Port Huron Museum

Our Mission :

The Port Huron Museum celebrates the history and culture of the Blue Water Area and fosters an appreciation of other peoples and places.
Through exhibitions, education and public programs, the Museum inspires knowledge of the past, participation in the present and an imagination for the future.

History:

Constructed and given to the City of Port Huron in 1904 by Pittsburgh-based steel magnate and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie for $40,000, what is now the Port Huron Museum's Main Museum was originally the Port Huron Public Library. To the right is a postcard of the Main Museum as it looked soon after its opening as the library. After the City Library merged with the St. Clair County Library, the building was slated for demolition. Through the dedicated efforts of concerned volunteers, the Museum of Arts & History opened its doors on May 3, 1968.

The Port Huron Museum is home to over 15,000 objects and archival items relating to the history, pre-history and culture of the Blue Water Area. While all of our sites have items from the Port Huron Museum's collection, the majority of our object, document, and photograph collections are housed at the Main Museum. Since 1904, a museum, first under the auspices of the Port Huron Public Library, has been housed here. To the left is a picture of librarian Miss Barnum, taken in 1915, in what is now the McMorran-Murphy Room. Many of the objects seen in this photo exist in the Museum's collection to this day, reflecting the long-standing commitment of the City of Port Huron to preserving its heritage.