| Harbor Beach Historical Society |
Places of Interest
Grice House Museum
The Grice House Museum offers a glimpse at life in the past, while preserving history for future generations. The Grice House has been furnished entirely by donations of items from numerous area families, to depict life in the area in the 19th and early 20th centuries.
James G. Grice, who immigrated to the United States from England in the early 1860's with five of his seven sons and one daughter, built the wooden portion of the Grice House. The building survived the 1881 fire. Three generations of the family lived here until, in the 1960's, with the last Grice descendent deceased, the city of Harbor Beach purchased the property to settle the estates of James and Jane Grice. Shortly afterwards, a group of local volunteers stepped forward to convert the house and surrounding area into a museum.
The museum complex now includes the house itself, an old schoolhouse, and a pole barn. 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, which also exhibits agricultural machinery and implements.
Early exhibits include a pump organ donated by Gladys Seither, a large handmade loom by Henry Roots, and an interesting collection of pioneer type tools from Albert Frank.
By the summer of 1981, the tremendous response from people in the community had made it possible to furnish the kitchen, living room, tool room, and one bedroom.
The following year saw the Marine Room take shape. The original Fresnel lens of the Harbor Beach Lighthouse, and removed from service in1986, was donated to the Harbor Beach Historical Society, and can be seen at the Grice House Museum.
A Sewing room, so named because of a large donation of clothes from Mrs. Eilber in Port Hope, a beautiful spinning wheel given by Freda Will, and much more. The style clothes, pattern books, and accessories made this a fascinating exhibit.
The Industrial Room, the largest second story room in the nine-room house, preserves the early industrial history of Harbor Beach.
The museum also features a collection of farm equipment in a pole barn erected in 1984, next to the house.
The Adams School, built in 1920, and moved to the Museum grounds in 1988. This school serves as a reminder of the area’s educational roots. Enjoy the scrapbooks and other items in the school, furnished with desks, books, and the stove so common in one-room country schools of yesteryear.
The Grice House is Open to the public from Memorial Day through Labor Day, Tuesday through Friday, Noon to 4:00 P.M., and Saturday and Sunday, 10:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M. Grice House is located north of Harbor Beach along M-25. Admission is $1.00 and children under 12 are free. Annual membership to the Grice House Heritage Association is available for only $5 per family, which allows the family to tour at any time throughout the season. A lifetime membership is $50.00.