Christopher Columbus Smith 1861 - 1939
created the sport of motor-boating in 1893 by installing a motor in a wooden boat and launching it in the St. Clair River at Algonac — three years before Henry Ford installed one in the first . . . — — Map (db m123945) HM
This Greek Revival home was built by Charles H. Beers around 1849. In 1914 it became the home and office of Dr. Walter E. Bostwick, who died in 1943. His widow, Cordella Sheill Bostwick, lived in the house until her death in 1948. In 1949 the . . . — — Map (db m123876) HM
Saint Andrew's Parish
Beginning in 1845 the Reverend Andrew Jamieson, an Anglican missionary, served Saint John the Baptist Church on nearby Walpole Island, Ontario. In the early 1860s, Jamieson (1814-1885) established a mission in Algonac. . . . — — Map (db m123873) HM
The St. Clair River is part of the connecting channels between Lake Huron and Lake Erie. It is a 40 mile strait that flows south from Lake Huron to Lake St. Clair. The river serves as a navigational passage as well as an ecosystem for a great . . . — — Map (db m124058) HM
The St. Clair River is part of the connecting channels between Lake Huron and Lake Erie. It is a 40 mile strait that flows south from Lake Huron to Lake St. Clair. The river serves as a navigational passage as well as an ecosystem for a great . . . — — Map (db m124059) HM
For more than a century, Algonac has played a leading role in ship building, from sailing cargo ships to large pleasure craft, racing boats and World War II landing craft. Between 1921 and 1932 Christopher Smith and Gar Wood built ten Miss . . . — — Map (db m123847) HM
Erected 1905 in memory of the soldiers and sailors 1861 to 1865
St. Clair County KIA Vietnam
John Frederick Anthony•
John J Bailey•
George Patrick Barrett•
William Thomas Bass Jr•
Robert Louis Bauer•
Robert Joseph Bawal•
Raymond . . . — — Map (db m217775) WM
Scottish immigrants from Glasgow settled in Berlin Township in 1841. Ten years later, twenty-four of them founded the Almont Society of the New Church. They followed the teachings of Emanuel Swedenborg (1688-17720), a Swedish mathematician, . . . — — Map (db m155039) HM
Side 1
In the 1830s, numerous Catholic settlers immigrated to the Anchor Bay area. Having no formal church, the settlers were intermittently pastored by missionary clergymen. In 1847, Etienne (Stephen) Rose and his two sons constructed a . . . — — Map (db m152884) HM
In grateful appreciation of our Parish Historian, Paul Torney, who through long hours of research and dedication, with help and support from his wife Shannon and working with Father Joe Esper, Gail Zabowski and Cemetery Director Robert . . . — — Map (db m166257) HM
Led by Bishop John Samuel Foley, the Diocese of Detroit purchased this land from Ephise Rosset in February 1914. The property became a new burial ground for Immaculate Conception of Blessed Virgin Mary after the church's first cemetery, St. . . . — — Map (db m155896) HM
In 1830 Etienne (Stephen) and Mary Rose arrived in Detroit from Montreal. They settled with their children near here. Rose and his sons supported the family by cutting and selling wood at fifty cents a cord. In 1840 the Roses bought about . . . — — Map (db m155892) HM
Capac's Early Railroad Depots
In 1870 the Port Huron and Lake Michigan Railroad Company, later the Grand Trunk Railroad, opened a rail line and depot in Capac. Judge Dewitt C. Walker, Capac's founder, later recalled that "the shrill noise . . . — — Map (db m155045) HM
In 1866 this bell was mounted on the first school located on the northwest corner of East Church St. and Walker St. In 1879 the bell was removed to the three story brick school on this site. It was used until 1932.
Restored the year of Capac . . . — — Map (db m179793) HM
Ira Township Veterans
"In memory of those who served"
Morris Ray Latour • Stanley Chodacki • Fred Finedell • Bernard David • Norman Spens • Donald Claeys • Stephen Lord • James Thibault — — Map (db m217696) WM
Built in 1925 by the Chicago Bridge and Iron Works, this steel-framed water tower was the main water supplier for "The Colony on the Ste. Claire" — a secluded residential community established in Clay Township during the 1920s. The Colony . . . — — Map (db m152071) HM
At this site April 1977
The Michigan Dept. of Natural Resources purchased the first 45 acres of the St. John's Marsh Project. The money was raised by the Lake St. Clair Advisory Committee and given to the state for the purchase.
Two time . . . — — Map (db m213949) HM
Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish
Father Lawrence Kilroy established Catholic churches throughout St. Clair County during the early nineteenth century. In Kenockee he founded a cemetery and the "log church," the precursor of Our Lady of Mount . . . — — Map (db m155047) HM
Lake Huron Water Supply Project
In 1968, to serve the water needs of a growing population, the Detroit Metro Water Department began work on the Lake Huron Water Supply Project. This massive feat involved erecting a submerged intake crib . . . — — Map (db m88947) HM
With the metro Detrolit area growing, a new Lake Huron water intake and treatment plant was needed to serve both the Detroit and Flint areas. In 1968,
the Detroit Metro Water Department began a massive $125 million project of digging a water . . . — — Map (db m235474) HM
The state legislature set off Wales Township from Clyde Township on March 27, 1841. It was considered one of the finest agricultural districts in St. Clair County. In 1889 citizens voted to build a town hall. On November 8, 1890, the township board . . . — — Map (db m154892) HM
In 1860, this post and beam, Greek Revival church was built for the Methodists on Kronner Road in Columbus Township. In 1882, the Methodists sold the building to the Baptists for $100. The new owners spent another $100 to move the church to a new . . . — — Map (db m312343) HM
In 1885, this balloon framed one-room schoolhouse was built in Lynn Township at the corner of Speaker Road and Sterling Road across from the present-day Lynn Township Hall.
Few alterations have been made to the structure. The schoolhouse was . . . — — Map (db m312348) HM
Dr. Isaac Mudge was born in Blenheim, Ontario in 1822. Isaac later married Abigail Wanch at Canning, Ontario in 1841. Shortly after they were married, the couple moved to Kimball Township, Michigan. Isaac and Abigail had 12 children. Two of . . . — — Map (db m312345) HM
After the Civil War, many counties around the country established farms that would provide temporary homes for returning soldiers. In St. Clair County, there was also a need for out-of-work people with seasonal jobs like sailors and lumbermen. . . . — — Map (db m312338) HM
This house belonged to the
family of Jacob Harsen. A
gunsmith and fur trader
who arrived here about
1778, Harsen was the first
white settler on the
island. On this site he
built a log home which was
destroyed by a gunpowder
explosion. The . . . — — Map (db m233527) HM
Stewart Farm. This is likely the oldest farm
complex on Harsens Island. Harvey
Stewart, a brewery and distillery
owner from New York State, came to
the Michigan Territory in 1810. He
served as a guide and messenger to
General William . . . — — Map (db m233529) HM
Anchor from the steamer New Orleans built in Marine City, Michigan 1885. Sunk in Thunder Bay by the steamer William Linn 1906. Recovered by Jack Thompson 1973.
Donated by Jack Thompson 1985 — — Map (db m217803) HM
Rudder of the tug
Protector
U.S. 170400
139.4 X 30.6 X 15.4 409 tons
Last major wooden vessel
built in Marine City
Sydney C. McLouth Shipyard
1919 — — Map (db m218019) HM
City Hall of Marine City was placed on the National Register of Historic Places by the United States Department of the Interior in 1982. Constructed in 1884, it was designed by the noted architectural firm of George Dewitt Mason and Zachariah . . . — — Map (db m218015) HM
This house was likely built in stages between around 1855 and 1885 and reflects the prominence of David and Laura Rice Lester. David Lester (1823-1890), a shipbuilder, a ship owner, and a salt producer, played a key role in Marine City's economic . . . — — Map (db m41189) HM
East China Township was set off from China Township in 1859. In 1868 Harriet J. Comstock, an heir of pioneer Andrew J. Westbrook, sold a parcel of land to School District No. 2. A frame school, built on the site prior to 1853, was replaced by this . . . — — Map (db m169599) HM
Bell from the bell tower of the Emily Ward Academy. Academy started 1845. Building built 1847 by Eber Brock Ward.
Donated by: Carroll Brown — — Map (db m217807) HM
Freighter propeller recovered from St. Clair River north of Marine City by divers Fred Dufty, Leo Dupuis, Terry Lisk and John Trevaskis. — — Map (db m217794) HM
In 1856 Detroiters Eber Brock and Mary Ward deeded approximately one and one-half acres of land along the Belle River to establish Greenwood Cemetery. As a result of several additions, the burial ground comprised 14.2 acres by 1922. Renamed Woodlawn . . . — — Map (db m176823) HM
City Hall of Marine City was built in 1884 designed by the firm of George Dewitt Mason and Zachariah Rice, Detroit. Mason, principal designer, chose to reflect a style popularized by the Boston architect Henry Hobson Richardson and now known as . . . — — Map (db m123788) HM
Father Gabriel Richard received this triangular plot of land by way of a grant from President John Quincy Adams on April 1, 1825. This area, known as Catholic Point, contains, among other buildings a church, a rectory, a convent, the former high . . . — — Map (db m41196) HM
Built in 1884 at a cost of $12,300, this edifice has served continuously as the seat of local government. Marine City was incorporated as the village of Marine in 1865. It became Marine City in 1867. The first village president was David Lester, a . . . — — Map (db m123786) HM
Dedicated by the labor organizations to those Honored Patriots of Marine City who fell in the -1914- World--War -1919-
★ Henry Bashore ★ Wm. C. Sharp ★ Emil Hund ★ Wm. Regan ★ Wm. Lawrence — — Map (db m218011) WM
Emily Ward established the Newport Academy about 1845 to provide educational opportunities for area children. Miss Ward was a niece of Samuel Ward, the founder of Newport (now Marine City), and the sister of Eber Brock Ward, a shipping magnate and . . . — — Map (db m41199) HM
This range light was originally located in American Waters, east of the mouth of the Detroit River, just north of the international border and north east of Pêche Island, Ontario, Canada
It was brought to Marine City in 1982 through the . . . — — Map (db m123840) HM
Built in Marine City as a Bark by David Lester.
Converted to Schooner in Chicago in 1878.
Abandoned in 1921 and then used as a club house
by Lincoln Park Club. Donated to the Milwaukee
Naval Reserve in 1923, but sank in transit. — — Map (db m217996) HM
Built in Marine City by George King in 1868.
Designed as a Barge, she was rebuilt & her
Rig changed to Propeller in 1870. Registered in
Port Huron in 1870. Removed from commission
at Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin in 1910. — — Map (db m218008) HM
Built in Marine City as a Barge by Thomas Arnold.
Rebuilt as a steamer in 1867 increasing the tonnage
to 695,89 Caught fire & burned off Sturgeon Point
in Lake Huron on August 28, 1880
with a loss of 9 lives. — — Map (db m217795) HM
Built in Marine City in 1899 by Alexander Anderson. Designed as a Propeller 95 feet long & 23 feet wide. Collided with the Hilton in 1915 at Courtright, Ohio. Later raised by Robert Thompson of Port Huron. Burned at the dock in St. Clair in . . . — — Map (db m217997) HM
Built in Marine City by Alexander Anderson.
Her Rig was Propeller & one of the larger ships.
Running from Cleveland, OH, to Ontario during a
blizzard, she ran aground & foundered near Devil's
Island in Georgian Bay, Ontario. — — Map (db m217995) HM
Built in Marine City as a Barge by John J. Hill.
Rebuilt & Rig changed to Propeller in Detroit in 1880.
Caught fire at Kelly's Island, Ohio in November, 1886.
Rebuilt in Cleveland, Ohio & registered in 1887.
Burned on Lake Superior leaking oil . . . — — Map (db m217994) HM
Built in Marine City by Thomas Arnold.
A large Propeller ship, built for freight and passengers,
she was sold to Eber Ward of the Lake Superior Line.
In October 1871, she foundered in fierce gales near
Pointe Aux Barques. Only 18 souls survived. — — Map (db m217990) HM
In memory of the 69 Michigan bound passengers
Aboard the RMS Titanic April 15, 1912
Nearer My God to Thee
Richard F Becker - Benton Harbor • Marion L Becker - Benton Harbor • Ruth E Becker - Benton Harbor • Nellie E Becker - Benton . . . — — Map (db m272067) HM
Church Bell Donated By:
The United Methodist Church (1851-2014)
Built By The Troy Bell Foundry
Jones And Company
Troy, New York
1871 — — Map (db m217806) HM
This memorial is dedicated to honor those of this community who served in time of war to perpetuate the memory of all those who made the supreme sacrifice for God and their country. — — Map (db m218024) WM
Built in Marine City as a Propeller by Morley and Hill.
Changed ownership 5 times including C. & E. McElroy,
1882-1894 & S. H. Burnham, 1894-1899 both of
St. Clair, Michigan. Later rebuilt to increase size.
Taken to Massachusetts in 1905 & . . . — — Map (db m217946) HM
C. Harold Wills (1878-1940) began working as a draftsman for Henry Ford in 1902. When the Ford Motor Company was organized in 1903, Wills was its chief engineer and metallurgist. He designed every Ford car until he resigned in 1919. Deciding to . . . — — Map (db m168499) HM
Commissioned in 1921, the Huron began service as a relief vessel for other Great Lakes lightships. She is ninety-seven feet long, twenty-four feet in beam, and carried a crew of eleven. On clear nights her beacon could be seen for fourteen miles. . . . — — Map (db m41197) HM
In Memory of those PHYC Members that came before us and helped to
Anchor our Future
This 400 lb. Admiralty Anchor was made around 1860-1880
Found in 2016 off Lakeport, MI.
It snapped off in a severe storm, vessel unknown, . . . — — Map (db m241412) HM
This is the Fort Gratiot Station. It welcomed immigrants, settlers, military and other travelers to Port Huron during the late 19th century. The Grand Trunk Railway built this depot in 1858 and launched daily passenger service to Detroit the . . . — — Map (db m76020) HM
People first crossed the St. Clair River using logs, rafts and canoes. Steam-powered ferries began carrying freight and people in the 1840s. The river current pushed tethered swing ferries from shore to shore. Later other ferries were used, and . . . — — Map (db m76014) HM
This boulder and tablet
were placed here by
The Department of Michigan
Woman's Relief Corps
in memory of and dedicated to
The Civil War Veterans.
1861 - 1865
"They are sleeping in the valleys,
They are sleeping 'neath the . . . — — Map (db m76102) WM
The Omar D. Conger
Built for the Port Huron-Sarnia Ferry Company at the Dunford and Alverson shipyard in 1882, the passenger ship was named after Port Huron native and U.S. Senator Omar D. Conger. For over 40 years, the 93 ft. ferry moved . . . — — Map (db m217562) HM
October 6, 1988
This structure, which has served as
the Port Huron, Michigan Customhouse since
1874, was dedicated as a Historic Bicentennial
Customhouse in honor and recognition
of U.S. Customs steadfast and vigilant
service to the . . . — — Map (db m76103) HM
This excellent Queen Anne-style house, completed in 1890, was the residence of Wilbur F. Davidson until his death in 1913. Born in Adrian in 1852, Davidson opened a Port Huron dry goods store in 1882. The next year he installed in the store the . . . — — Map (db m241413) HM
E. C. Williams built this double house in 1890-91, in what was then the village of Fort Gratiot. Williams published the Fort Gratiot Sun, a newspaper that circulated primarily among railroad passengers and crew. In 1894 the village merged . . . — — Map (db m213688) HM
Thomas Alva Edison was seven years old in 1854 when he and his family moved to Port Huron. They moved into a house on the Fort Gratiot Military Reservation, a short distance south of here. This is where young "Al" conducted his first experiments . . . — — Map (db m76049) HM
At this point the Grand Trunk Western Railroad
tunnel, linking Port Huron
with Canada, passes underneath Military Street. This
international submarine
railway tunnel --
first in
the world -- was opened in
1891. The tunnel's total
length . . . — — Map (db m212487) HM
On this site stood
Fort Gratiot
Built 1814 by
Capt. Charles Gratiot
Abandoned 1879
Erected by Ottawawa Chapter
Daughters of the American Revolution
1914 — — Map (db m259149) HM
In 1825, a lighthouse was established near the mouth of the St. Clair River, at the southern end of Lake Huron. It sat just north of Fort Gratiot, a military outpost that would give the lighthouse its name. That light, of poor construction and . . . — — Map (db m241417) HM
This lighthouse, oldest in Michigan, was built in 1829 to replace a tower destroyed by a storm. Lucius Lyon, the builder, was Deputy Surveyor General of the Northwest Territory and later a United States senator from Michigan. In the 1860s workers . . . — — Map (db m156750) HM
Built near here in 1686 by the French explorer Duluth, this fort was the second white settlement in lower Michigan. This post guarded the upper end of the vital waterway joining Lake Erie and Lake Huron. Designed to bar English traders from the . . . — — Map (db m212488) HM
Called "Nme" in Ottawa language, Lake Sturgeon are the largest fish native to the Great Lakes. They can grow up to seven feet (2.1 meters) in length and weigh up to 250 pounds (113 kilograms). Sturgeon evolved very slowly over the last 200 . . . — — Map (db m256981) HM
[Side A]
On November 7-10, 1913, two major storms collided over the Great Lakes. This created hurricane like winds that lasted over 16 hours, producing waves over forty feet tall. As the storm intensified, temperatures dropped below . . . — — Map (db m76068) HM
Harrington Hotel
The Harrington Hotel opened amid much fanfare in 1896.
A unique blend of Romanesque, Classical and Queen Anne architecture, the hotel thrived for many years. As business declined due to the popularity of automobile . . . — — Map (db m212536) HM
Many people coming to the United States from other lands entered through this depot. By 1881, more than 77,000 immigrants first stepped foot on American soil here. Port Huron folks gathered here to see and hear the new arrivals, fascinated by . . . — — Map (db m79067) HM
This tablet marks the intersection of the eastern line of the Indian Reservation surveyed in 1810 provided by the treaty made Nov. 17, 1807 between the U.S. Government and the Chippewa, Ottawa, Pottawattamie [sic], and Wyandotte Indians with the . . . — — Map (db m76101) HM
Daily Duties of a Keeper......
• Hand carry fuel up to the lantern room and fueling the lamp.
• Trimming the wicks (later, replacing the mantles and pumping up the oil vaporizer).
• Regularly cleaning and polishing (with jeweler's . . . — — Map (db m76100) HM
Lake Huron's basin was formed by glacier movement over 20,000 years ago. The lake was created when melting ice filled the basin gouged by the glaciers. Lake Huron took its present shape around 3,000 years ago.
Lake Huron is the second largest . . . — — Map (db m76081) HM
The Grand Trunk Railway Company of Canada opened the first track between here and Detroit in 1859. As years passed, other railroads reached Port Huron. A line to Flint opened in 1871. Another extended into the Thumb in 1879.
In 1886, the Port . . . — — Map (db m76046) HM
(Side A)
This congregation dates from 1849, when people worshipped in log barracks within Fort Gratiot. Known as the Mission of Fort Gratiot, it was served by circuit riders until 1859 when the Reverend Samuel Clemens began his tenure. The . . . — — Map (db m41198) HM
This monument is to honor all the Native Americans who called Turtle Island home in the past. We thank those who kept this land well until we arrived.
Three Fires Nations
Ojibwe • Chippewa • Pottawatomi • Botawatomi • Ottawa • Odoawaa • . . . — — Map (db m256989) HM
Archaeologists found evidence of a native village (circa 1000 A.D.) located one block north of where you are standing. These prehistoric people fished the waters of Lake Huron and the St. Clair River, hunted game and gathered foods in nearby . . . — — Map (db m76016) HM
On September 9, 1908, the third Port Huron High School building opened here, where two previous high schools had stood. Port Huron architect George Harvey designed this Second Renaissance Revival-style school, constructed of brick and limestone. A . . . — — Map (db m212489) HM
In 1902 the city of Port Huron secured money from philanthropist Andrew Carnegie to erect a municipal library. Two years later, this grand, Beaux-Arts-style building was completed at a cost of $45,000. Chicago architects Patton and Miller . . . — — Map (db m76105) HM
Port Huron To Mackinac Race In 1924, members of the Bayview Yacht Club in Detroit raced a schooner named Lloyd W. Berry and won the 731-mile race from Newport, Rhode Island, to Bermuda. Later that year, members of the Bayview Yacht . . . — — Map (db m241419) HM
The headwaters of the St. Clair River mark one of the most dangerous shipping channels in the world. The swiftness of the current and the serpentine course of the river make it challenging. This stretch of waterway has a long history of . . . — — Map (db m256979) HM
Native American burial grounds once paralleled much of the waterfront between present-day Pine Grove Park, one mile south of here and Lakeside Beach about two miles north.
William Lee Jenks, who published a history of St. Clair County in 1912, . . . — — Map (db m256980) HM
Evolution of Lighting the Way
It has long been documented that the first shoreline lights were wood burning fires set on hillsides. Later, these wood fires were moved to the top of man-made towers. Wood however proved to be inefficient, as . . . — — Map (db m76076) HM
Dense fog on Lake Huron could spell disaster to vessels filled with passengers and valuable cargo. When fog was present and visibility was poor, mariners were forced to rely on sound to navigate their way into the St. Clair River. Early fog . . . — — Map (db m76083) HM
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