[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 176 (Wednesday, October 25, 2023)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1014]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    COMMEMORATING THE 150TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE VAN RAALTE FARMHOUSE

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                           HON. BILL HUIZENGA

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, October 25, 2023

  Mr. HUIZENGA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and commemorate 
the 150th anniversary of the Van Raalte Farmhouse. The Van Raalte 
Farmhouse has been a staple of our West Michigan community for 
generations, and we thank the City of Holland for preserving not only 
this site but the legacy of the Van Raalte family.
  The farmland was purchased by the founder of Holland, Reverend 
Albertus Van Raalte, in 1847. The Reverend split the land between two 
of his children, Albertus and Benjamin, as a gift for their valiant 
service during the Civil War. Benjamin, a soldier in the Union Army who 
served in Michigan's 25th Infantry, purchased his brother's half of the 
land and constructed a beautiful neoclassical farmhouse on the property 
in the early 1870s. Benjamin cultivated the land for the remainder of 
his life, producing peaches and peony flowers. The farm became known as 
``The Maples'' due to the large sugar maples grown on the property.
  The farm stayed in the family for multiple generations until it was 
sold in the 1980s to the city of Holland, Michigan. Holland helped 
transform the farmhouse and its land into a beautiful park. In 1989, 
Van Raalte Farmhouse was placed on the National Register of Historic 
Places. Today, community members continue to enjoy hikes and picnics as 
well as cross-country skiing and sledding in the winter at the park.
  Mr. Speaker, please join me in commemorating 150 years of history at 
the Van Raalte Farmhouse as the Van Raalte family's story and the 
farmhouse's beauty continue to inspire the people of Michigan's Fourth 
District.

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