research, plus a volume of research notes. Gregorich has said of this work: “...uncovering the story took four full years — years in which my eyes blurred from reading microfilm, my car’s tires grew smooth from hauling me to libraries around the country, and my fingers frayed from dialing strangers… Despite everything, it was the most thrilling research experi-ence I’ve ever had.” As our featured guest at the NBHS Annual Dinner on October 18, Gregorich will present “The Hunt for Maud Nelson,” a summary of her research and publication efforts. Thanks to Gregorich’s work, the North Berrien Historical Society was able to produce our recent exhibit Women in Baseball, telling the story of Maud Nelson, her barnstorming Western Bloomer Girls, and her life in Watervliet a century ago.

Barbara Gregorich to speak at Annual Dinner

For the second year, NBHS has organ-ized historic sites across the North Berrien and Hartford areas to be

open for a day of free public tours and activities. The 2011 Tri-City Heritage Tour will be held on Satur-day, September 24. All events are free of charge at the nine diverse heritage sites to be featured on this year’s tour. Our museum will premiere the North Berrien Photography Contest Exhibit as well as offering a free Vintage Pennant craft to complement the Women in Baseball Exhibit. Exhibits at the Van Buren His-torical Museum and the Basket Museum in Hagar Township will also come alive with historical demon-

strations and tours. At Hays Park, view the site of the Watervliet Dams re-moval project. Former employees of the paper mill will be on site with historic pictures and maps.

Also visit the beautiful new home of the Sanctuary Baptist Church, which previously served as the Wa-tervliet Methodist Church for 140 years. The Hartford Library, housed in an 1871 man-sion, will offer demos of online access to historic is-sues of the Hartford Day Spring. Short history talks will be given twice at the Coloma Interurban Station. In the rolling farm country of Bainbridge Township, tour the Tees Barn and the Nafziger Barn, each featuring hand-hewn beams and adaptations for different uses through many years. The full Tour Guide will be printed in the Tri-City Record on September 15, and will also be avail-able free at all tour sites. All sites are open 10am-4pm on September 24 unless otherwise noted below. More information about all sites is available on the Tri-City Heritage Tour website:

http://tricityheritagetour.wordpress.com/

Page 4

North Berrien Historical Museum Coloma Township

Van Buren County Historical Museum Hartford Township

SW Michigan Basket, Crate & Veneer Machinery Museum Hagar Township

Sanctuary Baptist Church Watervliet

Hartford Public Library Hartford

Coloma Interurban Station Coloma

Paper Mill Dam Removal Project/ Hays Park Watervliet

Nafziger Barn Bainbridge Township

Premiere of North Berrien Photography Contest Exhibit Women in Baseball Exhibit Craft - Make a Coloma or Watervliet Vintage Pennant

Demonstrations - Loom Weaving, One-Room Schoolhouse

Museum Tours at 10am, 12pm, and 2pm (Tour lasts about 25 minutes)

Open House and historical display in the Sanctuary

Learn how to search online through Hartford Day Spring newspapers, 1877-1972

Local Interurban Historical Talks at 11am and 3pm (Talk lasts about 15 minutes)

Open 1-4pm. Display table with historic Watervliet Paper Mill photos and maps; Visit with former WPC employees

Barn tours; Quilting demos; Family Memoir From Shy to Bungtown (2011) available for sale

Tour Site and Location Activities/ Events

Tees Barn Bainbridge Township

Barn tours; “All About Barns” Traveling Trunk displayed; Historic horse shoes/ tack displayed

Tour Guide to appear in September 15 Tri-City Record

Page 5

Kroc worked as a salesman of paper cups and later the Multimixer, a six-spindle milk-shake ma-chine. It was in this position that he first met the McDonald brothers, who ran a busy, orderly drive-in hamburger stand in California. Kroc convinced the McDonalds to open more restaurants with his help, and was the driving force behind the unprecedented worldwide expansion of the fast food chain. At one point he even approached Ernie Erickson, owner of the Ellinee resort on Paw Paw Lake, about opening his own McDonald’s but Erickson declined.3 Years of risky professional moves deeply strained the relationship between Ray and Ethel. In his autobiography, Kroc dates their estrangement to the late 1930s, when she refused to support his career move to Multimixer.4 He explains that he finally filed for divorce when he fell in love with a married

woman, Joni Smith, who years later became his third wife. There was already a McDonald’s in 27 states, including a Benton Harbor restaurant, when Ray and Ethel divorced in 1962 after nearly 40 years of mar-riage.5 According to local historian Rick Rasmussen, in the Ray Kroc Museum at McDonald’s corporate headquarters in Oak Brook, Illinois, one can see a few relics from the memorable, youthful days spent by Kroc at Paw Paw Lake. By Tracy Gierada 1 Interview with Mary Momany (daughter of Orville Frey), August 11, 2011. 2 Ray Kroc and R. Anderson, Grinding it Out: The Making of McDonalds, Chicago: Contemporary Books, 1977 (21-23). 3 R.L. Rasmussen, Paw Paw Lake: A 100 Year Resort History, Coloma, MI: Southwestern Michigan Publications, 1994 (94). 4 Kroc and Anderson (57, 118-120). 5 The News-Palladium (Benton Harbor, MI), Jan. 3, 1961. United Press International, Chicago, April 20, 1962.

Continued from Page 1

The collection of the North Berrien Historical Society has continued to grow in 2011. Most of our recent acquisitions have been photographs and archival materials that are frequently used by researchers vis-iting the museum. Quotes, memoirs, and oral histories also enhance our exhibits, research collections, and programs. While large objects such as our tractors and auto-mobiles are impressive to display we are constantly looking for personal artifacts that give a human touch to history. Re-cently Gloria Holm of Midland, Michigan donated her mother’s School Friendship Book. Holm’s

mother Mabel Arny graduated from Coloma High School in 1927. Arny filled her friendship book with personal notes, mementos, photographs, and even a dried flower from her high school days, now some 85 years ago. Personal artifacts such as Arny’s add depth to our collection. Please remember the museum when you are going through old papers that you may not think otherwise have value.

Thank You to all of our recent donors: Bennett Leedy – Clothing from Marion Leedy estate Heather Bauduin – Maud Nelson Tournament materials John Kovach – M. Nelson Tourn’t materials, photo repros Garry Lange – 1950s Coloma Court Float photo Melanie Marvin – Olson’s Cherokee Baseball Team photo Candy Sweet – Fredrick Undem CHS class of 1939 items Linda Hadley – Copies of Jacobia Estate photographs

Barbara Probst – Kniebes spice chest Wyn Yore – Watervliet Paper Mill materials Susan Hoffman – 1941 WHS class picture Oscar Krieger – Paw Paw Lake materials Roger Miller – Laundry bag, fruit labels Gloria Holm – CHS class of ‘27 materials Olive Grady – Oral History interview Roger Morrissett – MI Railroad books Thomas Allen – Local artist materials Doreen Hess – 2010 Coloma Court portrait Jean Noack – Early 1900s child’s outfit Donna Strine – WWII long johns Sherry Turner – 1970s phonebooks The Heritage Museum – Coloma postcards Fred Munchow – First National Bank of

Watervliet key ring, photographs, photo enlarger Karl Bayer – Assorted documents from Tri-City Record Fran Wooley – Local history reference books Jan Sieber – Copies of local baseball photos

Curator’s Corner

Construction of Jacobia’s famous water tower

Looking south from the railroad tracks in Coloma in the early 1900s, the Opera House and the Pitcher House Hotel

are visible on the east side of Paw Paw Street.

Page 6

Our latest exhibit Women in Baseball: Bloomer Girls of Berrien County & Beyond has at-tracted visitors from nearby and out of state, in addi-tion to appearing at local festivals. In a June presenta-tion, Guest Curator John Kovach explained why base-ball is not widely played by girls and women in the U.S. today. This was also explored at our August meeting at the Loma Theatre, a screening of the docu-mentary The Girl in Centerfield with Detroit-based Producer Brian Kruger. Immediately after being forced to allow girls to play baseball in 1974, Little League introduced its girls softball program, resulting in the continued dominance of males in baseball. This exhibit proves, however, that baseball history is full of talented women including the pitcher Maud Nelson. Watervliet celebrated its famous for-mer resident with the exciting Maud Nelson Festival and Girls Baseball Invitational Tournament in late June. In July the House of David Echoes and the Paw Paw Village Corkers came to the museum for an en-tertaining Vintage Baseball game, which featured sev-eral reigning Blossom Queens as guest players. Di-rector of Education Tracy Gierada even stepped in for a hit dressed as a Western Bloomer Girl.

We also provided enlightening programs on a range of topics for all ages this summer. “North Ber-rien Notables” was presented at the St. Joe-Lincoln Senior Center, while a new talk “Legends of Paw Paw Lake” was enjoyed by crowds at the museum and the North Berrien Senior Center. Museum tours and hands-on activities brought in groups from the Co-loma Migrant Program as well as “American Girl” campers from the Curious Kids’ Museum. Our “Summer Time Travelers” series for kids saw another great year, offering five free interactive programs that brought the past to life. Topics this summer included Lumberjacks, Old Time Sports, Pio-neers, Paw Paw Lake Fun, and Native Americans. Storyteller Larry Massie also drew a packed audience for “Adventures in Michigan’s Past” following his performance at the Lumberjacks program. Other highlights for our young Time Travelers included a visit by Ojibwe Storyteller Shawanah Jane Murray, candle-dipping, butter-making, “fishing” in a pretend Paw Paw Lake, and exposure to historic artifacts, mu-sic, food, and dress. Our wonderful volunteers de-serve a huge thank you for making all of these pro-grams possible: Pauline Morris, Jenna & Sydney Miller, Alexis Kroschel, Janet Blair, Deanna & Phil Signor, Kathleen Walter, Marie Sineni, Jesse Scruggs, Nancy Weir, Sally Williams, Elaine Lavander, Joel & Jonathan Griffin, and Maggie Richter.

Baseball Exhibit kicked off an action-packed summer at NBHS

Photos Starting with top left: Vintage Baseball Game, Ojibwe Storyteller Shawanah Jane Murray, “Fishing” at Paw Paw Lake program, Candle-dipping at Pioneers program, Michigan history Storyteller Larry Massie.

Page 7

Individual ($15)

I may like to Volunteer

Additional tax-deductible contribution: $________

Name

Address

City, State, ZIP

Phone

New Member

Renewing Member

Total Amount Enclosed: $________ Send your completed form along with your check to:

North Berrien Historical Society P.O. Box 207, Coloma, MI 49038

Family Donor ($50)

Student ($8)

Senior ($10)

E-mail

North Berrien Historical Society Membership Form

Benefits include: Quarterly Newsletter, Advance invite to special events, and Members-only opportunities

Thank you for your support!

Please check desired annual membership level.

Custom Ornaments make great gifts

Donations

Dolores Totzke Virginia Warsko Charlene Andrews Alma Arent

Thank you to all our many donors to the Glad-Peach Festival Bake Sale!

Memberships

Sue Dahlquist Amy Hiler Nadine Deitrich Tom Scheid Darryl Gates William Hansen Dolores Totzke Sue Gates Jean Daniels Alma Arent Virginia Warsko Penny Hanks Vel Ripsco Edwin Taylor Jean Fannin Sue Moser Jean Christensen Bob Chaput Bill Moser Charlene Andrews Claudia Jackson Mike & Kristy Noack Family Robert Jackson Jay & Sarah Jollay Family Becca Hunt Ted & Nora Kamberos Family Chuck & Mary Adams Family

Gwen Elsner retired from her position at the North Berrien Historical Museum on July 29, 2011. Although her involvement with the historical society dates back many years, Gwen began working at the museum in November 2007 through a placement with the Area Agency on Aging. Gwen was the Office Manager for over three and a half years, ensuring a quality experience for museum members and guests. With Gwen’s help the museum served nearly 15,000 people through tours, programs, and special events during her time with us. Her warmth and humor will be missed in the office, but rest assured, Gwen plans on remaining in the area and has promised to visit during future events.

Office Manager Gwen Elsner retires

Right: In addition to her Office Manager duties,

Gwen assisted with cura-torial projects involving

clothing and other artifacts at the museum, and often volunteered her time at events outside of work.

Our fundraising Collector’s Ornament is avail-able this holiday season for $18.00 plus tax at the mu-seum or at the Cottage of the Four Seasons in Coloma. They were expertly produced by ChemArt, makers of the White House ornaments, in solid brass with gold plating. The back side is marked “First in a Series” and “Made in the USA” and it comes with a keepsake gold box with black felt interior. Family and friends are sure to treasure this one-of-a-kind ornament and upcoming North Berrien scenes planned for the series. Another new item to look for in our Gift Shop this fall is an assortment of NBHS Jams in Ginger Peach, Vanilla Peach, and Spiced Peach flavors. The jams cost $5.00 per jar.

Hagar · Bainbridge · Coloma · Watervliet www.NorthBerrienHistory.org

NONPROFIT ORG U.S. POSTAGE

PAID

Watervliet, MI Permit No. 29

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Newsletter - Fall 2011

P.O. Box 207, Coloma, MI 49038 Return Service Requested