Getting Back on Track: Restoring Holland's Pere Marquette Caboose

31 West 10th Street,Holland MI 49423

04 November, 2021

Description

Learn more about the Holland Museum's ongoing conservation of its Pere Marquette caboose and the history of the railroad in Holland, MI. As the Holland Museum finishes conservation of the Pere Marquette Caboose, join Clare Heyboer, Caboose Conservation Project Manager and Fritz Milhaupt, Publications Editor of the Pere Marquette Historical Society for a conversation about the history of the Holland Caboose, the Pere Marquette rail line, and its importance to the Holland community. This program will be hopefully be in person at the Holland Museum Spark!Lab but may move to Zoom for safety if necessary. Registrants will receive a program confirmation email the day before the program. Clare Heyboer (he/him) currently serves as chairman of the Collections Committee at the Holland Museum. He is also a member of the Exhibits Committee and is a past two term board member and has been the project manager of the recent Pere Marquette Caboose restoration project. During his career in the furniture industry, Clare designed reproduction furniture for a number of projects including the Oval Offices in the Gerald R. Ford and Ronald Reagan Presidential museums, as well as a custom built Victorian Wooton Desk, and an inlaid fifteen-foot diameter conference table going to Kuwait. Heyboer enjoys researching, writing, and lecturing on historical topics. Some of his varied subjects have included: the history of Limbert Furniture, the renovation of Michigan's oldest, continuously operating schoolhouse in Glen Michigan, and the 1926 visit of a convict ship to Holland. Trains are his latest interest. Fritz Milhaupt's interest in railroads dates back to childhood trips with his father to visit railroad facilities and museums. Born and raised in Grand Rapids and a graduate of the University of Michigan, he has a strong interest in the history of Michigan's railroads. He is a Charter Member of the Pere Marquette Historical Society; he has served as its webmaster since 1997 and as its Publications Editor since 2008. Fritz is an IT automation and data center engineer for Ford Motor Company, and lives in Ann Arbor with his wife, Leslie.