Near Thomas Edison Parkway, 0.7 miles south of Bluewater Bridge (Interstate 69).
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
On Quay Street at Fort Street, on the right when traveling east on Quay Street.
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
On Thomas Edison Parkway at the Bluewater Bridge to Sarnia, on the right when traveling south on Thomas Edison Parkway.
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
On Thomas Edison Parkway at the Bluewater Bridge to Sarnia (Interstate 69/94), on the right when traveling south on Thomas Edison Parkway.
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
On Water Street west of Military Street (Business Interstate 69/94), on the left when traveling west.
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
On Quay Street at Fort Street, on the right when traveling east on Quay Street.
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
On Water Street west of Military Street (Business Interstate 69/94), on the left when traveling west.
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
On Military Street (Business Interstate 94) at Oak Street (Business Interstate 69) on Military Street.
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
On Thomas Edison Parkway at the Bluewater Bridge to Sarnia (Interstate 69/94), on the right when traveling south on Thomas Edison Parkway.
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
On 16th Street near Cedar Street, on the right when traveling south.
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 Thomas Edison Parkway at Thomas Edison Drive, on the left when traveling north on Thomas Edison Parkway.
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 m212535) 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
On Elmwood Street just north of Forest Avenue, on the right when traveling east.
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
On Thomas Edison Parkway at Elmwood Street, on the right when traveling north on Thomas Edison Parkway.
[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
On Military Street (Business Interstate 69/94) at Wall Street, on the right when traveling north on Military Street.
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
On Thomas Edison Parkway at the Bluewater Bridge to Sarnia (Interstate 69/94), on the right when traveling south on Thomas Edison Parkway.
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
On Military Street (Business Interstate 69/94) at Water Street, on the right when traveling north on Military Street.
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
On Thomas Edison Parkway at the Bluewater Bridge to Sarnia (Interstate 69/94), on the right when traveling south on Thomas Edison Parkway.
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
On Cherry Street at Church Street, on the right when traveling south on Cherry Street.
(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
On Thomas Edison Parkway at the Bluewater Bridge to Sarnia (Interstate 69/94), on the right when traveling south on Thomas Edison Parkway.
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 Erie Street at McMorran Boulevard, on the right when traveling south on Erie Street.
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
On Quay Street at Fort Street, on the right when traveling east on Quay Street.
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
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
On 28th Street just north of John L. Portis Drive, on the right when traveling south.
On September 15, 1918, members of Port Huron’s African American community organized Shiloh Baptist Church in South Park, one of the city’s first black neighborhoods. By the early 1920s, the church had acquired the current building from a white . . . — — Map (db m212492) HM
On Thomas Edison Parkway at the Bluewater Bridge to Sarnia (Interstate 69/94), on the right when traveling south on Thomas Edison Parkway.
The St. Clair River has always been an important part of the Great Lakes system. For centuries native people traveled throughout the region in canoes, as did the early French fur traders. In 1679, LaSalle's Griffon was the first sailing . . . — — Map (db m76015) HM
On 7th Street at Pine Street, on the right when traveling south on 7th Street.
This plaque is issued by the
Historical Society of Michigan
in recognition of
St. John's
United Church of Christ
Founded in 1864
For more than 150 years of
continuous operation in service
to the people of Michigan
and for . . . — — Map (db m241460) HM
On 7th Street near 7th Street, on the left when traveling north.
St. John’s congregation was organized by German immigrants in 1864. The original wood-frame structure was erected here in 1869-70 at a cost of five thousand dollars. In 1904 it was enlarged and extensively remodeled to create this . . . — — Map (db m212503) HM
On Thomas Edison Parkway at Elmwood Street, on the left when traveling south on Thomas Edison Parkway.
On August 4, 1900, the "Fontana" sank while in these narrows. Several weeks later, on September 25, 1900, the "Martin", a 225 foot schooner with a load of iron ore, was being towed downbound from Lake Huron by the steamer "Grover". In attempting to . . . — — Map (db m41203) HM
The St. Clair River's narrow and swift current at this point made it an ideal location for a crossing.
In the late 1800s, railroads crossed the region east from New York and Ontario and west from Wisconsin and Chicago. The St. Clair . . . — — Map (db m241461) HM
The water flowing past you comes from two countries, five states and three of the Great Lakes.
A watershed is the area of land that drains runoff and smaller streams toward a larger
body of water, such as a river or lake. Watersheds . . . — — Map (db m241935) HM
The Great Storm of 1913 lasted from November 7th through the 11th. It is often referred to as the "Big Blow", the "Freshwater Fury" or the "White Hurricane". The storm hit four of the five Great Lakes, and was particularly ferocious in Lake . . . — — Map (db m76080) HM
On Thomas Edison Parkway at the Bluewater Bridge to Sarnia (Interstate 69/94), on the right when traveling south on Thomas Edison Parkway.
The Grand Trunk Railroad depot to the right is where 12-year-old Tom Edison departed daily on the Port Huron-Detroit run. In 1859, the railroad's first year of operation. Tom persuaded the company to let him sell newspapers and confections on . . . — — Map (db m76017) HM
On 10th Street at Griswold Street (Business Interstate 69), on the right when traveling south on 10th Street.
In 1871 German speaking Lutherans organized this congregation under the leadership of the Reverend John F. Ruff. The parish moved from Erie Street to this area, known as “Deutschtown,” in 1874. This structure, dedicated in 1942, is the third . . . — — Map (db m241465) HM
Near Omar Street near Garfield Street, on the right when traveling north.
In 1871, The federal government established the United States Life-Saving Service (USLSS). This organization was responsible for saving the lives of shipwrecked mariners and passengers. Another Agency, the U.S. Revenue Cutter Service, provided ice . . . — — Map (db m241468) HM
On Thomas Edison Parkway at the Bluewater Bridge to Sarnia (Interstate 69/94), on the right when traveling south on Thomas Edison Parkway.
Prior to the Civil War, African American slaves, in brave and desperate attempts to flee from slave owners in the Southern states, passed through Port Huron via the Underground Railroad. It was not a real railroad but a system of routes where . . . — — Map (db m76050) HM
On Thomas Edison Parkway at the Bluewater Bridge to Sarnia (Interstate 69/94), on the right when traveling south on Thomas Edison Parkway.
Fort Gratiot was built by the U.S. Army in 1814 to guard the strategic junction of Lake Huron and the St. Clair River. Troops stood ready to defend Michigan and the U.S. against British forces in Canada.
As settlement moved westward, the fort . . . — — Map (db m76048) HM
On Military Street (Business Interstate 94) at Chestnut Street, on the right when traveling north on Military Street.
This plaque is issued by the Historical Society of Michigan in recognition of
Woman's Life Insurance
Society
Founded in 1892 for more than 100 years of continuous operation in service to the people of Michigan and for contributing to the . . . — — Map (db m217559) HM
