Lightships are floating lighthouses that are anchored in areas where it was too deep, expensive, or impractical to construct a lighthouse. Lightships displayed a light at the top of a mast and, in areas of fog, also sounded a fog signal and radio beacon. The fog signals used over the years consisted of bells, whistles, trumpets, sirens, and horns. Early fog horns were powered by steam and later by air compressors. The HURON Lightship sounded her fog horn signal in 3 second blasts every 30 seconds and was known locally as “Old B.O.” because of the familiar sound her horn made.

Fort Gratiot was built in 1814 during the War of 1812 to guard the juncture of the St. Clair River and Lake Huron. Named after the engineer who supervised construction, Charles Gratiot, Fort Gratiot would be occupied on and off  by the United States Army until 1879.  With a surge of vessel traffic on Lake Huron in the early 1800s, the need for a Light Station to guide vessels through the water way became very important.

How can classic be defined? Sleek, stylish, perfection, unique, timeless, and valuable are words of articulate, lasting design. If you assemble these words in the form of a tangible object you have defined the unique and beautiful Wills Ste. Claire automobile. Manufactured by C. H. Wills and Company, in Marysville, Michigan, from 1921-1926, the Wills St. Claire quickly became one of the shining stars of the auto world in the 1920s. This timeless classic has graced the auto world with its stylish and perfected form that still pleases classic auto enthusiasts the world over. We trust your visit to our site will be informative and enlightening as you take an inside look at a man who designed and manufactured one of the finest engineered automobiles in the world.

Our Museum started out as the Newport Academy, founded by Emily Ward, built in 1847 by her brother Eber Brock Ward. The original location was on the northwest corner of South Main Street and Washington Street, in Newport (Newport was later changed to Marine City).

Captain David Lester’s most notable contribution to the nautical history of the great lakes was the launching of the VH Ketchum which his shipyard built. On April 16th, 1874, when it was launched at Marine City, it was the largest ship on the Great Lakes at that time. Today the VH Ketchum is still the Flag Ship of the Interlake Steamship Company, Richmond, Ohio, and an oil painting of the vessel hangs in their boardroom.

The Harsens Island / St. Clair Flats Historical Society’s mission is to collect, protect, preserve, and share with the public the unique historical artifacts and information that represents the diverse cultural composition of the people that occupied the area of the St. Clair River Delta that is Harsens Island and the St. Clair Flats. 

The St. Clair County Farm Museum was proposed in 1964 by the administrator of the St. Clair County Medical Center. He saw how technology was rapidly changing life in rural America and realized that there was a need to savor a slice of the past so that the area’s youth could explore and learn how their forefathers lived. By seeing a slice of the past, an appreciation of today’s lifestyle can be realized. The founding Museum members opened the Museum on July 16, 1966.

This building stands on land from a grant made to Andrew Westbrook before Michigan became a State. The exact age of the school is not known, however, this brick school was in use when East China Township was chartered in 1859. Records found in China Township indicate there was a school on this site in 1823. This building was in continuous use as a school until 1954 when the elementary school on Meisner Road, now used as an administrative office, was built and one room schoolhouses in the Township were closed. Restoration of this building was funded entirely by East China Township with the intention of preserving its oldest public building as a living museum.

The Maritime Museum has several displays exploring maritime history in the area.

The first year on his new land (there were no roads) he built a log cabin and cleared 10 acres for farming. The following year he cleared another 14 acres and planted wheat. A school house was built and John’s daughter was hired as the first teacher. In 1877 a blacksmith opened up a shop and a saw mill was built. In 1879 a post office and a general store came to the burg along with a Dr. C. J. Annis and a shoe store. The Grangers Hall and the Methodist Episcopal Church was also located in the burg

Imagine being able to go back in time to see what it was like 100 years ago. Take a step into the Corunna Historical Village of Shiawassee County. Stroll along the boardwalk, relax and enjoy the gardens, and wonder what history these buildings have witnessed over the years. Thanks to the efforts of two organizations, the Corunna Historical Commission and the Shiawassee County Historical Society, this village became a reality in 1990.

Over 120 years ago, this building served as the office of the Woodard Furniture Company paymaster and stood on the south side of West Main Street in the 400 block. It was centered in the midst of the Woodard lumberyard that occupied the area bounded by Main, Shiawassee, and Clinton street and Michigan Avenue. When the Woodard's built their new plant on Elm Street after the devastating fire of their buildings on Main Street, they sold the lumberyard to Mulhall and Benkelmen, who moved the building to South Elm Street. The building was given to the city of Owosso in the 1980's and it was moved to its present site on the north side of West Main Street next to the Shiawassee River in Curwood Castle Park.

The Curwood Collection is maintained, supported and preserved by the Owosso Historical Commission, whose vision “To Foster Appreciation and Discovery of Owosso’s Heritage,” is supported by our mission “To recognize, preserve and bring public attention to the historical treasures of the city and to promote a historical interest in the arts.”

The Curwood Castle was the writing studio for one of America's greatest authors of his time. James Oliver Curwood was an Owosso, Michigan native whose novels were estimated to have been read by over 7 million people during his time, and whose stories were turned into major motion pictures in Hollywood. However, the once world renowned and famous author fell into obscurity after his death in 1927. His former writing studio (Curwood Castle) and his family home (Hoddy House) remain preserved in Owosso and retain the legacy of his life as a writer, adventurer, explorer, conservationist, and pioneer.

This one room log cabin, built in 1836 according to the Midland design style, was the first permanent residence in the settlement that became Owosso.   It was the home of Elias Comstock and his wife, Lucy Lamson Comstock. Over his long life, Comstock was a merchant, school teacher, justice of the peace, township supervisor, judge and county clerk.

Gould was elected in 1859 as Owosso's first mayor. He founded Owosso's first bank, organized the first school district, brought in the first school teacher, organized the first cemetery association (Oak Hill) and organized the first Congregational Church. Gould was also the first lawyer in the city and served as prosecuting attorney and probate judge.

Offering a historical experience with educational programming to the people of Lapeer County and visitors to the area

The Davis Brothers' Farm Shop Museum is one of three museums we operate, and was made possible by a generous donation of the land, buildings, and artifacts by Jim and Patti Davis.

The mission of Capac Historical Society is to provide a meeting place for those people interested in local history, publicly promote knowledge of the history of the Capac Community, promote appreciation of the history of the Capac Community, procure articles deemed worthy of preservation, and provide safe storage and display of these articles.

International harvester collection