By MATT DEYOUNG Grand Haven Tribune(Printed with written permission rom the Grand Haven Tribune)
Aug 14, 2021
What began as a research project more than a year ago culminated Friday afternoon in the dedication of Ferrysburg’s first historical marker.
Mayor Rebecca Hopp unveiled the marker, dedicated to Hezekiah Smith, in front of a large group of onlookers at the foot of Smith’s Bridge.
Smith was a Black man who at one time owned the property from the north end of what is now Smith’s Bayou east to the Spring Lake Yacht Club and north to Taft Road.
A farmer, Smith also served as president of an association of African Americans who lived in Muskegon and Ottawa counties. In 1960, here presented the association in Battle Creek at the Colored People’s Convention, held to “advance the condition” of African Americans.
The date of Friday’s unveiling was significant, as Aug. 13marked the date Smith first purchased land in northern Ottawa County.
Hopp said it took a collaborative effort to recognize Smith, mentioning representatives from the Loutit District Library and Tri-Cities Historical Museum as being particularly helpful, along with Troy Masserant, an intern with the Michigan Historical Marker program. Hopp noted that she received a grant to fund the cost of the marker at no cost to the city of Ferrysburg.
“This has been fun,” Hopp said. “I’ve learned so much.”
The front side of the marker gives some background into Smith’s role as a civic leader, while the back side focuses on the property he owned, his farming and the naming of Smith’s Bayou.
