Memories of May Francis Heath

May Heath and the Village Square

A few days ago, a public memorial was unveiled to May Francis Heath in the Saugatuck public square. How fitting was this location! May was born on Butler Street two blocks south of the square at what was later to be the Elms Hotel, and for almost all of her life she lived within a three block radius of the square.

The ancient cannon which is a feature of the square was purchased and donated to the city by her grandfather Stephen A. Morrison, "the man who named Saugatuck". It had been fired to celebrate a variety of public events for many years before, but the title to it was divided among several people. In 1889 Morrison arranged to get a clear title and it was later refurbished and formally turned over to the village by him in 1895.

Saugatuck's Cannon

Heath family legend is that the water fountain, which the memorial now adorns, was given by May to the Village of Saugatuck, "so her husband Doc would have someplace to wet his whistle on the way home from work, without having to stop by the local saloon." This fountain originally was placed in a corner of the square, but when the memorial bench to Dr. R. J. Walker was dedicated in 1944, it was moved to become a centerpiece for the bench.

###