As the United States prepares to mark its 250th anniversary in 2026, two West Michigan communities are coming together to tell stories that connect local lives with the nation’s broader history.
The
Zeeland Historical Society and the
Holland Museum have received a $25,000 grant to launch We the People, a joint exhibit and oral history project that explores immigration, identity, and belonging. From the early Dutch settlers and Indigenous peoples to more recent immigrant communities, the project blends historical artifacts with interactive storytelling and firsthand accounts.
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In June 2025, Katelyn VerMerris and Michelle Stempien presented Dr. Bob Swierenga with a custom wooden bowl honoring his contributions to local history, at a joint event by the Holland Museum and Zeeland Historical Society.
The grant was awarded by
America250MI, Michigan’s official effort to commemorate the nation’s founding.
The exhibits will open in February 2026 at the
Dekker Huis Museum in Zeeland and the Holland Museum in downtown Holland, running through December of that year. A companion oral history initiative will collect stories from across West Michigan and share them online, creating an archive that connects past experiences with today’s questions of community and belonging.
Stressing regional effort
Michelle Stempien, executive director of the Holland Museum, says the partnership signals a shared commitment to impact the region.
“We support each other in our work and what each of us is doing,” Stempien says. “Individually, we want to impact our community, but together we can tell a more complete story, share resources, and do more.”
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Holland Museum hosts July Ice Cream Social at the historic Cappon House.
She adds that the joint effort also played a role in securing funding.
“If we had submitted individual applications, neither might have been accepted,” Stempien says. “But bringing two organizations together to work on such a project made a huge difference.”
Katelyn Bosch VerMerris, director of the Zeeland Historical Society, says the project grew out of discussions about how to commemorate the nation’s semiquincentennial.
“It became a natural overlap, because the immigration story between Holland and Zeeland is the same story,” VerMerris says. “This regional collaboration will not only honor our nation’s founding. It will bring it home. By preserving and sharing the real stories of our neighbors, we invite the community to reflect on the foundational question, ‘What does it mean to be an American?’”
The oral history initiative will reach beyond city borders to gather perspectives from across West Michigan.
“The oral history project is not going to be just Holland or just Zeeland,” VerMerris says. “It’s interviewing people from all over West Michigan, so we can tell a more complete story by looking more regionally.”
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Oude Nederzetters, a settlers’ register marking Zeeland’s 60th anniversary, is on display at the Dekker Huis Museum.
Stempien points out that Holland and Zeeland have long been interrelated.
“There are so many connections between Holland and Zeeland,” she says. “We wanted to amplify that.”
Immigration, past and present
Both leaders say they hope the project sparks conversations about how history shapes today’s community.
“Yes, we are looking at the Dutch immigration story, but we also want to highlight more recent immigration,” Stempien says. “Holland and Zeeland embrace the immigrant story as a big part of the community fabric, and we want to share those stories, looking back at the past, but also asking who is coming here today and why.”
The project includes a range of programming, from school partnerships to panel discussions and workshops. Residents will also have opportunities to contribute.
“We’re in the process of working on the oral histories now, engaging with people in the community,” Stempien says. “If somebody would like to tell their story, that’s one way they could participate in the next few months.”
VerMerris says recording sessions are planned for later this year.
“We’ll be doing oral histories around October and November,” she says. “We’d love to connect with anyone who is interested in sharing.”
America250MI received nearly 100 proposals totaling more than $2.2 million in requests. The Zeeland-Holland collaboration was selected in part for its regional scope and commitment to building a lasting archive.
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Students in the summer IChallengeUth program, part of Future Prep’d and the OAISD, present at the Holland Museum.
By weaving local immigrant stories into the country’s 250th anniversary celebration, We the People aims to show how West Michigan’s history is inseparable from the nation’s.
“Things are changing so much, so rapidly,” Stempien says. “It’s important to look back, but also to consider how the past shapes the communities we are today.”
The Holland Museum is located at 31 W. 10th St. in downtown Holland. The Zeeland Historical Society has exhibits, programs, and preservation efforts at the Dekker Huis Museum on East Main Avenue and the New Groningen Schoolhouse on Paw Paw Drive.
Together, the two organizations say their work will spark reflection during America’s 250th anniversary and create a record of community voices that will last well beyond the anniversary year.