White Pigeon honors magician Hank Moorehouse with street naming

The Village of White Pigeon is going to be honoring one of its most notable residents with a lasting tribute – a street named in his honor.

Legendary magician Hank Moorehouse, a longtime White Pigeon resident who passed away in 2011, will be honored by having a portion of East Murray Avenue (the street on which he lived) named “Hank Moorehouse Avenue.”

The street naming was unanimously approved by the White Pigeon Village Council last week. The street name won’t officially change, but a sign honoring Moorehouse will be installed at each of the intersections along East Murray Avenue.

A ceremony unveiling the new street signs will take place at 5:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 6, at the intersection of “Hank Moorehouse Avenue” and Kalamazoo Street in White Pigeon. The public is invited to attend. Members of Moorehouse’s family will be on hand to help unveil the sign.

The street-naming honor was the brainchild of Brian Kruger, an Emmy-nominated documentary filmmaker who is working on a project about Moorehouse’s life in magic. Kruger pitched the idea to officials from the Village of White Pigeon, and they loved it.

“Hank traveled the world with his wife Jackie doing magic, and he was an ambassador for White Pigeon everywhere he went,” Kruger said. “Because of Hank, magicians everywhere knew about this beautiful little town in Michigan. You’ll run into magicians in China and Japan today who know about White Pigeon, and it’s all thanks to Hank and Jackie. This is a fitting tribute to a great man, and I’m thrilled and honored that the officials in White Pigeon agreed.”

In voting unanimously to approve the street-naming, the White Pigeon Village Council noted Moorehouse’s numerous contributions to his community, including the countless free magic shows he performed for community groups and charities.

A native of Illinois who later moved to Michigan, Moorehouse was renowned as a comedy magician, magic dealer and producer of magic shows. He rose to the very top of the magic world, serving as president of the Society of American Magicians in the early 1980s (Harry Houdini was one of the first presidents of the prestigious organization).

Moorehouse traveled the world doing magic, performing in China, Japan, Germany, England, Norway and more. For many years, he produced shows for the Abbott’s Magic Get-Together in nearby Colon (the Magic Capital of the World), where he was also a frequent performer.

Moorehouse passed away in Shanghai, China, in 2011 at the age of 77, during a magic tour he was producing.

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The Livingston Post is the only locally owned, all-digital information and opinion site in Livingston County, Mich. It was launched by award-winning journalists who were laid off from the Livingston County Daily Press & Argus by Gannett Co. Inc. in 2009.

1 Comment

  1. Hank Morehouse was an amazing man and this is a fabulous way to honor his memory.

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