This massive brick building in Belding sits near downtown across from the library. Built in 1906, Belrockton is the last remaining boardinghouse of the three provided by the Belding Brothers and Company for its single female workers. A major silk manufacturer in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the company employed hundreds of young women and earned Belding the title of “Silk City of the World.” Providing accommodations for one hundred residents and staff, the Belrockton Dormitory, a Classical-Revival-inspired building, was erected at a cost of thirty thousand dollars. Following the closing of the company’s silk mills in 1935, the “Bel” served as a residential training center for the National Youth Administration. In 1943 the building became a recreation center. The city of Belding purchased the structure in 1950 to serve as a community center. In 1987 it became the home of the Belding Museum.

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This old cannon stands next to a VFW post along the Red Arrow Highway near Watervliet in southwest Michigan. I pass by a lot of VFW posts that have decommissioned military equipment such as tanks and canons, but this particular cannon is unique and rare. It dates back to World War I. The wooden chassis and wheels were built by Studebaker. The gun portion was made by the Northwest Ordnance Company in Watervliet, New York where the United States created an arsenal in 1893 along the Hudson River. It is the oldest continuously active arsenal in the United States, and today produces much of the artillery for the army, as well as gun tubes for cannons, mortars, and tanks

Watervliet Michigan was named after Watervliet New York, where the first settlers to the area in Michigan came from in the 1830s. I can only assume that is how this historic cannon came to stand in the southwestern Michigan town is its connection to the town in New York.

Armistice Day is the day that marked the end of World War I. The armistice was signed between the Allies of World War I and Germany and fighting would stop on the 11th hour, of the 11th day, of the 11th month” in 1918. It is why we celebrate Veteran’s Day on November 11th. Thank you to all the men and women who have served or continue to serve and defend this country and its Constitution. It is your sacrifices and commitment that allow me to continue my pursuit of happiness.

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