History since 1868

Timeline

Village Hall in 1929. Photo courtesy of the Saugatuck Douglas History Center.

• 1857: Chain Ferry service begins (Saugatuck Douglas Historical Society).
• 1868: Village of Saugatuck incorporated. An incorporation census counted 831 residents on January 8, 1868.
• 1871: Fire Department organized in January. On October 9, 1871 Fennville and Holland burned, the same day as the Chicago fire. Saugatuck was spared.
• 1880: New fire house, council chamber, hall and lock up on Butler Street almost completed at a cost of $824.33.
• 1926: Local artist Carl Hoerman redesigns the building and adds the pillared entry seen today.
• 1929: Basement dug and the jail moved downstairs.
• 1931: Saugatuck Art Association opens a gallery in the council chamber.
• 1939: Oval Beach parking, around 1939.
• 1984: Saugatuck becomes a city in the summer of 1984.
• 1990: City Hall listed on the Michigan State Register of Historic Sites on July 19, 1990.
• 2010: Mt. Baldhead stairs rebuilt.
• 2011: City acquires the Saugatuck Harbor Natural Area.

Village Presidents and City Mayors