Huron City began on the site of a small lumber mill built by Theodore Lewis in 1845 at the mouth of what was later named Willow Creek.

Lewis eventually sold the property to a Mr. Brakeman, who named the river Brakeman’s Creek and slightly expanded the lumber operations begun by Lewis.

Brakeman eventually sold out to Dowling and Forbes of Port Huron, who afterwards sold out to R.B. Hubbard and Co. This company consisted of brothers Langdon and Watson and their cousin R.B.

The Hubbards, who had come to Michigan in 1839 from Connecticut, had business interests in Lexington, MI; Sandusky, OH; and North Carolina.

In 1854, Langdon was given $500 and five years of free passage by Captain Ebenezer Ward to use on his ship line. It was during this time that Langdon built his own home, named Forestview because of its commanding view of the forest. While at Huron City during these early years, Langdon bought the claim of George S. Lester. The Lesters had come here from Penn Yan, NY. Langdon married George’s niece, Amanda. Langdon and Amanda were married October 8, 1862 and had three children: Frank (1863), Annabel (1864), and Richard (1866). After Richard’s birth, Amanda became ill and in October of 1868 she passed away. Langdon’s sister, Jeanette, came to Huron City during Amanda’s bout with illness to care for their children. After the 1871 fire, Langdon and Jeanette decided that the Michigan wilderness was not an appropriate place for the Hubbard children, so Jeanette took the children back to Connecticut for what she considered to be a proper education.

While the Hubbard children were growing up in Connecticut, their father Langdon continued his expansion in Huron City. He acquired about 30,000 acres of forest land by buying land from veterans and receiving land grants from the federal government in exchange for building a sixteen mile road from Huron City to Verona.

Langdon’s lumbering operations were quite successful. The wood was cut in the surrounding forests; floated down Willow Creek by using a series of coffer dams to raise the water level; sent to the Huron City saw mills; and ultimately shipped out of Huron City from Langdon’s half-mile long shipping dock.

In 1870 Langdon became sole proprietor of the Huron City operations when he separated from R.B. Hubbard and Co. At the height of Huron City’s progress, Langdon’s sawmills were producing 20,000 board feet per day. The sawmills were built where the new highway meets Willow Creek, slightly beyond the roller rink. The lumber was shipped from the half-mile-long dock located at the end of the driveway, which leads to the cottages.

In 1871 a large forest fire destroyed much of Huron County. Not only were Huron City entirely destroyed, but also a great deal of Langdon’s White Pine forests. The fire started on the same day as the Chicago Fire, however, the only connection was the massive drought present in both areas. There was also a third fire in Wisconsin, but Chicago received most of the publicity, even though it was the smallest of the three.

The 1871 fire was so vast that the smoke from it affected lake shipping. On October 2, two ships, the Montezuma and the Johnston, collided 40 miles north of Pointe Aux Barques in zero visibility.

Langdon rebuilt his house this time calling it Lakeview, because he could now see Lake Huron from his home. He also built a steam sawmill, shingle mill, flourmill, and the ½ mile-long dock. Subsequent buildings were also built, such as stores, houses, and other structures.

Between 1871 and 1881 Langdon decided to rebuild, despite the fire losses. The lumbering operations of Huron City made such a come back that the Huron City saw mills once again produced 20,000 board feet per day.

In 1881 there was another disastrous fire. The Great Thumb Fire destroyed most of Huron, Tuscola, and Sanilac Counties. Huron City was completely destroyed along with all of Langdon’s White Pine forests. Two hundred twenty-five people died in the fire and many others died later of related injuries. One of the only areas in Huron County that escaped both the 1871 and 1881 fires were the Port Austin-Grindstone City area.

The effect of the 1881 fire on Huron City was dramatic. Due to the loss of the forest, Langdon was not able to rebuild Huron City into a lumbering community. His $8,000 home (Lakeview) was destroyed as well as the $10,000 dock. Many people left the area, especially, if they worked in the lumber industry. Langdon lost $250,000 worth of property in the fires of 1871 and 1881.

Langdon Hubbard stayed in Huron City, but sold much of his land to immigrant farmers and former employees. The land was not very good for farming because it was full of tree stumps, so it was sold inexpensively at about $5-$10 an acre. Each new farmer began by clearing tree stumps from the land.

Huron City was rebuilt as a trading center. Langdon’s general store, a church, an inn, and his barns were built during the 1880’s. Langdon rebuilt his home as well, still referring to it as Lakeview.

Even at the low prices many people could not afford the land. Langdon’s son Frank returned from Connecticut, fresh from business school and soon established banks around the county to lend the new farmers the money to farm. The banks were established in Sandusky, Kinde, Sebewaing, Pigeon, Elkton, Palms, Bad Axe, and Kilmanage.

After 1881 Langdon’s three children returned from Connecticut to live with their father. In 1886 Langdon completed the additions to Lakeview II, which provided the house with accommodations for the children and their guests. The addition to the house included the double parlors and the rooms above.

Langdon acquired two bear cubs as pets. The cubs were kept in the basement of the roller rink building and Langdon loved to wrestle with them, until they grew so big that they stood taller than he did. Other wildlife at that time were wild boars (which during one incident chased Langdon through the woods) and wolves.

One of Frank, Annabel, and Richard’s childhood friends in Connecticut was William Lyon (Billy) Phelps. During many of Billy’s college summers he came to Huron City to visit the Hubbards. The only recorded robbery took place during one of Billy’s visits at the general store. An armed man held up Frank and Billy getting away with two watches, one belonging to Billy Phelps and the other to Frank, and $18.00. The man was later arrested and he served twenty years in jail.

During the 1880’s, Huron City failed to grow. Not only had farming replaced the lumber industry, but also the water wells in Huron City had turned brackish (salty) because of the local salt industry.

When Langdon passed away in 1892, it was clear that the town would never again compete with Bad Axe or Caseville in size. In December of that year, Billy Phelps and Annabel were married in Seven Gables.

Seven Gables received its name from Billy, who admired Hawthorne’s The House of Seven Gables. Dr. Phelps and his wife Annabel lived out their years in New Haven, CT, where Billy taught English Literature at Yale. They returned each summer from 1893 until 1938 to reside in Seven Gables.

After Langdon’s death, Frank took charge of the family business of banking and real estate. Frank established himself in Michigan as one of the leading state businessmen. Annabel was married to one of the most popular intellectuals of the century. Richard, the youngest son, earned a law degree from The University of Michigan in 1890 and became a world traveler, but passed away shortly after.

Billy Phelps was known throughout the world as a leading literary scholar and author. His command of the English language was evident in his speaking. During the summers of 1925 and 1929 the church had to be expanded to seat all of the people that Billy attracted during his services. The expansions were made possible by financial contributions from Frank Hubbard, Billy’s life-long friend and brother-in-law since 1892.

At the height of Billy’s career at the church, between 800 and 1,000 people attended his services. Billy wrote in his autobiography that the pews would seat 600 people and an additional 400 people could be seated outside using folding chairs.

Among the unique characteristics of Billy’s ministry included the following:

Billy’s career at Yale was a long a successful one, and he became the Lampson Professor of English Literature. His wife Annabel passed away in 1938, and he passed away in 1943. They are both buried in Grove Street Cemetery, New Haven, CT. They had no children.

Frank Hubbard married Elizabeth Lockwood in 1893 and they had three children, Carolyn (1894), Annabel (1898), and Frank Langdon (1900). Carolyn inherited Seven Gables in 1939. Carolyn Lockwood Hubbard married Charles A. Parcells, Sr. They created the William Lyon Phelps Foundation, which makes possible the preservation of Huron City.

Mr. Parcells passed away in 1948. Carolyn and her second husband Russell H. Lucas built the William Lyon Phelps Museum and started Huron City Museums as an educational institution open to the public and supported by the William Lyon Phelps Foundation.

Charles A. Parcells, Jr., is president of the Foundation and other children and grandchildren of Charles Sr. and Carolyn, are directors.

The church was owned and operated by the Methodist-Episcopal Church. The Methodist pastor from Port Hope spoke here in addition to speaking at two other country Methodist churches. Prior to 1882, the Methodists met in the local schoolhouse. In that year, Langdon Hubbard donated the land and lumber for a new church, which was completed in 1883.

Ira Trumbell, besides being storekeeper at the Huron City general store, was also the Sunday school superintendent for many years.

By 1922, the reputation of Billy Phelps as a man of letters and capable speaker caused the Huron City Church to offer the summer preaching duties to the vacationing Phelps’. He preached at the church every summer from 1922 to 1938. Previously he had spoken at the church occasionally between 1892 and 1922, so the people in the church were well acquainted with him when he started his regular summer services.

The two additions made to the church in 1925 and 1929 were made possible by the financial contributions of Frank Hubbard. The church has been museum property since the foundation’s beginning. At present, no regular Sunday services take place in the church, but there are occasional weddings and memorial services.

Langdon Hubbard’s portrait hangs in the NE corner of the church, next to his wife Amanda. Portraits of Jeanette, Frank, and Elizabeth Hubbard complete the east wall. On the west wall are portraits of Billy and Annabel Phelps, and Carolyn and Charles Parcells Sr. Please refer to the Huron City general History portion of this document for information on these people.

The painting over the rostrum is a copy of the Madonna Laggiola, by Andre del Sarto. Annabel Phelps purchased the copy in Italy. It is a rare picture of the Holy Family because it contains so many members.

The painting of the angel with lilies was given to the church by Elizabeth Hubbard. The title and artist are unknown.

During this period the church was also used regularly on Saturday nights when Annabel arranged for the showing of films for the community.

During one church service in which Billy’s sermon was "The Mysteries of Death and Life beyond the Grave," a man left the service while feeling ill, went to the inn, and died of a heart attack.

William Lyon Phelps Video: This video was recorded from an old movie real. It was presented to the theater audiences before featured films during the early World War 1 era. Billy Phelps’ short message was designed to instill patriotism in the young adults of the time.

The large U.S. flag belonged to Langdon Hubbard and dates to 1851 when there were only thirty-two states in the Union.

The carillon was given to honor Mrs. Carolyn Hubbard Lucas and Russell Lucas.

The Grand Piano is an 1893 Steinway Baby Grand piano from the home of Elizabeth and Frank Hubbard. This was given to them as a wedding present.

The windows of the church are original to their respective constructions except for the two round windows on the east wall, which were made by Chuck and Karen Scheffner.

The rug is hand hooked in the log cabin pattern and made all in one piece. It is about 80 years old and was commissioned by Annabel Phelps from a craftswoman in the South.

The cabin was built by Mitchell and Delia Lagassa in 1836. The couple built the one room cabin when they were married, and raised their thirteen children there. They celebrated their 75^th wedding anniversary in the log cabin.

The cabin was built near the Grindstone City area, which explains why it was not burned down in the fires. It was moved to Huron City by Annabel Phelps, and moved to its present location by Carolyn Lucas.

The cradle is long enough to accommodate two small infants foot-foot. The trundle bed would hold three or four small children. The master bed had rope for springs with a feather mattress, the trundle bed slides under it when not being used. The dry sink is in the corner by the snowshoes.

The rocking chair was made using old spinning wheel parts. The American wheel is the largest wheel and is used for spinning wool. The Connecticut chair wheel is made of spare parts and was used for making cotton and flax thread. The weasel has four posts, and it was used for measuring and storing yarn. The squirrel cages have two spools running parallel to each other, and were used for drying yarn after the twist is set or dyed. The small spinning wheel was used for making cotton and flax yarn.

The campaign lantern was used during election time. People would punch in the name of the candidate they were voting for, place a candle inside the lantern, and hang it outside their door at night. This way the town who knew who the majority was voting for.

Frances Bliesz Damm brought the iron on the stove to the United States in 1904. It was heated through the use of hot coals. It also has a leather handle.

A green bonnet and snowshoes are in the corner near the calfskin. The butter churn is also in that area. The neck yoke is for carrying two water buckets. In the center area there was a fireplace for cooking and heating. Annabel bought the Log Cabin to use as a teahouse and moved it behind Seven Gables among the gardens. The second floor was added after Annabel purchased the Log Cabin.

The Michigan shaped stone outside was donated by a friend of the museum.

The Inn is the third on the site. The first inn was built in early 1881 and two weeks after its completion it burnt down. A second inn was quickly reconstructed and before it was furnished it was destroyed in the Great Fire of 1881. Like the first two inns Henry Neal built the third and final inn in late 1883.

The Victorian double parlor allowed the family, who owned the inn, to retreat from the guests at times. The double parlor was a courting room where the young couple could visit in the front room and the family could chaperone from the back room.

Notice the piano, mandolin, books, and crafts. These were things which families entertained themselves with before the days of television and radio. In front of the couch is a mother of pearl writing desk. A kaleidoscope is on the small stand near the chair. The small footstool contains a metal hot water bottle, which acts as a foot warmer.

The feather wreath, which was a funeral arrangement, is encased in glass in the back parlor. Superstition says that if you brake the glass, which the wreath was encased in, it will release the spirit of the dead. The wreath was made during the winter when fresh flowers were unavailable. The table underneath the wreath is tramp art so called because it was made out of scraps of wood.

The Edison home phonograph near the window uses waxed cylinders instead of disc-shaped ones. The ear trumpets were not headphones but were actually hearing aids. The photo albums nearby are full off unidentified pictures. When families got together a hired photographer would take enough pictures to fill a family album. Between the two seats near the bookcase stands a mother of pearl sewing kit. The chair to the left of the door has two boxes located in the arms. In these two boxes sewing materials would be kept.

On the second floor were eight small rooms. These rooms were only large enough to fit one bed inside them. The tour doesn’t include the second floor. The one room downstairs was the innkeeper’s bedroom.

Before the days of in-door plumbing pitchers and basins were used for washing. The curling irons, located on the dresser, were heated on the stove before use. The wooden device also located on the dresser is a glove stretcher, which was used to stretch ladies leather gloves.

This room was used for dining. The tables are set in the fashion of the late 19^th century. All meals were served at a set time and if you were not in the dining room at the set time you were not served, because they would refuse to reheat the meal for you.

This room is typical of the late 19^th and early 20^th century kitchen. The cast iron stove has a hot water reservoir on its side and warming ovens above the range. On top sits a copper boiler suitable for holding large quantities of water used for laundry. Several sadirons and crimpers sit on top of the stove as well.

Behind the stove is a washtub and scrub board. The wooden top-loading icebox is located along the west wall. Next to the door hang rug beaters. The red and white napkins on the small table are from Ireland. The highchair in the center of the room converts into a stroller.

Ice Shaver Cherry Pitter

Cabbage Slicer Juicer

Butter Mold Coffee Grinder

Bread Mold Fly Screens

Can Openers Pie Crust Crimper

Nutmeg Graters Butter Paddles

Apple Peeler Candle Wick Trimmer

Potato Ricer Glass Eggs

A pair of tongs for lifting hot bread from the oven.

Langdon Hubbard built the Huron City School in 1888. The furnishings from the school are now on display in the old tavern room. The schoolhouse was originally on the East side of town away from the noisy business district. Children in grades 1-8 were taught here.

The recitation bench was used by the teacher to speak to one grade at a time. The higher grades sat in back at the larger desks. Slates and slate pencils were used because of the papers high cost. McGuffey’s Reader was also used during this time period. Notice the 1883 maps.

The diploma to the left of the exit was issued in 1901. The student’s grades were written on the diploma. Notice that the diploma exempts this particular student from having to take entrance examinations at the Michigan State Agricultural College. The subject of orthography listed on the diploma is the study of spelling and phonics. The tiny desk in the corner was a first grader’s desk

The scripture verse on the black board, "Without a Vision, the People Perish", was one of the favorite quotations of Charles A. Parcells, Sr., who founded the William Lyon Phelps Foundation. It is interesting to note that there are still 18 one-room schoolhouses in Michigan, 7 in Huron County.

The French Linen Frock, also known as a petty coat, is the oldest artifact in the museum. It was made before the signing of the Declaration of Independence. The petty coat was worn by Susannah St. John of CT in 1760-1770. She was married to Eliphalet Lockwood on January 8, 1776. Susannah and Eliphalet were the great grandparents of Huron City Museum’s founder Carolyn Lockwood Hubbard Parcells Lucas.

The inn became known as a community house because the tavern was used for church suppers, the parlor for quilting bees, and the dining room for winter church services when it was too difficult to heat the church.

This station was originally built on the shore of Lake Huron, at what is now known as the Huron County Lighthouse Park, where the Pointe Aux Barques Lighthouse still operates.

The William Lyon Phelps Foundation bought the building at auction in 1964 and moved it here in three pieces—the wreck room, the Captain’s family quarters, and the Office/Bedroom.

The captain and seven crewmen of the station belonged to the U.S. Life Saving Service, which in 1915 became part of the Coast Guard. The men lived in their own houses with their respective families, although there was a separate crew quarters built with this station. Each of the crewmen was paid a rate of $50 per month during the "active season," he worked. The crewmen were also paid an additional $3 for each occasion of service at a wreck or for each day employed in saving and protecting property therefrom at times not embraced in the "active season". This was payable at such times and in such proportions as are or may be allowed by the proper offices of the Treasury Department of the United States.

The captain or keeper of this station was an officer in the L.S. Service and was stationed here for a given period of time. Many different captains were stationed here between the years 1876 and 1941.

There were two stations on the Great Lakes which were commissioned on the same day in 1876—the No. 1. Station at White Fish Point on Lake Superior and the Pointe Aux Barques Station. These early stations were unique because the captain’s living quarters were attached to the station.

Between the years of 1876 and 1900 sixty other stations were built on the Great Lakes, Atlantic, and Pacific Coasts. This station, built with a federal grant of $5000, was erected because of the frequency of shipwrecks on the reefs. This area of the lake has earned the title, "Graveyard on the Great Lakes."

Modern communications devices have made these stations mostly obsolete.

This room was originally the kitchen or gallery but has since become our light room, which features the contributions of the Life Saving Service and the Lighthouse establishment.

The large lens is a third order Fresnel Lens made of 1100 pounds of French Crystal and brass. It was manufactured in 1857 and was used in the local Pointe Aux Barques Lighthouse.

The Fresnel Lens was powered by kerosene before the advent of electricity, which came to this area in the 1920’s. They then installed a 1000-watt light bulb (a 60-watt bulb is presently in the lens). The beam, which is displaced from the lens, could be seen for about eighteen miles.

The light was powered manually from 1857 to the 1920’s. It sat on a giant spool, while a weighted cable turned the spool. This cable was rewound every day. While the spool turned, the magnification lens turned round-and-round.

The uniform on the mannequin was worn by a Coast Guardsman during the 1930’s. The shield on his cuff specifies this is a USCG, not a naval, uniform.

The framed honorable discharge paper is Robert Oliver’s. He was the father of the Oliver twins and a captain at this station. In the corner are a few small lenses. The signs around the room may be read by the tourists. They are intended to supplement, not replace any information you will give them in this room.

While entering the boat room notice the wood to your right. The wood was actually part of a surfman’s shanty. These shanties were placed on a surfman’s route along the lake Huron Shore and offered protection from cold or stormy weather. The carvings on the wood are original.

Over the doorway are six oars which were used to row an eight man English boat; one person operated each oar.

The Certificate of Appreciation was given to Carolyn Lucas and the William Lyon Phelps Foundation by the Coast Guard in recognition of the restoration of the U.S. L.S.S.

The Video Cassette Recorder/TV is for the showing of a reenactment of a LSS drill involving the breeches buoy.

The mannequin next to the TV is wearing a surfman’s uniform. One can see that he was the #2 surfman, or second in command, at the station by the No. 2 on his sleeve.

A surfman walked many miles along the shoreline looking for troubled vessels. When he reached the point at which he was to turn around, he would find a post (like the one displayed) with a key on it. He would insert the key into his time clock to prove to his captain that he had done his job.

At the west end of the wreck room is a portable library. It is a wooden box with a metal latch on it. These boxes were exchanged between life saving stations. All kinds of books could be found within one of these libraries, including literature, science, and a Bible.

The brass plaque behind the mannequin is a trophy awarded for quality service. It was awarded annually to a LSS crewman.

The glass case contains self-explanatory USCG memorabilia. Note the surfman’s time clock on the shoulder of the mannequin. This was used for the purpose described earlier in this document.

Next to the glass case are the semaphore flags and below them, storm warning lamps. The flags were used to communicate from ship to shore and from shore to ship…

The picture display next to the north window features other life saving buildings, maritime history, and crews stationed here.

The model in front of the north widow is of an English Boat (so-called because it was developed in the U.K.). It was so laden with lead in it’s hull that when it capsized, the weight would cause it to right itself.

The brown lights near the beach cart are mast lights, which hung on the ship’s masts. The red and white signal lanterns were hung in a certain order at the LSS to indicate weather conditions.

The cone-shaped device near the English Boat model is an old megaphone (off an old phonograph) which the captain of a life saving crew used when shouting orders to his men.

The large picture of a life saving crew to the left of the north window shows the physical landscape at Lighthouse Park one hundred years ago and what kind of surf boat was used at the No. 2 station.

The next large picture features a Masonic Picnic. The Masons were popular in Huron County. One of the captains was a Mason and hosted big parties. One did not have to be a Mason to attend the picnics. There were baseball games, LSS exhibitions, food, and other picnic-type activities.

The beach cart was used to transport the life saving equipment to the beach. It contains the Lyle Gun, the shots, the tally-board, and pin rack. Some stations used mules or horses to tow the cart and other used man power. It was a difficult task to tow it in poor weather and wet sand.

The Lyle Gun was the only means of getting a rope to a distressed vessel. The rope can be seen on the pin or faking rack. The line was put on this rack to keep it tangle-free and dry because hand-braided rope was so valuable. The line was shot to a distressed ship by attaching it to a torpedo-shaped shot, which was then fired over the ship, not at it. The sailors on board the ship were to use this smaller rope to haul out the tally board and the heavier, hawser, which was then used to carry the breeches buoy or the Francis Life Car. The Lyle Gun could only be used when its target was within 600 feet.

The tally-boards have English and French instructions attached to them and were sent to the sailors on the distressed ship with the smaller ship line, then another was sent with the hawser. French was included on this board because of the numerous French-speaking Canadians sailing the Great Lakes.

The barrel next to the beach cart is a fresh water cask and provided drinking water.

The tall, brass instrument next to the cask is the ship’s telegraph. This was a communication device, which allowed the captain on the bridge to communicate with the boiler room.

The brass compass holder stands between the telegraph and the Francis Life Car.

The Francis Life Car is the boat-shaped device hanging in the room. It was run on the hawser to and from the distressed ship with up to six people inside. In extreme circumstances, as many as thirteen people were saved by successive trips made to a wrecked ship.

The life car had a few very small holes in the top, which let air in while keeping water out. Most trips only took two or three minutes. The car is named after its inventor.

The red buckets are fire buckets, and were filled with sand or water to be used for extinguishing fires. The bottoms were rounded so that a swabby could not use the bucket of water for mopping the deck because the bucket would not sit upright. These round buckets were located in a rack to keep the upright.

The cart in the middle of the room is for carrying water hoses used to put out fires.

The model next to that cart is an interpretation of the physical landscape of Lighthouse Park a hundred years ago.

The small, gray cannon with a ball in it was the Manby Mortar, the predecessor of the Lyle Gun. It fired a rope to a ship to establish a ship-to-shore link. However, the old Line Gun might blow up or hit the ship it was supposed to fire over.

The Lyle Gun, named after its inventor, worked so well that the USCG still uses a gun called the Lyle, based on the same principals of the old Lyle Gun.

Using the breeches buoy was the most popular way to remove survivors from sinking ships. People sat in the harness and were hopefully brought back many feet above the water level. Victorian-era ladies did not like to sit in the buoy because their dresses hiked up, causing their ankles to show. Therefore, sailors were known to sit in the buoy and carry the women ashore in their arms. The breeches buoy itself is made out of cork, which floats.

The anchor was actually called the "dead man." It was buried 6’ in the sand and the rope was tied to it. This secured the hawser, making the life saving process a lot safer.

The tall wood pieces in the corner are called the "crotch" or "crossbars". They hold the hawser up and keep the Breeches Buoy out of the water.

The pictures behind the life saving equipment display show the procedures involved in life saving.

The wooden tackle is a hawser cutter; it cuts the line from the ship in order to save as much valuable rope as possible.

"Line"—The thin rope shot by the gun to a wreck

The lamp hanging over the table is called a Library lamp. It is from the Eddward Rorke and Company catalog, published about 1890 in New York City. Kerosene-powered lamps were widely used in rural America until electrification in 1929. Whale oil, lard oil, and burning fluids were used until the advent of kerosene as a fuel source.

The two mannequins are wearing the clothes and playing with the dolls and buggies of the Oliver twins. The twins were members of one family out of the many who lived here. Their names were Jeanette and Edith. The twins later donated some of the furniture in the station, as did some other families who once lived here. Their father was Captain Oliver. A picture of Oliver twins is hanging on the wall behind the display.

On the west wall is an early record player that played one-sided records.

The dining room is the first room of three within the family living quarters. The picture over the chest is of James Pottinger, who died the morning of April 23, 1880 in one of the worst life saving accidents to ever occur. This is the story:

The J. H. Magruder, a scow bound for Detroit, experienced troubles from a storm during the night of the 23^rd and as morning broke, the captain realized the ship was near the No. 2 station. The crewman at lookout saw the ship flying a distress signal and reported this to the captain who in turn mustered the crew. The crew launched the surfboat in an attempt to reach the troubles ship when it was closer to shore. After the surfboat got a mile out into the lake it was capsized by a breaking wave, righted itself, and was capsized again. The men did all they could to hang onto the boat. This exposure to the cold water killed all seven crewmen, including James Pottinger who is pictured over the table. James’ son, William, later became the storekeeper here and caretaker of Huron City.

The only man to survive the accident, and just barely, was the Captain of the crew, Jerome Kiah. He is pictured about the mantle. The experience won him the first Congressional Gold Medal of Honor. Although Kiah resigned following the incident, he regained his health and became superintendent of the Tenth District of Life Saving Stations.

The crew of seven men who died that day had saved a hundred people from shipwrecks in 1880 alone.

The captain’s family used the dining room—the crew did not eat here.

The dresses here were worn by Elizabeth Lockwood Hubbard. Elizabeth as shown in the picture on the north wall wore the white dress on one mannequin.

A Lotto game can be seen on the floor. This game was a forerunner of Bingo.

The interior of a lifesaving station boat room would be painted white, gray, green, black, or whitewash. Hard wood and hard pine floors did not get painted, but were to be kept well-oiled and scrubbed.

Whitewash was a mixture of lime and water and white coloring used to white wood, brick, and stone. It was used many times instead of white paint because it was cheaper and easy to make.

The second floor contained the children’s bedrooms and an equipment storage facility. Many times the storage room became a temporary hospital for survivors of shipwrecks.

A pump organ and phonograph are in the parlor. Every young lady of the Victorian era knew how to play the piano and the pump organ. They were used as the primary means of entertainment in the days before modern media. Huron City’s population was very literate and many families spent much of their leisure time reading. After all, before the fires, this was a very bust port town, which dealt in all kinds of commerce with Saginaw, Detroit, Cleveland, and Sandusky.

A signature quilt is on the bed. It is the product of many local women who got together for a quilting bee they signed their names on the quilt and then stitched them in (giving the quilt to Billy and Annabel later on).

Captain Valentine made the cradle for his first born son.

In the "water closet," toilet and washing facilities are available. This made it possible to stay in the house at night rather than going to the outhouse.

A hair wreath can be seen by the office doorway. It was made by weaving together ladies’ long hair. Often hair from many generations of the same family was used.

The older generation ladies’ hair could be used to start the middle of the wreath and the younger generation ladies’ hair could extend from that.

An old treadle-operated sewing machine is displayed by the closet. Many more like this one are on display at the general store.

The office has its own outside entrance so that a visitor could see the captain without disturbing the family.

The captain had his own telephone and short-wave radio since he was responsible for official communications.

There is a practice telegraph in the office to enable the crewmen to

practice Morse code. The buffalo hide was used as a carriage or sleigh robe in cold temperatures. The bootjack was used for boot removal. Since boots were made of leather they would shrink when they were wet, therefore after removal, boot stretchers would be placed inside the boots.

A good library was important to the men of a station, and the captain probably had his own permanent collection in addition to the portable one issued to the crewmen.

If the life saving service had similar library policies to the lighthouse board, a superintendent issued to each keeper’s family a library to use for three months; these

libraries were rotated to different stations by the superintendent’s visits. By 1880 the Lighthouse Board had established 550 libraries for these purposes. The libraries consisted of literature, science, and a Bible.

This room was established to honor those who founded the William Lyon Phelps Foundation and the Huron City Museum.

PICTURES:

East wall:

Charles A. Parcells Sr. (right), first husband of Carolyn Hubbard Parcells Lucas. He founded the W. L. Phelps Foundation.

Carolyn Hubbard Parcells Lucas (center), daughter of Frank Hubbard and granddaughter of Langdon Hubbard (left), founder of Huron City Museums.

West wall:

Frederick S. Ayres, great-grandfather of Carolyn and long time resident of Port Austin.

Nancy Raymond Ayres, great-grandmother of Carolyn, wife of Frederick.

Round, mahogany pedestal table with claw feet.

Onyx pedestal with brass trim.

A bronze figure, on the pedestal, of Claude Lorraine, by sculptor A. Gaudez (1600-1682).

Ladies chair which Charles A. Parcells, Sr. bought for his mother with the first $5 he ever earned.

Secretary desk in empire style.

Marble topped parlor table.

Gentleman’s Chairs.

Footstool with Pompean influence in the design.

Louis XV style fruitwood commode with marble top.

Onyx and brass "tazzas" on lower shelf compotes.

Tilt top table in middle of room.

Dresden figures from Germany. Staffordshire Sheep from England.

Four chairs: rose and leaf carvings, mid-1800.

On mantle: Girandoles (candleholders) of brass and crystal.

Gilt curio cabinet: mostly Dresden figurines made in Germany. Royal Worcester figurines from England.

Gilt (gold-painted) love seat and chair from Lockwood House in Connecticut.

Console table in Empire Style. "Petticoat mirror" in bottom.

Two side chairs—style is Chippendale of 1755: Victorian Mahogany. Made in 1800’s.

Oriental Rug—Antique Kerman made in Persia in 1800’s.

Painting of Carolyn as a debutante in early 1900’s under F. Ayres’ portrait.

This building was built in 1952 as a memorial museum dedicated to the memory of Dr. Phelps. Since that time, the town-museum has expanded. The artifacts in this building now represent a broad historical perspective of the town. Dr. Phelps diaries, pictures, family memorabilia and articles can be seen in the building.

The murals were painted by Annabel Hubbard Phelps in Connecticut when she was over 60 years old. Since she did not want to put her signature in the murals, but still wanted to identify them as hers; she painted her Irish Setter, Rufus, in each one.

In this room, the family pictures of the Hubbards and Phelps can be studied and explained in light of the Huron City memorabilia in the room. Notice the articles, books, pictures, and other related family information here.

A paper doll display is in a glass case along the north wall. It belonged to Annabel Hubbard as a child. The three dimensional clothes are made of crepe paper.

Huron County’s contribution to the Civil War is detailed in an article along the west wall, where a land grant document to Langdon Hubbard from the federal government can also be found.

Among other things in this room is a small pictorial history of the Hubbard homes, Lakeview and Seven Gables, a newspaper article about Langdon Hubbard and an autographed picture of prohibition-evangelist Billy Sunday to Billy Phelps.

Langdon Hubbard built this third store after the 1881 fire. It was constructed in 1883. Food and ice were sold here and clothes were fitted and sold upstairs.

Note the old trunks, shawls, and medicines.

On the wall are the old clock and advertisements for seed catalogs. The seeds were brought from Ferry Morse Seed Co.

On the counter are several pieces of ornately decorated china from a 28 piece wash stand set. The round bowl with a drain in the bottom was placed in the top of a large slop jar. This way the dirty water was prevented from splashing onto the floor. A cover was placed on the slop jar until it could be emptied.

Due to the quantity of antiques in this building, stress to your tour groups the importance of looking at everything on their own because it would take hours to point it all out.

Bill Pottinger, son of James Pottinger who died while in the employ of the U.S. Life Saving Service, managed the store and lived across the street in the Pottinger House. There is so much original merchandise here because he never threw anything away while he was the storekeeper. Notice the red coffee grinder and black tobacco cutter in the front left-hand side of the store.

The only recorded robbery that ever took place in Huron City occurred when Billy Phelps was visiting here for the first time. A masked gunman, who got away with two watches, one belonging to Billy Phelps and the other watch belonging to Frank and $18.00 robbed Frank, Billy, and bookkeeper, Austin Case. The robber was captured in Caseville and sentenced to 20 years in jail. This took place in the summer of 1885.

There is some large fashion catalogs that were used by people to order domestic things. The children’s’ toys along the west wall are very interesting to children and should be pointed out.

The crocks along the floor were used for pickling and making sauerkraut, among other foods.

Some very old letters with 2 and 3-cent stamps are in the post boxes. The post

office received hundreds of letters after the 1881 Fire for people who had moved away. The letters have remained unclaimed all these years.

Ira Trumbell, the notary public, is pictured above his desk. His hand-written checks from the turn of the century can be seen next to the stamps. The notary seal can be used to imprint tour tickets.

The desk in the middle of the P.O. contains daily ledgers. The bookkeeping cabinet is in the northeast corner. When someone wanted to charge his bill, his number would be found by looking at the table under the glass, then their spring could be located according to their number. The bill was placed under the spring. When someone paid his bills, they would be pulled from the spring and the patron was given free candy.

The spittoons are strategically placed around the room.

The P.O. was the noisiest room in the store because this is where people conducted their business.

Richard Hubbard’s University of Michigan law degree can be seen in the NE corner. It is interesting to note that there were two women in his graduating class.

Also note the banking association memorabilia. On the bar below are a banker’s visor and ledger. In the Detroit Bankers of 1912, picture, Frank Hubbard is in the fourth row, third person from the left.

This room was originally the automotive storeroom and repair shop. If the lumber-room appears cluttered and all-purpose, it is because that is the way it once looked.

Cooks were the most influential people in the lumber camps because the quality of their food either attracted men in droves or drove them away.

For a large camp, a cook would bake 60 loaves of bread, a barrel of donuts, which were six inches in diameter, 25 cakes, and 40 pies every day. A large camp would have a food exchange program with nearby native Americans and a full – time hunter/ fisherman to bring in the catch.

By 1850, Michigan land was going for $1.25 an acre. There were so many people getting rich in Michigan from investing in lumber operations that at one time 98 millionaires lived along the Saginaw River.

The Saginaw River had 112 sawmills and a solid wall of lumber lining both riverbanks. The Great Lakes, in 1880, had more ships on it than it does now because of lumber traffic.

Since 1800 enough lumber has been cut in America to build a road past the sun. Michigan cut enough wood in just twenty years to build a walk to the moon and back 23 times.

On the West Side of the room by the window, a shelf containing bells, oxen equipment, and ox shoes can be seen. Horses wore the leather boots when sanding down the skating rink which stood along the river near the store. The horses pulled a

grindstone across the floor to smooth the wood floor. The boots protected the wood floor from the horses’ hooves.

In one year alone, 40,000 oxen were used in Michigan to haul wood. Horses later replaced oxen because of their superior intelligence. A team of Belgians or Clydesdales cost $400 in Chicago. Horses were highly valued and got better treatment than men most of the time. When horses were in danger, like falling through the ice, lumbermen thought only of saving the horses not the other men.

In the back of the room is the second oldest printing press in the state. It was used to produce a local newspaper.

On the west wall there are planers, sanders, drills, and other tools used by local lumbermen on display. The ice saw was used to cut ice on the lake. The ice was then hauled to the store’s icehouse in the basement. Packed in sawdust to keep it frozen, the ice was sold in the hot summer.

On the east wall behind the colorfully restored plow is old farming equipment, including a thrasher, a broadcaster, a cream separator, etc…

There is a blacksmith’s anvil and tools, with his bellows hanging behind that on the wall. A boy employed to work the bellows used the bench with the hole in the top of it.

The gas pump, of 1911 vintage, is a 10-gallon pump that was used at the general store until 1947. Notice the cheap price of gas and the crown. Differently colored crowns represented different grades of gas. White crown was the lowest, red crown medium or regular, and the gold crown was the highest.

The golf course was originally an 18-hole course when put in around the 1890’s by Billy Phelps. A tractor mowed the course as long as anyone can remember. But before grass-mowing tractors came on the scene, sheep were used to keep the grass on the golf course short. Before the golf course was established, Langdon Hubbard built a racing track, where he raced his thoroughbreds. This was located in the golf course area.

This building is one, which by itself has no historical value, as it was built recently. BUT, it houses several historical vehicles and small artifacts.

Formal Carriage: Frank Hubbard gave this to Elizabeth Lockwood Hubbard as a wedding present in 1893.

Four Place Cutter: This was used by Governor Sleeper of Bad Axe and has undergone extensive restoration.

Sulky: A horse-drawn vehicle, make with large wheels and high seat to keep the driver far from road mud, which was prevalent in the days before blacktop or concrete roads. Dr. Herrington of Bad Axe owned this.

Convertible Cutter: Formal sleigh used for important social functions or church, with collapsible seat for children.

Road Wagon: Used by urban dwellers, as indicated by the rubber on the wheels.

Campaign Lanterns: Used at political gatherings, by punching out letters in a lantern the candidate’s name could be spelled out and lit up by the candle inside.

The last person to live here year-round was Langdon Hubbard, who passed away in 1892. From that time until the death of Mrs. Carolyn Hubbard Lucas in 1987, the house was used as a summer home. Since 1988, Seven Gables has been an integral part of the Huron City tour.

Huron City, though a small town of about 150 houses, was quite self-sufficient for its entertainment. Buggy rides, horse back rides, beach activities, croquet, tennis, golf, racing, fancy work, social gatherings, tea time, table games, music, amateur theater, taffy pulls all took place here. Frank Hubbard even built a roller rink in Huron City, which opened on July 4, 1883. Invitations to this rink can be seen in the William Lyon Phelps Memorial Museum.

Frank took charge of much of the family business and Annabel inherited the house when Langdon passed away in 1892. Annabel and Billy left the house to their niece, Carolyn Hubbard Parcells, in 1939. The house has been in the family for seven generations.

The entire double parlor area and the second floor above were added in 1886 to accommodate the three Hubbard children upon their return to Michigan.

The room was decorated by the Phelps and appears today as it did when they lived here. This room was restored in the winter of 1994-95, done to its original style.

Many rooms in the house have been able to be restored due to the dedication of Francis H. Parcells. She was curator of the museum and helped organize Red Letter Day, which is an annual event at Huron City.

The wicker furniture was definitely the style of the 1890’s.

The Phelps put electric lighting and plumbing into the house in 1929 when those resources became available. That meant putting six bathrooms into a house that was

designed for none.

Billy was an author and a well- known book critic. He would have about 8-10 books sent to him each day. These books were often original copies signed by the authors. He would read them and if he liked them he would write a review and the book’s popularity was said to have doubled. If he didn’t like it, he would burn it page by page in the fireplace.

The owl on the mantle piece was a Great Horned Owl that was accidentally shot by Billy on a hunting trip. He felt guilty about shooting the owl, that he had it stuffed and put on the mantle piece. Him and Annabel would parade around the house and salute the owl before every meal, while singing El Captain.

Pictures of the family can be seen while in the home. In the sitting room alone you can see Langdon, Frank, Annabel, Richard Hubbard, Billy Phelps, and others.

The picture on the wall under the mirror contains several family members: Elizabeth Hubbard (left), Carolyn Hubbard Parcells Lucas (right), and Carolyn’s two children Elizabeth and Charles Jr.

The mantle piece is exactly the same design as the one in the dining room, except there made with two different kinds of wood. In this room the mantle piece is made of maple and the one in the dining room of oak.

The wheeled teacart was a convenient way to serve tea in the parlors.

This room was restored in the winter of 1993-94 in Victorian style (not original).

The house reflects its lumberman beginnings –with many uses for wood as will be seen in the house.

The wood floor is striped because of the use of two different kinds of woods.

The child’s highchair is Victorian and it is upholstered in velvet.

The china cabinet contains a wide variety of china from many different countries. Annabel owned 32 complete sets of china. The china on the table is Blue Willow, which was Annabel’s favorite set of china.

On the table is a turkey leg or roast holder, which was part of the carving set (so one wouldn’t get his hands greasy). Also on the table is a pure lead crystal pitcher.

Located on the buffet is an egg topper.

This house was noted for its hospitality. Guests were entertained for weeks. They sometimes arrived in-groups, as they traveled together on their way here. The house would be filled to capacity, and at dinner, this table would be extended to its full length to seat 14 to 16 people.

The President and the Pie Story: President Harding was a guest of Billy and Annabel Phelps in the House of Seven Gables. The President’s favorite dessert was lemon meringue pie. The Phelps’ cook, Jenny Haist, prepared a lemon meringue pie

especially for the visiting President. On the way to the dining room to be cut by the Phelps’, the nervous new maid dropped the pie on the floor. Jenny inverted the pie into the pie pan, scrapped off the top layer and retipped and rebrowned the meringue and later served it to President Harding. The President enjoyed the pie so much that he personally walked to the kitchen and complimented her on the dessert. The cook’s 12 year old granddaughter stood next to Jenny when she was being complimented and she’s the one who told us the humorous story of the President and the pie.

The kitchen maid who would place a hot dish here used the pass-through to the pantry; the dish would be picked up by the serving maid and served at the table. The door located by the pass-through would be kept shut to keep noise and heat from entering the dining room.

The trap door located in the butler’s pantry leads to a cistern. The cistern collected rainwater used for laundry.

This was originally the winter kitchen of the home.

The painting on the south wall covers a chimney and is where a stove once stood. Annabel Hubbard Phelps did all artwork.

By the back stairway is a configuration of tin cans with a tall handle. This device was used for holding flowers while picking them; it was called a flower picker.

The Gibson super porcelain lined self-locking ice box stored food on the right side and held the ice block on the left. The water drippings flowed through a pipe from the bottom of the icebox and were collected in the basement.

The pantry is in the NW corner and can be entered to see the china, food preparation items, and a dry sink. Located by the pantry is an old style ice box, and a speak tube which the maids would listen to.

The dress displayed on the model was worn by Carrie Ayres (Carolyn’s grandmother) to Lincoln’s second inaugural ball about 150 years ago (1864). It is a convertible dress that has two tops, one with long sleeves and the other with short sleeves. The top with long sleeves was worn during the day so they wouldn’t get a tan, because if they had a tan it showed they worked and weren’t of a high social standing. The

By the dress is a fireless cooker. The fireless cooker was used by placing a hot plate on the bottom; the food was placed on the hot plate, and a lid was placed on top to secure the food. This was used when families went on long carriage rides or picnics.

The big glass jug was used to keep fresh water on board the ships.

Because the house has been used only as a summer home since 1892, this room became the utility room and the summer kitchen became THE kitchen, with the most up to date equipment.

The stove is a very early deluxe model, with six burners, two ovens and a broiler; the stovepipe’s only function was to clear smoke from the broiler.

A wood stove stood where the electric stove is prior to about 1929.

Some of the burners have been updated, since Mr. and Mrs. Lucas summered here until 1986.

There are three laundry sinks: one to wash, one to rinse, and one to starch. Notice the washboard and handwringer.

At the time this kitchen was converted (around 1915), a Maytag washer was bought, and it still works. A hand operated dishwasher sits next to the Maytag, and it has two dish racks and a propeller for agitation.

The big door in back of the kitchen was to let in cool breezes during the summer time.

An old food processor can be seen on the end of the counter. Next to the food processor is a bottle topper. One of the first electric toasters can also be seen on the counter.

On the kitchen table is a "Feeding the Professor" cookbook, compiled by Annabel Phelps, with recipes from the wives of the Yale Professors.

The lumber camp coffeepot on top of the shelves reflects Phelps’ love of coffee. He had his coffee beans imported from South America, ground in the grinder, and boiled with an egg to settle the grounds. It was strong enough to curl one’s hair.

The first room was Rose’s room, Carolyn’s personal companion. The room has a real wooden bed and a walk-in closet. In this room are some interesting dresses from the 1920’s.

The next room is a typical maid’s room. It has a steel framed bed and hooks on the wall, which most maids had.

The servants quarters contains a bathroom that was built onto the roof, its one of six bathrooms throughout the house. All the bathrooms in Seven Gables were put in large closets, small bedrooms, or built into extra space, because the original house designs called for no bathroom space.

In the next hallway is a piece of original wallpaper that hung in the hallway. The hallway was restored in the winter of 1995-96. On the ceiling is original wallpaper and it’s some of the oldest wallpaper in the house (1881). Back then it was very fashionable to wallpaper the ceiling.

Richard Hubbard, the third child of Langdon, originally used this room. The room evolved into the family nursery over time, but is still called "Uncle Dick’s Room."

The Teddy bear on the bed was one of the originals, when they were made with real teeth and meant to be fierce. Their nature was a parody of Teddy Roosevelt.

One example of 1890’s fashion is the needle point horse on the wall over the bed.

Frank Hubbard used this room and it became a guestroom after many years. This room was restored in the winter of 1994-95, done to its original style. Frank graduated from a business college in Connecticut and came to Michigan to help rebuild his father’s businesses. He founded Frank W. Hubbard & Co. Bank in Bad Axe in 1886.

The door trim and woodwork are painted and grained’ it was high fashion in the 1880’s to make one type of wood look like another, by adding imitation grain to the woodwork.

The bathroom off this room had to be attached right onto the house, with no VISIBLE means of support.

This was Annabel’s childhood bedroom. She was given the master bedroom of the house because she was Langdon’s only daughter and she also had the best view. Some examples of ladies fancywork are a flower arrangement in a frame made of shells and the beaded pin cushions on the dressers. These were also popular in the 1880’s and 90’s.

The carpet is sewn together in long pieces, which can be seen throughout the home.

On the tall dresser is a jewelry box that turns into a writing desk. The velvet mirror was hand painted by Annabel. She painted barn swallows onto the frame of the mirror because they represented childhood memories.

The wedding dress was Annabel’s and was worn at her wedding in the parlor of Seven Gables on December 21, 1892. The fur on the bottom of the wedding dress indicates that it was a winter wedding.

The third story dormitory (made of a large room and a bathroom) housed the men who descended on Seven Gables when there was a house party. The ladies would be housed in the second floor guest bedrooms. There is a ring in the floor on the third story, which served as a fire escape, a rope would be tied to the ring and then thrown out the window, just in case there happened to be another great fire.

In the hall archway the curtain is hung below the top of the archway to allow warm air, which rises, to flow through. The curtain drags on the floor to stop cold drafts from passing under it. The curtain was pulled closed across the archway in cold weather.

The yellow and black bathroom was originally Langdon’s bedroom but Billy and Annabel later converted it into a bathroom.

This was part of the 1886 addition. The ceiling and walls were wallpapered and have survived very well.

The transom over the door is etched glass which allowed light to pass through to the hall. These do not open.

The children made the quilt for their schoolteacher in 1888. Each child made a square and signed their initials on it. The quilt was given as a Christmas present to Sara E. Phelps, Billy’s mother, who was a schoolteacher in Connecticut.

The furniture is of Eastlake design. Eastlake was the name of the designer who turned public taste from the dark, heavy Victorian styles toward more light and simple styles. Eastlake lasted in popular taste until about 1910 when art nouveau became more fashionable.

In the closet, long coat hangers were made for the long dresses that had to be hung high to avoid wrinkling. Hung in the closet is a coat that was hand painted.

This room was once the billiards room. It is believed to be the billiards room because the kerosene light fixture is off center.

A friend gave the carved saying over the mantle piece to Billy in 1909. "Old friends to Talk, Old Books to Read, Old Wood to Burn." Note that next to the fireplace is a hand carved brass wood box.

Bill Pottinger woke everyone up at 6 am by ringing a bell for three minutes. Breakfast was served at 7 a.m. Between the hours of 8 and noon the home was kept absolutely quiet, while Billy worked in the upstairs library. During this time Billy would ring a bell if anyone made noise, when they heard this bell they knew to quiet down. Lunch was served at 1 and then at 2:13 they golfed everyday, except on Sundays they golfed at 9:13.

The humidor on the desk was used to keep tobacco products fresh. Sticker albums can also be found on the desk, people loved to collect stickers just like today.

The desk was a gift from Annabel to Billy. Billy complained to her about not having enough desk space to work on. So Annabel had her childhood grand piano converted into a desk for Billy, the piano had been in the double parlors.

Billy used a peck typewriter, he later switched to the straight keyboard, but didn’t like it, so he went back to his original style using the peck typewriter.

Billy’s favorite author was Robert Browning. His favorite book was "The House of Seven Gables" by Nathaniel Hawthorne; he named the house after this book. Billy was also an author himself and wrote 29 books during his lifetime.

The library contains several thousand volumes and has been made available to Michigan universities for advanced research by the W. L. Phelps Foundation.

The wallpaper on the walls and ceiling are original.

The room is named for the color of the bathroom fixtures and the wallpaper, which was also orchid, but faded. The orchid color was a popular fixture color in 1920.

In the bathroom is a bay window, notice that the walls are 6 inches thick.

Family members originally wore the dresses in the corner.

The object on the dresser is a dual-compartment jewelry box. Perfumed bottles fit in the top. Next to the jewelry box is a buttonhook, it was used hook up the buttons on the boots.

In the downstairs hall into the parlors is a silver tray used for holding the insulated silver pitcher, silver tumbler and silver waste bowl. Ice waster was kept in the pitcher. It was poured into the tumbler to be drunk. The left over water in the tumbler was poured into the waste bowl. Everyone drank from the same tumbler.

The downstairs hallway was restored in the winter of 1995-96. In the hallway hangs an original piece of wallpaper, it was cardboard made to look like leather.

When entering the double parlors notice the doorway has four different kinds of wood to distinguish this was a lumbering town.

The Stella Music Box plays large, round metal disks. Classical as well as popular music was played.

On the table are many photographs of family and friends. Photography was new and exchanging pictures became a national fad. The table contains a lot of pictorial history of this family. On the nearby table sits a Semivar-Russian coffeepot.

The slate pool table was shipped from Detroit in 1886 and cost $250 delivered. It was originally in an upstairs room that later became the library. Notice the counters strung on a wire used to keep score while playing billiards. See the original kerosene lamp that lighted the parlor. Pulleys allowed the lamp holder to be lowered and raised to fill the lamps with kerosene.

In the early twenties, the game of Mahjong became a national craze. This game sits on the pool table now.

The pump organ was a source of entertainment and people gathered around it to sing. Some music from the 1880’s and 90’s is sitting on the music rack.

In the second parlor is a stereoscope. When people took trips they collected cards for their stereoscope and viewed them later. Postcards did not develop until about 1890.

Around the corner is an Edison Home Phonograph, it played wax cylinders.

The wooden footstool is a Gout stool that was used to elevate the feet to

prevent swelling.

The pier glass mirror was shipped from Detroit in 1886 and arrived intact. In those days mirrors were of special importance because they reflected light at night.

The French-made doll in the rocking chair is a Juno doll. Juno was a very popular doll in the 1860’s and 70’s, noted for their eyes, which look so real. She has real human hair, her ears are pierced, and she is dressed in an 1870’s costume.

The sheet music on the piano dates to about World War I (1914-1918).

The arrangement of chairs around the table with the kerosene lamp on it was very practical. Several people could read or sew by the light of one lamp.

Notice the table model kaleidoscope with real colored glass pieces.

In 1890, it was very fashionable to have a conservatory adjoining one’s parlor. It’s not a green house; rather, it is a well-lighted room for plants. At one time the windows were painted black and it was turned into a bathroom. Later the museum turned it back into the conservatory.

Richard brought the round table back from India. There are real ivory pieces in the legs and the top can be taken off and used as a serving tray.

The carpeting and wallpaper are part of the 1886 decoration. In the 1800’s, carpets came in narrow strips, which was hand stitched to fit the room, rather than in block squares like today. Unlike today, carpet padding was unavailable. Instead, carpets were laid over thick layers of newspapers and straw.

The other décor dates to 1886, except for the horsehair couch near the home’s front entrance and the Tiffany style lamp above Billy’s desk. Both of these things came from Frank’s Port Austin home between 1893 and 1907.

There is a wood and coal-burning furnace located in the basement, which gives off heat through the lone register outside of the office. Other sources of heat where the four fireplaces throughout the home.

This was originally Langdon’s office. The doors could be kept closed while access to the porch was maintained. This allowed people to see Langdon without coming through the house.

Langdon brought the maps from Connecticut. The 1890 buffet is made of fumed oak and the chafing dishes were popular for use in entertaining.

The office was later used by Billy to store guns and sports equipment.

On the desk are Frank Hubbard’s Masonic sword and his Masonic hat, the sword has his name printed in gold.

Billy enjoyed the radio while listening to baseball games. He loved golf as well as baseball. Billy was actually the captain of the Huron City Baseball team. He enjoyed playing many other sports such as tennis, croquet, hockey, and skiing. Billy was also a hunter and he shot the deer rack on the wall. The rack, which originally had 32 points, is one of the oldest and biggest in the state and despite some damage to the rack won third place in a state-wide competition at the time.

The picture of Billy with his famous dog (now hanging outside on the front porch), Rufus, is one of special interest. Billy always had a red Irish Setter. When one died, another would take its place. All of the Setters were name Rufus or Lado and Rufus II became so popular that the Harbor Beach newspaper ran a full obituary and photograph about him when he died.

On each building you will see one or two flags. These flags represent the various flags, which at one time were flags of the United States that flew over the territory.

Most of the flags are of Colonial-period origin, which accounts for the pine tree, the Union Jack, and the revolutionary "Don’t tread on Me". The 1824 flag refers to the Alamo Massacre.