LOCAL ATTRACTIONS

Harbor Beach Visitor Center
Community House
Murphy Museum & Home
Grice House Museum
Harbor Beach Resort Association
Harbor
Lighthouse & Breakwall
Thumb Area Underwater Preserve

DAYTRIPS

Huron City Museum
Lighthouse Park
Grindstone City
Point Aux Barques
Ubly Dragway
White Rock
Port Crescent State Park
Sanilac Petroglyphs
Sanilac Shores Underwater Preserve
Verona Hills Golf Club

Check out William McCain's virtual tour of the "Thumb's" eastern shore (some fantastic photos here!)

HARBOR BEACH VISITOR CENTER

Hours:
everyday, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Located next to the Murphy Museum, the Visitor Center is open daily during the summer months and provides valuable information about local attractions, accommodations and activities.

This unique building is located at the northeast corner of State Street and Huron Avenue, the main intersection in Harbor Beach.

The Community House was built on land which had been donated by George Jenks and Anna Belle Jenks Scranton for the purpose of contructing a building to be used for community purposes. It was dedicated on September 21, 1921 and housed a theater/auditorium, gymnasium which doubled as a banquet hall with full kitchen facilities, public & school library, the city offices and Council room, as well as numerous meeting and club rooms.

The building is now home to the local movie theatre, a gymnasium and the public library. The Harbor Beach Area District Library is responsible for administration of the building. The common rooms are in frequent use by area clubs and organizations for meetings, practices and rehearsals.

On the west face of the building is a mural, designed and executed by Dave Wiley, replacing an original mural on the building which had been lost to time and the elements. This new mural depicts local historical scenes and figures, including representations of agriculture, Frank Murphy, shipwrecks, locomotives, and much more.

Frank Murphy is probably the city's most famous "son".  Born in 1890, Frank was the third of the four children born to John T. and Mary (Brennen) Murphy. Frank graduated from the University of Michigan Law School and returned to Harbor Beach to practice law with his father, and later his brother.

Murphy would later go on to serve as mayor of Detroit, Governor-General/U.S. High Commissioner of the Philippine Islands, Governor of Michigan, Attorney General of the United States, and U.S. Supreme Court Justice.

The Murphy family's residence in Harbor Beach was originally a cramped two-story building on State Street, which also served as John Murphy's law office. Eventually the family moved into a spacious home next door to the law office. Both of these buildings now comprise the Murphy museum and are administered by a concerned group of volunteers, who serve as docents and conduct regular tours and organize special activities at the museum.

The Grice House was built by James G. Grice , who emigrated to the United States in the 1860's and by the 1870's was employed at the Rock Falls sawmill. In the 1960's, with the last Grice descendent deceased, the city of Harbor Beach purchased the property to settle the estate. Shortly thereafter, a group of local volunteers stepped forward to convert the house and its environs into a museum.

The museum complex is now comprised of the house itself, an old schoolhouse and a polebarn. Special exhibit areas include a Marine Room, Sewing Room, Industrial Room, agricultural machinery and implements, and the reconstructed 1800's-era schoolhouse. The museum houses almost 2000 artifacts throughout the three museum buildings.