Master gardener proposes Victory Garden at Allegan County's historic Felt Estate

By Sharon Hanks

Bean, squash, pumpkin and tomato plants along with other fruits and vegetables could be thriving in a field outside the historic Felt Mansion this spring if Pat Meyer, Felt Estate Restoration Project Manager, can plant and grow enough seeds of interest.

Meyer is getting word out about her proposed Victory Garden for an abandoned, overgrown plot next to the magnificently restored 1928 mansion. She hopes the garden will supply fresh food for numerous wedding and social events held at the mansion throughout the year. Surplus food would be given away to local food pantries.

"I just don't want to overbuild (the garden) and not have the volunteers to support it," says Meyer, a master gardener who is hoping to attract enough seeds, tools, materials and volunteers to begin turning spades this spring. "I'm going to need more help than just me to take care of it. I would love to have a group of master gardeners to help."

I B Compost company of Zeeland has already offered to supply compost as long as Felt volunteers haul it away themselves, Meyer says.

The stately Felt Estate has plenty of special events that could use the Victory Garden's fresh fruits and vegetables. The popular 17,000-square-foot mansion with 25 rooms and a third-floor ballroom has already been rented for every weekend from mid-April to the end of October, Meyer says.

Beautifully situated 10 miles south of Holland and six miles north of Saugatuck at 6597 138th Ave., the Felt Estate was once the luxurious summer home of self-made millionaire Dorr E. Felt. In 1886, Felt invented the Comptometer, the first office processing machine that could perform four math functions quickly and accurately. The sprawling estate once boasted a thriving farm with orchards, vineyards, vegetables and animals in its heyday.

Now listed on the National Register of Historic Places and the Michigan State Register of Historic Sites, the sumptuous Felt Mansion retains the architectural beauty of a bygone era and offers a glimpse into the wealth and lifestyle of the Roaring '20s – a time cut short by The Great Depression.

For about two decades, Felt's descendants kept the home until it was sold to a Catholic seminary in 1949. It later housed cloistered nuns, prisoners, the state police, and a drug enforcement agency until the run-down estate was purchased for $1 in the early 1990s by Laketown Township for use by the public. Meyer has been spearheading restoration efforts since 2002.

Victory Gardens were popular during World War I and World War II when the government encouraged people to grow their own food so it could divert the country's agricultural products to the needs of wartime soldiers.

To help Meyer hit pay dirt with the Victory Garden project, interested parties should contact her at 616-896-7860 or at [email protected].

Sources: Pat Meyer, Felt Estate Restoration Project Manager, Laketown Township; Felt Mansion Estate website.

Sharon Hanks is innovations and jobs news editor at Rapid Growth Media. Please send story ideas and comments for the column to Sharon at [email protected]. She also is owner of The Write Words in Grand Rapids.