Holland, Michigan, was founded by Dutch settlers in the nineteenth century who quickly integrated themselves and the town’s economy into the surrounding culture. Not until the middle of this century did the town realize the many economic advantages of politely defying the melting-pot pattern. In 1964 a 200-year-old windmill with German bullet holes in it was purchased from the Netherlands, shipped to the U.S., and reassembled in Michigan.
Today the town is typically midwestern in most respects, except for its commercially managed Dutch heritage. Some downtown architecture, many industries, products and stores, two theme parks, museums, annual festivals, and the symbol of the windmill have made the town well known as a physical reference to the Netherlands.
Andrea Robbins and Max Becher 1994
