John Ringelberg grew up in Grand Haven in the neighborhood surrounding Seventh and Columbus Streets. He recalls the different businesses in the area, including the meat markets his father Henry owned and operated through the years. As a youngster, John worked on a local celery farm as well as in the meat market, attended a Christian school and church services conducted through the medium of the Dutch language. He gives a detailed description of the route the original US Highway 31 took through town and recalls when Columbus and Washington Streets were paved, sharing the story of the role his father played in that job. John also describes the method of relocating a house in the old days and the conversion of industry to war-time production in Grand Haven. Lastly, he recounts the Andaste and SS Milwaukee shipwrecks of 1929.
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