During her research for The BIG RED Lighthouse and while developing the exhibit “BIG RED: From Navigational Aid to Cultural Icon” for the Pump House Museum and Learning Center, maritime historian Valerie van Heest identified significant inaccuracies on the two historical markers commemorating Holland Harbor and the Holland Harbor Lighthouse. One of these markers - the Michigan Historic Site marker installed in 1987 - contained outdated, incomplete, and in some cases incorrect information. These inaccuracies ranged from misstated dates to missing historical context, and they obscured the fuller story of BIG RED, including important elements of the region’s Native American history.

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Recognizing the need for correction, Michelle Davis, Marker Coordinator for the Michigan History Center (DNR), initiated a formal process to update and replace the markers. The Michigan Historical Commission allocated funding, approved revised text, and oversaw the fabrication of a new, historically accurate marker. The first of these corrected markers—located on the north side of the channel at Holland State Park—is now complete and ready for installation.

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The rededication ceremony will serve as a public moment to recognize this work, celebrate the corrected narrative, and reaffirm the community’s dedication to preserving Big Red’s history with accuracy, integrity, and respect.