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Singapore Yacht Club

Play in the heart of downtown baltimore, marina info.

Singapore Yacht Club is positioned at 40 Butler Street in Saugatuck, Michigan. MI boaters can always be found in the waters of Saugatuck. To contact the marina directly call 269-857-2442. Singapore Yacht Club has not been reviewed by any boaters, be the first to review and rate this marina!

Location Info

• Mega Yacht Slips

2012 Rates: $3.00/ft/night including electric

This marina does not require a credit card to hold the slip or any type of deposit. As a courtesy please notify the marina if you need to cancel your reservation at least 24 hours in advance.

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The Forgotten Legacy of Singapore, Michigan’s Buried Ghost Town

Michigan, known for its vibrant cities, lush northern wilderness, and the majestic Great Lakes, holds a secret in its sands – the ghost town of Singapore. This once-bustling lumber town, now buried and almost forgotten, offers a fascinating glimpse into the state’s rich history.

The Rise of Singapore

In the mid-19th century, as America’s population expanded westward, the demand for lumber skyrocketed. Positioned on the northern bend of the Kalamazoo River, near the thriving artsy town of Saugatuck, Singapore emerged as a hub for shipbuilding and lumber.

Singapore’s story began in 1831 when Oshea Wilder, a pioneer from Massachusetts, visited the Kalamazoo River Valley. He aimed to establish a port town to rival Chicago and Milwaukee.

By 1837, his vision materialized, and Singapore was established. It quickly grew into a famous lumbering and shipbuilding boom town, complete with streets, mills, a bank, and a population of approximately 200 people.

At its peak, Singapore boasted three mills, two hotels, several general stores, a bank, and Michigan’s first schoolhouse, with a total of 23 buildings and two sawmills.

Singapore’s economy boomed with several mills cutting building materials, wooden shingles, and more. It even had its own bank, becoming a cornerstone in Michigan’s lumber industry. Ships frequently docked, loading up with timber to build the growing Midwest.

Interesting Facts About Singapore’s “Golden Days”

Singapore was more than just a lumber town; it was a central hub of commerce for Michigan for two decades. Its strategic location helped it rival Milwaukee and Chicago as a primary shipping and lumber port on the Great Lakes.

In 1838, Singapore was involved in a bank scandal. The town’s bank, along with the Bank of Allegan, issued their own banknotes without sufficient hard currency to back them. This led to their dissolution after the Civil War when they couldn’t produce the required specie to support their notes.

The 40-Day Blizzard of 1842 nearly devastated Singapore. The town’s survival during this period was aided by the shipwreck of the Milwaukie, which provided the residents with barrelled flour.

Oshea Wilder left Singapore in 1846, and James Carter of New York bought his interest. Carter later sold the town to his brother, Artemas, and Francis B. Stockbridge. Under their ownership, the first three-masted schooner on Lake Michigan , the Octavia, was built to carry lumber from Singapore to Chicago.

The Town’s Pivotal Role and Downfall

The town was a bustling center for lumber, with an average of three million feet of lumber passing through its mills annually to support other communities along the lakes.

The Great Fire of 1871, which devastated Chicago and other cities, brought unexpected prosperity to Singapore. The town played a crucial role in rebuilding efforts, shipping off lumber to the fire-ravaged regions. By 1873, Singapore’s lumber export had doubled to six million feet yearly. However, this rapid deforestation led to the town’s downfall.

However, this boom was short-lived. By 1875, Singapore’s timber resources were depleted, leading to the dismantling of its main mill and the eventual exodus of its population.

The town’s timber, crucial for rebuilding Chicago, led to clear-cutting the white pine forests that protected Singapore from the west winds off Lake Michigan. The topsoil was blown away, revealing the underlying sand dunes. By the late 19th century, these dunes were reported to move up to ten feet per year, slowly engulfing the town.

Nature’s Reclamation

With the town deserted, the once-protected sand dunes began to shift, gradually engulfing Singapore. The relentless movement of the sands, devoid of vegetation or dune grass, buried the town, leaving it to become a subject of local fascination and legend.

By the early 1900s, remnants of Singapore, like house roofs, were still visible above the sand. However, by the 1920s, it became Michigan’s version of Pompeii, a city buried under dunes. Over time, artifacts such as building materials, tools, and household goods have been unearthed, further validating Singapore’s existence.

As late as the 1970s, reports suggested that the roof of Singapore’s three-story hotel was still visible from the highest dune peak.

Singapore Today: A Legacy Preserved

While the physical town of Singapore has long vanished under the sands, its legacy endures in nearby Saugatuck.

Several original structures from Singapore were transported across the frozen Lake Michigan in the 1870s to downtown Saugatuck. Among these were the Singapore Bank (now a bookstore and art gallery on Butler Street) and the Jenkins-Mulder Singapore House, now located at 333 Lucy Street. These buildings stand as a testament to the town’s once-thriving community and its dramatic end.

The Singapore Yacht Club and other local landmarks pay homage to this lost city. There is a Michigan Historical Site marker in front of the Saugatuck Village Hall, commemorating the famous ghost town . 

A Michigan Town Buried Beneath the Sands of Time

Singapore, Michigan, serves as a poignant reminder of the transient nature of human endeavors and the relentless force of nature. Its story, from a thriving lumber town to a buried ghost town, is a unique and integral part of Michigan’s diverse tapestry, capturing the imagination of visitors and locals alike. The legacy of Singapore remains a hidden yet integral part of Michigan’s history , nestled quietly beneath the shifting sands.

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Ashley Pichea is a digital content manager and strategist who was born and raised in Michigan. When she's not geeking out over SEO or managing the content on Awesome Mitten, she's a wife and a busy mom of five awesome kids ranging from high school to preschool. You can find her sharing her tips for raising a busy family and traveling with kids at PicheaPlace.com .

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You Might Not Know There's A Ghost Town Hiding Under These Michigan Sand Dunes

Sophie Boudreau

More by this Author

Michigan is home to a handful of eerie ghost towns: ruins and remnants of cities that once bustled with activity, but now sit silently without a soul to be seen. Some of these towns, however, have truly disappeared without a trace. One such ghostly location is the town of Singapore, which now lies under the surface of sand dunes near the shores of Lake Michigan.

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There are several legends floating around about Singapore and its fateful demise. Have you heard any of these legends? Did any of your ancestors inhabit the town during its heyday? Tell us your stories in the comments below!

OnlyInYourState may earn compensation through affiliate links in this article. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.

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Singapore: A ghost town in America

By Staff Writer

Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Lawrence Wong knows how vulnerable Singapore is. He has also seen Singapore reduced to a ghost town in America.

“We know that it is very easy for small cities like us to fail. I had a very vivid reminder of this when I was a student at Michigan,” he said, speaking at the American Chamber of Commerce’s 50th anniversary celebrations in Singapore on September 1. “Some of you may know, there is a ghost town in Michigan, called Singapore.”

That’s right. Soon after Raffles landed in Singapore in 1819, another Singapore came up in America. By the 1830s, Singapore was commercially important enough for President Andrew Jackson to appoint Joseph Balestier as the first American consul in Singapore. Balestier Road in central Singapore is named after him.

Singapore, Michigan

While the Balestier family took up residence in Singapore, another Singapore was forming on the shores of Lake Michigan in America. New York land speculator Oshea Wilder moved to Michigan as a pioneer taming the wilderness and bought land on the shores of Lake Michigan, where he founded the village of Singapore in 1836. He hoped to build a port town to rival Chicago and Milwaukee.

The town could make a living felling the trees in the surrounding forests, cutting the logs into lumber at lumber mills and shipping the lumber across the lake to Chicago, Milwaukee and other towns and cities. At its peak, the town had several mills, two hotels, a number of stores, and a bank called the Bank of Singapore, which issued its own currency notes.

Making a good living out of timber, the town also ventured into shipbuilding, building steamships and schooners.

Singapore was lucky. When the great fires swept through the Midwest, ravaging Chicago in Illinois, Port Huron and Holland in Michigan and Peshtigo in Wisconsin in 1871, Singapore was spared.

The town prospered, supplying timber and other construction materials to rebuild Chicago and other fire-ravaged towns and cities.

But by 1875, Singapore had run out of timber. With no more trees, there were no more jobs in Singapore. People moved away.

Singapore became a ghost town unprotected from the elements. There was soil erosion — and no vegetation to act as a barricade against the shifting sands. By the end of the 19th century, Lake Michigan’s shifting sands had buried Singapore.

As Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong told the American Chamber of Commerce, “The shifting sand dunes around Lake Michigan swallowed up the ghost town. So the only marker of its existence today is just a signboard.”

Singapore Yacht Club

There’s also the Singapore Yacht Club, located in the nearby town of Saugatuck. Michigan’s Newsradio 950 WWJ reported on July 15, 2023:

“While ‘Singapore’ still lives on in name as the ‘Singapore Yacht Club’ which was only established in 1959, four buildings from the town were spared and moved to Saugatuck before the sand buried them. The buildings include the bank and three houses, which were transported down the frozen Kalamazoo River on logs in the winter.

“The Singapore Bank building has been converted into a book store and art gallery,” the report added.

“So, Singapore in Michigan did not last very long,” said Mr Lawrence Wong, speaking to the American Chamber of Commerce.

“Singapore in Southeast Asia has been around for some time; we have been independent for nearly 60 years and we are determined to keep going for a very long time,” he added.

“But we can do this only through strong partnerships and that is why we value the partnership that we have with the US.”

Today, Singapore is the US’ largest trading partner in Southeast Asia, said Mr Wong. “America continues to be our largest foreign investor here. And we host more than 5,700 American companies, with many of you playing a leading role in your respective industries.”

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More on SYC History

Robert M. Sergeant, J. Addington Wagner, and Victor E. Kronemeyer, all of Battle Creek, incorporated the club on October 29, 1959.

T he first Bridge and Board of Directors of the club became:

Mark Hannah, Commodore;

Warren Peasley, Vice Commodore;

George Kitchen, Secretary;

Russell Snow, Treasurer;

Charles Lamkin, James Scripps, and Frederick Rahn. Directors.

A room in the lower level of the Butler Hotel was selected as the clubroom and it remains so today, although the Butler Hotel is now known as the Butler Restaurant.

On November 14, 1959, the first membership meeting was held at the Tara Restaurant in Douglas, Michigan, followed by a dinner dance. Over 60 members and wives attended the meeting. A burgee for the club was selected at the meeting. It portrays a green dragon on a triangle of yellow silk, with the club’s initials in red entwining the dragon’s body, portraying the Chinese heritage of the Singapore name.

Singapore Yacht Club was accepted into membership of the Yachting Club of America on February 10, 1960, and remains an active member to this day. It is also an active member of the Lake Michigan Yachting Association.

The club’s objectives have changed very little since it’s incorporation in 1959. They currently are: to promote yachting, boating, safe navigational practices and other affiliated water sports and activities; to promote sociability between members and other sportsmen; and to stimulate and encourage good moral and instructive entertainment.

Float Your Boat

Dreaming of your next weekend trip? Enjoy the simple pleasures of sunshine, a cool breeze, stunning views, and a more tranquil pace with a boat trip to Saugatuck/Douglas.

Did you know that no point in the Mitten State is more than six miles from a body of water? Saugatuck/Douglas is easily accessible by water and a great destination for boating enthusiasts to stop and enjoy a top-notch culinary and beverage scene. Here are some local places where you can rent a transient boat slip, whether you’re yachting or sailing.

Coral Gables Marina at Coral Gables Resort

220 Water Street Saugatuck, MI 49453 269-857-2162 - ask to speak to the "dockmaster" for more information.

15 slips plus mooring for 20’ small craft on “the wall”.

Landings of Saugatuck Inn and Marina

726 Water Street Saugatuck, MI 49453 Toll free 888-857-4550 Local: 269-857-4550

Docking for boats up to 32’ and includes water and electric hook-up. Two private restrooms complete with a walk-in shower are conveniently located dockside. Call for seasonal availability.

Sergeant Marina

31 Butler St. Saugatuck, MI 49453 269-857-2873 Deep-water slips with water and 30- & 50-amp electric service up to 50’. Mid-grade gas & premium diesel, ice, in-slip pump-outs, clubhouse, bathrooms and showers, gated parking, wireless internet available. Limited transient slips, reservations recommended.

Singapore Yacht Club

40 Butler Street Saugatuck, MI 49453-8401 269-857-2442 48 slips accommodating 14' to 22' beam boats when the regular user is out.

Safe  Harbor Tower Marine

216 St Peters Drive  Douglas, MI, 49406   269-857-2151

Seasonal and transient slips for Safe Harbor members accommodating boats from 25’-116'. Amenities include freshwater hook-ups and pump-out, on-site clubhouse, restaurant, bathhouses and showers, store, and dog park.

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