Our Sponsors
Perry Hannah statue dedication
Read MorePERRY HANNAH STATUE
Record-Eagle/Jan-Michael Stump
A panoramic photo of the unveiling of the statue of Traverse City founding father Perry Hannah on Monday at the Union Street plaza entrance to Hannah Park. Hannah, who was born in 1824 and died in 1904, first came to what is now Traverse City in 1851 as president of the Hannah, Lay and Company in Chicago. He served as the city's first mayor and spent a term in the state legislature. The six-foot tall statue and plaza were funded entirely by sponsors and donors in collaboration with the city and History Center of Traverse City, including proceeds from the book ""Perry Hannah's Gifts - Then and Now," by Peg Jonkhoff and Fred Hoisington. The statue was sculpted by Verna Bartnick and cast by T.J. Carroll. Hannah holds two pine cones in his hand, a reference to the pine forests he came in search of for his lumber business.