Graafschap Christian Reformed Church
Erected in 1862, this church was the center of the Dutch immigrant community. The first settlers in this area arrived in early 1847 led by the Reverend Albertus C. Van Raalte. In June of that year a separate group of sevents people from Graafscap Betheim, near the Dutch border, founded this village which they named Graafschap. Joined by thirty-four other immigrants from Drente, the Netherlands, the villagers shared common religious views and spoke similar dialects. Before erecting a log church in 1849 year this site, these early settlers attended services conducted by Van Raalte in nearby Holland. Graafschap followed VanRaalte's example by affiliating with the reformed church in America in 1850. Seven years later the congregation severed that tie and reasserted its independence.