Harbor Springs in Emmet County, Michigan — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
The Aha Boat
Shays Joy on the Water
Photographed by J. J. Prats, September 24, 2023
1. The Aha Boat Marker
Click on the image to inspect the photographs.
Do you know where this steel boat was built? It was built very near to where you see it now.
The Aha was built in the early 1890s in Ephraim Shays machine shop, on land that Shay Park today. It was built from Shays own design for his pleasure, and could carry 20 people. After its launch a local magazine wrote that nothing like it floats or ever floated on fresh water or salt. Local stories claim that this all-steel boat, with its triple-expansion engine, set speed records on Little Traverse Bay. This watercraft is also honored for its August 1894 rescue of the Manitou steamship, stranded with hundreds of passengers, through foggy darkness and uncertain Lake Michigan waters to safety in Harbor Springs.
Erected 2021 by Harbor Springs Area Historical Society.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Waterways & Vessels. A significant historical month for this entry is August 1894.
Location. 45° 25.833′ N, 84° 59.033′ W. Marker is in Harbor Springs, Michigan, in Emmet County. It can be reached from the intersection of East Main Street (Michigan Route 119) and Judd Street, on the left
this page online
Regionally, this marker is in Northern Michigan Lower Peninsula and in one of the Lake Michigan Shore counties. It is also in the American Midwest and on the Great Lakes. Globally, it is in North America, the Great North Woods, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Viceroyalty of New France and also the Northwest Territory.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 4 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Restoring the Aha (here, next to this marker); Ephraim Shay (a few steps from this marker); Andrew J. Blackbird / Mack-e-te-be-nesey (within shouting distance of this marker); Andrew J. Blackbird House / Makade Binisii Wegamik (within shouting distance of this marker); GR&I Railroad Depot (approx. 0.3 miles away); World Wars Memorial (approx. 0.3 miles away); Little Traverse Bay (approx. 3.9 miles away); St. Francis Solanus Indian Mission (approx. 3.9
Photographed by J. J. Prats, September 24, 2023
2. The Aha Boat and Its Two Interpretive Panels
This panel is on the left.
More about this marker. This interpretive panel shows three photographs, a drawing and a map. They are captioned (clockwise from the top left)
Ephraim Shay
The Aha boat, just before launching in 1893, a illustrated in an article in the Daily Resorter.
This 1906 Sanborn Fire Insurance map shows the complex of Shays buildings in what is now known as Shay Park. Shays Hexagon House, which served as his private residence and office, is shown across the street.
The 50-foot steel frame of the Aha boat being assembled at the Shay complex.
Looking southwest towards steamers in the harbor, 1905. In the foreground, #1 is the Shay Engine Room, #2 is the Shay Machine Shop, #3 is the Shay Hexagon House, and #4 is Main Street.
Also see . . . The Aha. This Harbor Springs Area Historical Society page includes links to two videos about the Aha and Ephraim Shay.
The Aha, an all-steel yacht built in 1894 by inventor Ephraim Shay, has returned home to Harbor Springs after an extensive restoration project by the Harbor Springs Area Historical Society. The Society worked in partnership with students at the Industrial Arts Institute in Onaway, Michigan from December 2019 until July 2021 to repair the dilapidated vessel. Plans were finalized with the City of Harbor Springs and the vessel was installed in Shay Park in 2021. The new educational exhibit has interpretive signage about Ephraim Shays impact on Harbor Springs and the history of the Aha.(Submitted on May 26, 2024.)
Credits. This page was last revised on September 21, 2025. It was originally submitted on May 26, 2024, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio. This page has been viewed 677 times since then and 36 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on May 26, 2024, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio.
