Federal grant funds survey of historic Black resort in Newaygo County

What’s happening: The Michigan State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) has received a $90,000 federal grant to preserve a vital piece of Black history in Newaygo County, according to the Michigan Economic Development Corporation. Awarded through the National Park Service’s Underrepresented Communities Grant program, the funding will hire a preservation consultant to survey roughly 200 properties in Woodland Park, including homes, hotels, resort complexes, and historic landscapes. 

About Woodland Park: Established in 1921 by Marion and Ella Auther in Merrill Township, Woodland Park is a historic African American resort community. It served as a safe haven for Black vacationers during an era when segregation and discrimination barred them from most Michigan resorts and public accommodations. Surrounded by forest around Woodland Lake, the community offered a quieter retreat compared to Idlewild’s bustling nightlife. Like other Black resorts, Woodland Park declined after 1960s civil rights legislation opened public accommodations to African Americans, reducing the need for separate vacation spaces. 

What they’re saying:  “The survey of Woodland Park, along with the effort to list it in the National Register of Historic Places, is intended to elevate this important historic site and place its story within the broader context of African American recreational tourism in Michigan,” says Ryan Schumaker, who is State Historic Preservation Officer.

What’s next: The SHPO will hire a consultant to complete the property survey. The data collected will be used to formally nominate Woodland Park as a historic district on the National Register of Historic Places under an ongoing thematic listing for African American Recreational Tourism in Michigan.