Abby Epplett, Historian

During the same trip that I visited the Grand Rapids Public Museum, I took a holiday tour of Felt Estate in Holland, MI. This three-story, early 20 th century estate was home to the Felt family, led by self-made millionaire inventor Dorr Felt . The tour covered two floors of the three-story mansion and was festively decorated for Christmas. Both the story of the property and its decor are fascinating, so I am dividing the blog into two parts. The first part covered the history of the property, and this second part will cover its design.

During the same trip that I visited the Grand Rapids Public Museum, I took a holiday tour of Felt Estate in Holland, MI. This three-story, early 20 th century estate was home to the Felt family, led by self-made millionaire inventor Dorr Felt . The tour covered two floors of the three-story mansion and was festively decorated for Christmas. Both the story of the property and its decor are fascinating, so I am dividing the blog into two parts. This post will cover the history of the property, and the next post will cover its design.

During the 2025-2026 winter holiday season, I took a trip to western Michigan. During this adventure, I visited the Grand Rapids Public Museum , which is receiving its own three-part mini series. The first part featured the history of the museum, the temporary dinosaur exhibit, a permanent exhibit about the people of Grand Rapids, a permanent exhibit about animals in Michigan, and a special exhibit featuring LEGO models. The second part featured an exhibit near the planetarium, signed baseballs, a large map of Michigan, skeletons, transportation, and exhibits in the Gallaria. In the third part, I visited a scale model of a city street, saw many Santas, and enjoyed a pair of unexpected artifacts just outside the giftshop.

During the 2025-2026 winter holiday season, I took a trip to western Michigan. During this adventure, I visited the Grand Rapids Public Museum , which is receiving its own three-part mini series. The first part featured the history of the museum, the temporary dinosaur exhibit, a permanent exhibit about the people of Grand Rapids, a permanent exhibit about animals in Michigan, and a special exhibit featuring LEGO models. The second part includes an exhibit near the planetarium, signed baseballs, a large map of Michigan, skeletons, transportation, and exhibits in the Gallaria.

During the 2025-2026 winter holiday season, I took a trip to western Michigan. During this adventure, I visited the Grand Rapids Public Museum , which is receiving its own three-part mini series. In the first part, I will review the history of the museum, the temporary dinosaur exhibit, a permanent exhibit about the people of Grand Rapids, a permanent exhibit about animals in Michigan, and a special exhibit featuring LEGO models.

Back in January 2023, while seeing family in western Michigan, I visited the Garden of Honor Memorial , also called Veteran’s Park , in Allendale Community Park of  Allendale Charter Township , about twenty-five minutes southwest of Grand Haven . Designed and constructed twenty-five years ago in 1998 by a local artist, the impressive but controversial memorial contains statues of soldiers and civilians surrounding an eagle-topped obelisk. The eight represented  conflicts include the War of 1812, Civil War, Spanish-American War, World War I, World War II, Korean War, Vietnam War, and Gulf War.