Oregon Twp. resident donates heirloom to museum - Harbor Beach, MI - News Article Locations on Waymarking.com

News article text:
OREGON TWP. — A family heirloom and piece of regional history made the journey last month from storage in Oregon Township to prominent display in a museum.

Oregon Township resident Sandy Harding was keeper of a more than century-old “courting carriage” — a relic of days gone handed down through her family. Thanks to her donation, the carriage will be displayed at the Grice House Museum Complex of Harbor Beach.

The Grice House Museum is fully furnished by donations and allows visitors to see first-hand what life was like in 19th century Michigan.

Harding, whose maiden name is Jurgess, can trace her family lineage through her parents Patrick and Margaret “Mickey” (Holdwick) Jurgess, to the original owner of the courting carriage, Barney B. Holdwick.

Bernhard B. Holdwick, widely known as “Big Barney” or B.B., was born in Huron County’s Sherman Township on Jan. 10, 1863. Big Barney used the courting carriage to pursue Mary Depzenski of Ruth, whom he married in 1890. The couple raised 11 children in their farmhouse, which still stands two miles north of Ruth on Priemer Road, just east of Ruth Road.

The Holdwick courting carriage was passed down from one generation to the next, first B.B.’s son, Bernard “Ben” A. Holdwick, followed by B.B.’s grandson, Bernard “Sonny” Holdwick. The courting carriage was stored for decades in Sonny’s “carriage shed,” or so it was called back in the day, said Harding, where it sat for years, mostly forgotten — but too good to throw out.

Harding said Sonny’s brother-in-law (and her father), Patrick Jurgess, had a talent for tinkering and enjoyed “breathing new life” into old relics. He purchased B.B.’s courting carriage in the late 1990s with the goal of restoration in mind. After hiring some help on the project, Jurgess refurbished the carriage, and for the next two decades, the Holdwick carriage made its appearance in various parades and provided a glimpse into what life — and transportation — looked like over a century ago.

Harding’s parents, Pat and Mickey Jurgess, made their home and raised their family in Attica, but the family’s connection to the Harbor Beach area stayed strong through their second home located just north of the Grice House Museum. After Pat Jurgess died in 2018 and Mickey last year, Harding, along with her two sisters Sue and Shelly, were left to handle their estate.

Then came the question of what to do with B.B.’s courting carriage. “I talked to my sisters about donating the carriage to the Grice House,” said Harding. “Because my parents owning the house down the street and all of our relatives are in this area; that way, the whole family will be able to enjoy it.”

Harding said how pleased they were when they learned the museum board approved their donation request. “It means a lot to us that the carriage will have a permanent home with the Grice Museum, and our descendants will be able to see what their ancestors used to ride around in,” she said. “The Thumb area is pretty unique in that most families are somehow related, even if it was generations earlier. There are some families that have stayed in the area since they first arrived from Germany.”

Harding said her parents were “sentimental” about things from the past. “They lived through part of the Great Depression, and I think that anyone who lived through that part of history were savers of everything that they thought could be useful another day,” she said. “I think our parents would have appreciated that we brought the courting carriage back up here.”

The Jurgess/Holdwick family’s donation will be housed in the Agricultural History Building, located on the grounds of the Grice House Museum Complex, located at 864 N. Lakeshore Road, Harbor Beach. The complex consists of three buildings – the James Grice House, the Adams Schoolhouse and the Agricultural History Building.

The Grice Museum is open Memorial Day weekend to Labor Day weekend, Wednesday through Friday, 1–5 p.m. and Saturdays, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Call 989-479-3363 for more information or to schedule a private tour.

Type of publication: Internet Only When was the article reported?: 07/09/2022 Publication: The County Press Article Url: [Web Link] Is Registration Required?: no How widespread was the article reported?: local News Category: Arts/Culture

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