Old Wing Mission

The main portion of this building was the residence of George N. Smith, a Congregational missionary to the Indians in this area and at Waukazoo’s village on nearby Lake Macatawa. The mission was named after an Indian convert. Built in 1844-45 by Isaac Fairbanks, a government agricultural agent to the Indians, this house is the oldest structure in the vicinity. Nearby were a church and school, and some Indian dwellings. The first Dutch settlers in 1846-47 lodged here and in the Fairbanks cabin on the knoll to the southeast. As the Dutch settlement grew, Smith and the Indians moved away and established a new village on Grand Traverse Bay. Isaac Fairbanks remained in this area and was active in the settlement of Holland.