Past Programs

The South Haven Scott Club is pleased to host the Community Soup Luncheon on Saturday, November 23rd from 11AM to 2PM at their historic building at 652 Phoenix Street. All are welcome at this fun event that serves as a kick off to the holiday season in concert with local shopping events and festivities. Several of South Haven’s best restaurants are again partnering with the Scott Club to provide a delicious selection of soups. We are grateful to have the generous support of Taste, The Lodge, Clementine’s, The Depot, Cafe Julia and Phoenix Street on Broadway. There will be something for everyone with a range of options including vegan and vegetarian; come early to choose your favorite. Bread, beverage, and dessert are also included. Suggested donation is $10 and a to-go option will be available. Come out and support the Scott Club and warm up with some hot soup and festive company.

By Cecil Wilson, Historic Research Specialist

Join us as Cecil Wilson, Historic Research Specialist for the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians gives a presentation on the history of the Pokagon Band in our local area and Southwest Michigan. Pokagon citizens have long sustained their culture and connection to their homeland; numerous placenames in northern Indiana and southwest Michigan continually reflect that connection. The Pokagon people have endured thanks partly to their values of Wisdom, Love, Respect, Truth, Honesty, Humility, and Bravery. Adapting these deeply rooted ideals to contemporary circumstances has made the Band an engine for economic development and a model for sustainable living in the region.

Cecil Wilson is a Pokagon Potawatomi and a member of the Turtle Clan. He is pursuing a doctorate in U.S. History through Western Michigan University. Cecil works as the Historic Research Specialist for the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi’s Center of History and Culture. His primary job is to research the vast history of the Potawatomi people and to share his findings with his community, as well as reaching out to the surrounding communities to discuss an often-forgotten history of our shared lands. Cecil also works in the Tribal Historic Preservation Office and works with NAGPRA compliance for the Pokagon Band.

By Rich Chapman and Don Goodwillie

The South Haven Steelheaders is a diverse group of citizens concerned about our community, its vitality, its deep fishing and outdoor recreation tradition. They are the largest chapter of the Michigan Steelhead & Salmon Fishermen’s Association, established to protect, promote and enhance sport fishing in the Great Lakes and connecting waterways. Join us for a presentation and discussion by current president, Rich Chapman, joined by one of the founders of the Michigan Steelheaders, Don Goodwillie as they present the historical beginnings and current events of the South Haven Steelheaders and the Michigan Steelhead and Salmon Fisherman’s Association.

By Karen Brininstool

“To educate, preserve and restore our history” is the mission of the Questers. Join us to learn more about the Questers chapter, Burnett’s Traders #567, located in St. Joseph, Michigan. Chapter president, Karen Brininstool, will present her program on their current preservation project and also showcase past and future projects.

By Brian D. Carroll, PhD

“The House of David: Now and Then” presents the short history of the House of David commune in Benton Harbor from 1903 to the present. It provides an overview of the religion and also focuses on the House of David’s numerous businesses, including farms, cold storage plant, touring vaudeville showbands, amusement park, and its famous exhibition baseball team. Current preservation and restoration efforts at the colony are covered and the presentation includes many rare historic photographs, film and audio clips.

Brian D. Carroll is the historian and archivist for the Israelite House of David in Benton Harbor, Michigan. He has worked in museums and higher education for more than twenty-five years.

By Author, Chriss Lyon

“Bloody Chicago” was the name given to America’s most corrupt city after the grotesque scene that left seven humans embedded into masonry walls and oil-slickened concrete. Two Thompson submachine guns did the majority of the damage but the masterminds behind the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre escaped. Ten months later, on December 14, 1929, St. Joseph, Michigan Police Officer Charles Skelly working a routine traffic crash came face to face with a killer. Shots were fired, the assailant escaped, and the dying Officer Skelly identified his murderer before taking his last breath. The “backwash of bloody Chicago” had made its way into the rural neighborhoods of Southwestern Michigan and Northern Indiana. Citizens who turned a blind eye to crime helped create “Capone’s Playground,” an environment abundant in all that is illegal and immoral.

Chriss Lyon is a retired public safety professional and historian, who has not only walked the beat, but shot the most famous Thompson submachine guns in the world, all while documenting and researching the historic era of the “The Roaring Twenties.” Using techniques of forensic genealogy combined with investigative research, she has been able to uncover little known facts about the people and events surrounding the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre, revealing them at presentations at schools, museums, genealogical, and historical societies. Her passion in Prohibition-era gangsters, maritime, and aviation history as well as historical weather has afforded opportunities to write articles for various magazines and journals and assist other authors with historical research. A graduate of Grand Valley State University’s Film/Video School, Chriss began working behind the scenes at CNN Headline News but now is out in front of the camera. She has appeared in an episode of the PBS series, “History Detectives” as well as documentaries on the National Geographic Channel, American Heroes Network, Travel Channel, German Public Television, and Investigation Discovery Channel.

By Tim Moore, History Instructor, Lake Michigan College

From a log lodge to an opulent hotel under different names, the Whitcomb has a long and rich history. The Whitcomb recalls mineral baths enjoyed by scores of people, a moving sidewalk, a breath-taking view of Lake Michigan, more than 200 hotel rooms, a dining room for 800 guests, a Marine Bar resembling a ship, and visits from such notables as Eleanor Roosevelt, Ann Landers, and Duncan Hines. And let’s not forget “Polly Whitcomb,” the talkative parrot. Please join us for a look at the history of the Whitcomb, the “Crown Jewel” that made the National Register of Historic Places in 2021.

Since 2003, Tim Moore has been a history instructor at Lake Michigan College. His courses include American History, including the Civil War and Reconstruction, the History of Modern East Asia, and Western Civilization

By Keith Howard, Digital Preservation Specialist, Kalamazoo Public Library
7:00 pm in person at Scott Club
To attend by Zoom, request an invite by email to info@scottclub.org

The story of the Kalamazoo, Lake Shore & Chicago Railway, otherwise known as the “Fruit Belt Line,” is a rather long and twisted tale of “wishful thinking and hoped-for wealth.” The short-lived railroad originally was planned to be an efficient electric interurban train connecting Kalamazoo and South Haven. Instead, it became a ramshackle steam train that meandered through Kalamazoo and Van Buren counties toward the Lake Michigan shoreline. Join us as we learn how the “Fruit Belt Line” came to be and what became of it while we trace its route through the West Michigan countryside.

Keith Howard is a Digital Preservation Specialist at the Kalamazoo Public Library and a former instructor of business communication and information technology at WMU’s Haworth College of Business. He has a true passion for exploring and documenting local history. Keith has authored or contributed to more than one hundred articles on the KPL website, and his work has appeared in several leading publications, including Michigan History Magazine, SW Michigan Spark, Brewery History journal, and others. Keith lives in Oshtemo with his dog, Benson.