Pieter Van Peenen’s Trunk, circa 1863
When Pieter Van Peenen set out from the Netherlands in 1863, he used this trunk to transport his worldly goods to the United States. On the front of the trunk, painted in black letters, is his destination: “Noard/America Kalamazoo, State Michan (sic) Pieter Van Peenen 1863.” The year is painted green, and yellow floral designs surround it. After Pieter’s arrival in Michigan, he worked as a general laborer but eventually became a bottler and saloon owner by the 1880s. He employed many other family members as bartenders and bottlers and left quite a bit of property for his children in his estate after he passed in 1905.
Object #2000.35.1