Letter to the editor: Historians agree Stearns Park was a gift

November 12, 2026

Justus S. Stearns. Photo from Mason County Historical Society.

Dear Editor,

Given the recent discussions concerning the issue of paid parking at Stearns Park Beach, we believe some information could be clarified. Hopefully, the details below can help. Our goal is to provide a deeper understanding of the history involved with the creation of Stearns Park Beach and its benefactor, Justus S. Stearns.

On July 19, 1909, the Ludington City Council voted to hold a special election to raise $50,000 in bonds. The purpose can possibly be best explained in a passage from the Ludington Record-Appeal dated July 22, 1909:

“…In a nutshell the proposition is to bond the city for $50,000 and purchase the J. S. Stearns property lying along the shore of Lake Michigan north of the avenue, known as the Lakeside addition. The word purchase, in this connection, is really a misnomer because upon the purchase of the property Mr. Stearns will immediately donate to the Board of Trade the sum of $50,000 to be used in securing factories for Ludington so that the tract of land above mentioned will really be a donation to the city on the part of Mr. Stearns…”

The election took place Aug. 20, 1909. Ludington voters overwhelmingly voted in favor of the proposal to issue bonds in the amount of $50,000.

The city of Ludington issued the bonds in January 1910. On Jan. 27, 1910, Stearns received $50,000 in bonds and sold the Lakeside addition property to the city. Stearns then turned over the bonds to a committee to work with the Board of Trade (similar to the Chamber of Commerce) to attract new businesses to the area. In a letter to the committee, Stearns declared his intentions:

“I desire to turn over to you gentlemen $50,000 (Fifty Thousand Dollars) in City of Ludington bonds, to be used for the purpose of inducing industrial institutions to locate in our city…”

Ever since he moved to Ludington in 1876, Justus Stearns was a key member of the business community and a benefactor. He made his fortune in the lumber industry, employing thousands over the years. By the first decade of the 1900s, it was clear that Michigan’s forested lands were becoming depleted. Ludington was a community built on the lumber industry; its future was uncertain. While a critic could argue Stearns did not technically donate the beachfront property to the city, context is important. It was part of an overall strategy to encourage new businesses to locate in the city of Ludington. Stearns was a visionary who took steps to prepare the community for a post-lumber economy.

The park was completed in 1948 when Laura Freeman Stearns, the daughter-in-law of Justus, purchased property adjacent to Stearns Park for $4,750. She then donated the property to the city. Her donation came with the stipulation that the land had to be maintained for park purposes, or the property would revert to her or her heirs.

– James R. Jensen, president of the Mason County Historical Society Board of Directors

– Michael W. Nagle, author of “Justus S. Stearns, Michigan Pine King and Kentucky Coal Baron, 1845-1933”

Editor’s note: Both Jensen and Nagle are residents of Mason County.

Letters to the editor are opinion editorials submitted by readers. Letters to the editor are a long tradition in American journalism. The views and opinions of the writer do not necessarily reflect those of Mason County Press, its staff or its parent company. For more information, please refer to MCP’s Letter to the Editor Policy.

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