First United Methodist Church

When the Reverend Albertus Christiaan Van Raalte and the first Dutch settlers came to Michigan in February 1847, they were aided by two Methodists who had settled earlier in the Holland area. George Harrington, Sr., brought the Dutch settlers from Allegan by ox cart; and Isaac Fairbanks welcomed them to his cabin, where they stayed during the building of their own log homes. Later, in 1861, Fairbanks and Harrington helped found the Holland Methodist Episcopal Church (now First United Methodist Church), which became the first English-speaking church organized in the Holland community. In 1986 the congregation celebrated its 125th anniversary at this site, its fourth church home.