The original Adams Fly, tied by Len Halladay in 1922 for his friend Judge Charlie Adams, was presented for permanent display at the Kingsley Branch Library on Sunday, April 18, 2010.

In the early 1900s, Len and Rilla Halladay lived in and ran the old Mayfield Hotel.  In those days, people traveled to this part of Michigan via the Grand Rapids and Indiana Railrod, which ran between the hotel and the Mayfield Pond shore.  In addition, Len acted as a fishing guide.  In 1916 or 1917, he began tying flies for his fisherman clients from Indiana, Illinois, and southern Michigan.

In 1922, Judge Charlie Adams of Lorain, Ohio, was fishing the Boardman River near Mayfield.  He noticed that some sort of hatch was occurring, but none of his flies looked like those that were hatching all around him.  His friend, Len Halladay, lived near Mayfield Pond, so Adams went to him and asked him to tie a new pattern.  Halladay did, using gray wool for the body and Rhode Island Red Rooster feathers for the wings.  With that impromptu fly, Adams introduced his namesake dry fly to the Boardman trout population.  Today it is arguably the most widely used fly on Earth.

The Adams fly doesn't resemble any particular insect, but looks close enough to several others (Stonefly, Caddisfly, and Mayfly) to be effective in diverse fishing situations. Many variations of the Adams Fly now exist, tied in sizes ranging from 10-20.

Mayfield Pond is the birthplace of all of Len Halladay's flies: the Adams, the Hair Stone, the Dr. Kirgin, and Halladay's Michigan Caddis.  Visitors to Mayfield Pond Park can enjoy its rustic, picturesque charm, peaceful atmosphere and learn more about the early history of the area.  There is a handsome plaque celebrating the Adams Fly that is very close to where it was first tied.  Mayfield Pond Park is located about three miles north of Kingsley and about a quarter mile west off Garfield Road.