June 30, 2004
Tours step back in time
GT Heritage Center offers walking tours of historic places
By Carol South
Herald contributing writer
Did you know that Hannah Park used to be the town dump and a burial ground?
That a railroad ran through it?
That the historic Perry Hannah home housed students from Central Grade School after that building burned in the 1930s?
If you want to know the basics of Traverse City history, from the ground up, tie on your tennies and take one of the Grand Traverse Heritage Center's new walking tours.
The Historic Traverse City Walking Tour will give you an in-depth look at the people, places and businesses that shaped the city.
Starting at the Heritage Center on Sixth Street, the 90-minute tour first goes through the Con Foster Museum. From there, the tour guide leads participants onto Sixth Street and discusses some of the historic homes there.
Last Saturday, Carol Hale led a small tour, dishing out nuggets of history and displaying many historic photos as she went.
As for the Hannah House, Hale noted how students were distributed among the many rooms during the years when Central Grade School was being rebuilt.
"The kindergarten met in the kitchen and the basement became the gymnasium," she said.
Perry Hannah spared no expense on his mansion, which cost $35,000 to build in 1893. He had carpenters use a different type of wood in each room and also had ten fireplaces throughout the mansion. Hannah also had a Romeo and Juliet staircase built.
"Perry Hannah could sit on his porch and see his whole empire," Hale said. "If you were here back then, the river would be filled with logs."
Barbara and Bob Noordeloos of Grand Rapids celebrated their 35th anniversary last weekend with a trip to Traverse City. The history buffs and retired teachers relished the walking tour, which also included historic churches, Old Town and the Grand Traverse County Courthouse.
"We love going on historical tours to get a feel for the community, for why the community is the way it is," said Bob Noordeloos, a retired middle school principal. "And when I was a teacher, I taught history."
The Grand Traverse Heritage Center's Historic Traverse City Walking Tours are held on Tuesday and Saturday afternoons at 1 p.m. and begin at the Heritage Center on Sixth Street. Tickets are $10 per adult, $5 per student and children 12 and under are free. Reservations are recommended as tours are limited to 15 people. For more information or to make a reservation, call the Heritage Center at 995-0313.