brochure
Catalog Number
2023.22.1195Description
Brochure from Holland Hitch. On the cover, in gray letters, is the company pitch "CREATING SYSTEMS FOR THE FUTURE-TODAY". The inside two pages, as well as the backside, discuss Holland Hitch's training program, fifth wheel equipment selection guide, the research department and cad/cam manufacturing.History
HOLLAND HITCHIn 1920 Gerrit Den Besten, Henry Ketel and Albert Hulsebos arrived in Holland, MI to manufacture tractor hitches. They named their company Holland Hitch.
The location of their first factory was Seif Brewery at 149-57 West 10th Street. Den Besten was responsible for inventing many of the hitches.
Over the years production shifted from tractor hitches to truck hitches as the trucking industry developed. Equipment produced by Holland Hitch for trucks included fifth wheels, pintle hooks and coupling gears.
During WW2 production shifted towards the needs of the military beginning in 1940 with an army contract for 1,600 pintle hooks. In 1943 a new $40,000 plant at Eighteenth Street and Ottawa Avenue was constructed. By the end of WW2 Holland Hitch had shipped one million hooks to the military.
Colonel Henry Geerds took over as director of Holland Hitch in 1946. In 1976 William Beebe, Geerds’ son-in-law, became president of the company. Beebe served in WW2 and began working for Holland Hitch upon his return to Holland. Beebe retired in 1983. His son-in-law, Richard Muzzy Jr., succeeded him as president.
By 1993 the company had four divisions—Holland Hitch, Holland Hitch Canada, Holland Hitch International, and the Binkley Company. In 2004 Tom Thomas became president.
HOLLAND CITY LIBRARY/HERRICK LIBRARY
This item was once part of the Herrick Library's genealogical collection. It was available to library patrons for several decades. The collection consists of more than 2,500 booklets, brochures, newsletters, photographs, postcards, newspaper clippings, books and letters. In 2023 the Herrick Library donated their genealogical collection to the Holland Museum.
The first library in the area was a township library established in the 1850s, before Holland was incorporated as a city. After incorporation in 1867 the township library donated books to the City of Holland for the formation of a city library. For every 13 books kept by the township, 10 were given to the city (Holland Sentinel, 5-12-1976).
By 1888 Holland had established a city library in city hall (later the First Ward engine house) on east 8th Street (Holland City News, 3-24-1888). In 1893 a library board was established.
By 1896 the Holland City Library held 3,000 volumes in their collection (1898 Holland city directory). By 1901 the library had moved to the second floor of the YMCA at 25 west 8th and boasted a collection of 4,000 volumes (1901 city directory).
As their collection of books grew so did the need for more space. In 1911 the library returned to city hall, only this time they were in the new city hall building on River Avenue, on the spacious second floor. By now the collection of books had grown to 7,176 (Holland Sentinel, May 1972).
It was librarian Hazel Hayes that first connected with Ray Herrick, writing him in 1958 expressing the needs of the crowded Holland City Library. With a donation of $325,000 ground was broken on the new Herrick Library in 1959. The new library was dedicated on 5-7-1960 (Holland Sentinel, May 1972).
The first librarian at the Holland City Library was Henry D. Post (1824-1897). He was followed by Rachel Day Sipp (1835-1916), Holland's first female librarian. The position was actually offered to Rachel's husband, George Sipp (1834-1896), who was also Holland's city clerk. Rachel wanted the job and library official were reluctant to offer such an important position to a woman. So George accepted the position of librarian on the condition that Rachel be allowed to handle the librarian responsibilities, which she did. Rachel served as librarian from about 1887 to 1897.
Jennie Kanters (1866-1918) to over the job in 1897, replaced in 1918 by Dora Schermer (1896-1994). Dora served as librarian until 1953, when Hazel Hayes took over. By 1953 the library's collection contained 24,000 volumes. Roger Walcott replaced Hazel in 1966 (Holland Sentinel, May 1972), he ran the library until 1979. Robert Sherwood operated the library from 1980 to 2002.