Powerhouse exhibit invites visitors to uncover famous faces

The Pump House, built in 1900, once powered the Ottawa Beach Hotel.

Out along Ottawa Beach Road, just before the steady flow of cars reaches the shoreline, a small brick building quietly marks one of Ottawa County’s oldest stories. It’s the Pump House Museum—located at 2282 Ottawa Beach Road—offering visitors a chance to look backward and consider how the past continues to shape what we see today.

The Pump House, built in 1900, once powered the Ottawa Beach Hotel—an expansive lakeshore resort that stood atop a bluff overlooking Lake Macatawa and Lake Michigan. It quickly became a bustling destination, where visitors arrived by excursion steamer before roads or rail lines connected it to Holland. Inside the pump house, newly invented dynamos generated electricity for the hotel’s lights, bringing early electric power to a developing tourist destination.

When the hotel was destroyed by fire in 1923, that vision ended, but its pump house remained, and today, the building serves as both a museum and learning center, dedicated to preserving the history of the surrounding area. Positioned along the well-traveled automobile route to Holland State Park’s beach, it’s easy to pass by. Yet it’s also conveniently positioned along the Black Lake Boardwalk, where foot traffic invites a slower pace and offers a welcome respite from the summer sun and a chance to explore Holland’s history and the people who shaped it through the new exhibit “Famous Faces, Local Places,” debuting in June.

Developed by the nonprofit Historic Ottawa Beach Society, which operates the museum, the exhibit highlights individuals connected to Holland whose lives have made an impact locally, nationally, or even internationally. Some are widely recognized; others are less familiar.

“The ones who aren’t readily recognizable to the public—should be,” said Valerie van Heest, who designed the exhibit.

Van Heest is the owner of Lafferty van Heest & Associates, a museum exhibit design firm.

With a background in interior design and English, and experience that includes authoring books and designing museum exhibits, including the Port of Ludington Maritime Museum, she approaches projects as both storyteller and designer. For this exhibit, she developed the written content and the visual presentation.

The exhibit connects each individual’s story to their time in Holland, focusing on how place can shape a person’s path and influence their legacy. It spans multiple eras and includes both well-known figures and individuals whose contributions may not be widely recognized.

At its core, the exhibit asks a broader question: what role does place play in who we become? And how do those influences carry outward, beyond a small city, into a wider world?

At the time this publication went to print in March, the exhibit was about three-quarters complete and the “famous faces” included in the exhibit had not been publicly released. The museum’s board chose to keep them confidential until the exhibit opens, encouraging visitors to experience it firsthand.

It’s a deliberate choice—one that reflects the museum’s understated character. To learn the stories, you have to step inside.

The new installation joins a range of existing exhibits at the museum, including those focused on the Ottawa Beach Hotel, the Macatawa area, Lakewood Farm, and the Big Red lighthouse. A children’s area, with exhibits developed by kids for kids, is also part of the space.

The museum rotates exhibits every two to three years, a relatively frequent schedule supported by members, donors, and sponsors. The Historic Ottawa Beach Society offers memberships through its website, providing a way for the community to stay involved and support future projects.

Located in the last remaining structure from the Ottawa Beach Hotel complex, the Pump House Museum offers a direct link to a chapter of Holland’s past that no longer physically exists. The land where the hotel once stood is now part of Holland State Park—open, accessible, and shaped by a history many visitors may not realize is beneath their feet.

The museum will be open weekends in June and daily in July and August, with updated hours available online. Admission is free.

Whether you’re out for a leisurely boardwalk stroll or making a dedicated trip as a museum or history enthusiast, “Famous Faces, Local Places” offers a chance to explore the stories behind the people connected to Holland—you might just be surprised to discover who these prominent individuals are!

Learn more about the museum and how to get involved at historicottawabeachsociety.org.