Children's Days 2015

Children's Days Activities 2015

July 8th - Tour the Museum with Dr. & Mrs. Loop

July 15th - Day at the one-room schoolhouse

July 22nd - Native American day

July 29th - Meet the Blacksmith

August 5th - Children's daily life in the 19th century

August 19th - Michigan Wilderness

Activities run 1:00 until 3:00 PM.  Reservations requested - phone 810-622-9946.  

Cost is $3.00 per child per event.

Community Christmas Open House at Museum Mansion

On Saturday, November 30th (The Saturday following Thanksgiving) The Sanilac County Historical Society will be hosting a Community Christmas Open House from 6:00 PM until 8:00 PM at the Loop-Harrison Mansion.  

To accommodate a large anticipated turnout, please visit Eventbrite to reserve a free ticket for either 6:00 to 7:00 or 7:00 to 8:00

You will be able to view the historic home decorated in all it's holiday finery, sing or listen to some Christmas carols, and you might even get a visit from Santa while you're there.  Admission is by free will offering. Please come and bring your friends.

Irene Miller Speaks at Town Hall Series November 16th.

The final installment of the inaugural Town Hall Lecture Series will feature Holocaust Survivor Irene Miller speaking about her life and signing copies of her book, "Into No Man's Land." 
This final event will take place in the Museum Church, on Sunday, November 16th, at 3:00 PM.  Admission is $10 for adults and $5 for children.  Refreshments will be made available.

Jen Sygit to Perform at The Museum Church

On November 9, 2014, Sunday 3:00 PM in the Museum Church Jen Sygit, songwriter 

will feature her own music. Jen who grew up in Marysville, now returns to the “sunrise” part of Michigan will share her original, often lighthearted take on modern life.  It will be an intimate performance from one the best contemporary Michigan Songwriters.

Jen has thousands of fans throughout the Midwest who love her genuine songs, her smooth sound and her classic Americana Style.

Admission $10 adults, $5 Students. Refreshments at intermission.

Free Concert at the Museum Church!

Matt Watroba will be playing for you at the Museum Church on Sunday, October 12th at 3:00 PM.  Matt is on a first name basis with almost all of the major folk musicians in North America.  Matt appears as a folk musician, guitar player and with his mellow voice develops a friendship with his audience.  Add to that his brand of humor and you are in for a most entertaining afternoon.  This is a free concert and everyone is invited.  There will be refreshments at intermission.

Civil War Days 2014

Thanks to the Times Herald of Port Huron for sharing the video they shot at this summer's Civil War Days celebration.

Watch the video on our YouTube Chanel.

House in Mourning 2014

Thanks to the Timer Herald of Port Huron for sharing this video that they shot last weekend at our House in Mourning event.

Watch the video on the Museum's YouTube channel.

House in Mourning and Cemetery Walk, Saturday, September 20th

September 20, 2014 11:00 am- 4:00 pm in the Museum Mansion

House in Mourning and Port Sanilac Cemetery walk.  See how death was handled in the Victorian Home.  Visit and have tea with the Grieving Family in the Mansion.

Take a walk through the Port Sanilac Cemetery and meet Dr. Loop and his daughter Ada and her husband  Reverend Harrison along with Uri Raymond, a sailor from the storm of 1913 and other early pioneers of Port Sanilac.

There will be free shuttles from the Mansion to the Cemetery at

11:30 AM, 1:00 PM and 2:30 PM  .

Reservations suggested but not required.

Tickets $10.00 adults, $5.00 children family $20, at the door, includes bus to Cemetery.

Pine River Legacy Band featured at the Museum Church

The Pine River Legacy Band will start this season’s Concert series this coming Sunday, September 14th.  

The band is a group of friends from Port Huron and surrounding areas, brought together by a love of acoustic stringed instruments. Commonly known as “Front Porch Music”. Instruments range from Hammered Dulcimers, Guitars, Mandolins, Banjos, Fiddles, Stand-up Bass, Autoharp, Penny Whistles and Singers.  It was started by Ron Borowski through weekly jams in friends’ homes and special historic events.

Concert starts at 3PM with an admission of $10 for adults and $5 for children.  Refreshments are available. All proceeds from this concert are donated back to the museum by the band.  Please support them and the museum.  Remember, It's Your History, and It's Your Museum!

Town Hall Lecture Series at The Museum

This fall The Sanilac County Historical Society is launching a new Town Hall Lecture Series that will kick off with Ms. Anne Burke-Koolstra sharing her story of how her Dutch family hid and saved eight Jews during World War II.
This event will take place at the Museum Church on Sunday, September 21'st at 3:00 PM.  Admission is $10 for adults and $5 for children. Refreshments will be made available.

The second installment of the Town Hall Lecture Series will feature Al and Dave Eicher sharing a presentation on the history of logging in the Thumb.  This event will take place in The Museum Church on Sunday, October 19th at 3:00 PM.  Admission is $10 for adults and $5 for children.  Refreshments will be made available.

The final installment of the inaugural Town Hall Lecture Series will feature Holocause Survivor Irene Miller speaking about her life and signing copies of her book, "Into No Man's Land."
This final event will take place in the Museum Mansion, on Sunday, November 16th, at 3:00 PM.  Admission is $10 for adults and $5 for children.  Refreshments will be made available.



For advance reservations please contact the museum at 810-622-9946, or contact them through their website.

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Wine, Dine, & Unwind this Sunday at 5 PM

This Sunday we hope you plan to join us for the area's premier wine tasting event.  Hosted by Detroit Channel 4 news anchor Devin Scillian, our fundraiser includes incredible wines, gourmet food, silent and live auctions and live entertainment by Nuclassica Trio featuring Jordan Broder on electric violin.  Meet Tobin James, winemaker from Tobin James Cellars who will be attending from Paso Robles, California.

For tickets contact the museum at 810-622-9946

Ken Giorlando's Photography of Civil War Days

Ken Giorlando blogs at Passion for the Past and has covered the Sanilac County Historic Village & Museum before during Civil War Days. This year he has outdone himself. Visit his article through this link and witness the photography and video that tell the story of this year's event, focusing on Gettysburg.

Civil War Days, Super Sized!

This year the Civil War Days are being held on the same weekend as several fabulous events in the Eastern Thumb area, August 2nd & 3rd.
In addition to the usual Civil War Days activities, Port Sanilac will be host to an Antique Wooden Boat festival, the Tin Can Campers, and the inaugural East Ports Blues Festival.  All of these are free, so do plan on making a weekend of it!

Besides all that, Lexington, only 11 miles south, will be having their Street Art Fair this Saturday and Sunday.  So there really is so much fun to be had on this weekend.

Here is the schedule for activities on the grounds of the Sanilac County Historic Village and Museum:

Farm, Hunting & Fishing Weekend Coming

 Saturday, July 19th and Sunday, July 20th The Museum will host The Farm, Hunting & Fishing Weekend.  Admission is a donation of $6.00 for adults, $3.00 for children, or you can bring your whole family for just $20.

There will be musical entertainment by Ourselves, a food tent, and so much more including farm animals, hay rides, wool weavers, a blacksmith, rope making, net making, and displays of farm equipment from the 1800's and 1900's.  You can learn how honey and sugar are made in Sanilac County.

The Sanilac County Sheriff will have their rescue boat on display here both days.  The Coast Guard will be here on Saturday to promote Boating Safety.  If you would like to sign up for a hunter safety class you need to pre-register with the instructor, Paul Slivka, by calling him at 810-622-8645

Local farmers will be selling their produce on this weekend, including fruits, jams, and home made breads.

For more info call the museum, open Wed. through Sunday, at 810-622-9946.

Visit Voyageurs, Settlers, and Natives This Weekend!

This weekend at The Sanilac County Historic Village & Museum, the featured event is "Voyageurs, Settlers, and Natives ."  All buildings will be open and attended by docents who can show you through and answer questions.  Visit with members of the Ste. Claire Voyageurs, families of local settlers, and Woodland Metis natives.  Check out the black smith shop and watch the smith at work.  Saturday, June 21'st and Sunday June 22'nd, from 10 AM til 5 PM.

What day is tomorrow? It's FREE DAY. That's right, any Sanilac County resident can visit and tour the museum for free tomorrow, Sunday, June 8th, from Noon til 4 PM. All buildings will be open and volunteers will be there to answer questions.

(If you aren't from Sanilac County, tell them you're a friend of Dr. Loop, and you'll get in free too!)

2014 Calendar of Events

The Museum is now open for the season.  Hours until the end of September are Wednesday thru Sunday, 11 AM until 5 PM.  Tours may be arranged for at other times by contacting the museum.  You can find a full events calendar at our website.  

If you would like to visit the grounds when we are closed, or off season, you may download an audio walking tour in MP3 format here.

Sanilac County Historical Society

“VOLUNTEERS AREN’T PAID,

NOT BECAUSE THEY ARE WORTHLESS,

BUT BECAUSE THEY ARE PRICELESS!”

Volunteers are the lifeblood of our society.  Without them, nothing good happens.  We want to encourage more volunteers and make it a better, more meaningful experience.  The education committee has developed a series of 3 programs to assist in this by providing information as well as seeking suggestions and input in ways to do an even better job of fulfilling our mission.   Whether you’ve volunteered for years or have yet to try it, we think these programs will be well worth your time whether you attend one, two or all three.  Each session will include a general session, informational sessions on different buildings and artifacts plus lunch with questions and answers.  You’ll get a tour including places the public doesn’t see, an opportunity to ask questions and make suggestions plus socialize over lunch.  Our board feels you are so important they are providing this at no cost.  Classes are limited to 20 people each and preregistration is required.  All classes are on Saturdays from 9am to noon at the Historic Village and are open to members and non-members.  Here is the schedule.

Saturday April 26^th.  The Barn (theater),  General Store, Dairy Museum, Carriage Barn, the Nature Trail, Banner Log Cabin and Barn, Huckins One Room School and lunch with Q & A.

Saturday May 3^rd.  The Forestville Church, Hound Town Cabin, Hunting and Fishing Cabin, Lakeshore Cabin, Deckerville Train Depot, the Blacksmith Shop, Hearse Shed, Privy, a history of the village and lunch with Q & A.

Saturday May 10^th.    This session is devoted to our crown Jewel, the Loop/Harrison Mansion including information on all 3 floors, construction and architecture, current concerns, structural challenges, the grounds, information on the various displays and thousands of stored artifacts and documents.

To get more information or register, call the museum at 810 622-9946 or

Gil Orris at 810 543-1791.  We guarantee you will learn something new. 

See you there.

George Lawson and Gil Orris, Your education committee.

Civil War Days 2014

This year Civil War Days will be celebrated on Saturday, August 2nd and Sunday, August 3rd.

Our festivities take place on the grounds of the Sanilac County Historic Village & Museum, amidst vintage buildings that provide the perfect setting.

Encampments, skirmishes, artillery, notable persons -- we have it all!

We also feature music, a Grand Ball and a vintage church service.


Our full schedule of events will be posted in a future update

Make plans to join us as we continue to mark the sesquicentennial of the Civil War.



To view an article about previous Civil War Days at The Museum, complete with photo illustrations, please visit Passion for the Past.

 While visiting Port Sanilac for Civil War Days you may also wish to take in a free    musical performance at Harbor Park because The East Ports Blues Festival will be  celebrated the same weekend.  You can find more information at their event page  on Facebook.

2014 Home Dinner Series

The Sanilac Historical Society would like to announce their 2014 lineup for fund raising home dinner parties.

The theme for this years series is "Historical Eras."

The cost of dinners is $45 per person, $40 if you are a Historical Society member.  All dinners begin at 6:00 PM



April 26th The Lexington Brewery and Wine House is hosting a dinner themed, "Prohibition."

May 17th Nancy Passfield will host a dinner themed, "Flower Power."

June 14th John and Rachel Hoffmann will host a dinner themed, "New Nation."

August 23rd Utz and Shirley Schmidt will host a dinner themed, "New Millennium."

September 13th Dave and Anne Tenniswood will host a dinner themed, "Roaring Twenties."

October 11th Ronald and Ann Erickson will host a dinner themed "Wagons to the West."

Reservations are confirmed upon receipt of your check.

You may mail checks to Sanilac County Museum, PO Box 158, Port Sanilac, MI  48469

For questions you may check with the museum online using their contact form,
or phone the museum at 810-622-9946

Cadillac Phoenix Blues Band plays The Museum Church

May 18, 2014, Sunday 3:00 PM in the Museum Church

The Cadillac Phoenix Blues Band is back, also after a World North American. Michigan(?) or someplace tour, with Dale Ryeinhart on Harmonica, Terry Conklin on Drums, Clare Frederick on Bass and Gary Frederick on Guitar.  All are from the Thumb.  All are long time music veterans with long extensive backgrounds, each bringing their own style to the mix.

The Band plays a mixture of electric blues ranging from early Fleetwood Mac, Eric Clapton, ZZ Top etc.  They mix Chicago style blues with Texas blues as well as some blues rock thrown in.

The Band is playing this concert as a benefit with all proceeds going to the Museum, so your attendance will be entertaining, interesting and an extra help to the Museum.

Tickets $10, Students $5, under 12 free

Kitty Donohoe Performing at The Museum Church

April 13, 2014, Sunday 3:00 PM in the Museum Church

Based in Ann Arbor, Michigan Emmy recipient Kitty Donohoe draws from her Irish heritage as well as her American roots in her music, which is rich, earthy and compelling, making good use of her gifts for storytelling, her love of language, and her ear for melody.

“Kitty Donohoe is a true treasure – a rare songwriter with tremendous range, a beautiful voice and an ability to write haunting, melodic and literate songs. She deserves a wider audience.” All Music Guide

Rich Warren of WFMT Chicago has included Kitty on his list of the ’50 most significant songwriters in the last 50 years.’

Tickets $10, Students $5, under 12 free

Saint Patrick's Day Party at the Museum Church

Sunday, March 16th at 3:00 PM 
at The Museum Church.

What would St. Pats’ day celebration be without our very own “Ourselves” performing.  And with musician’s names like “Schlichting” you know it has to be Irish.

As usual, they are always a fun “foot stomping” group.  You can’t help but get in a festive mood when they play.

Again this year, included in the ticket price, we will be serving corn beef sandwiches with Beer or root-BEER, not sure it will be green, but if you miss this you will be green with envy!

Tickets $20.00 adults, $10.00 Students

Note as this group is popular you may want to purchase tickets in advance

 by calling the Museum

Seating and Standing room limited to the first 500 people

(112 inside seating (we squeezed 2 more chairs), 388 standing outside [dress warm]).

Museum Offers Two Hard-To-Find Books

The Museum is now able to take orders for two books online at their website.  The books, Shingle Shavers and Berry Pickers, by Oliver Raymond and This is from Walter, annotated by Susan E Clarkson, are books that are published by The Historical Society.

Mr. Raymond's book details the history of Port Sanilac from the days when Uri Raymond came to town and started his hardware store in 1850.

This is from Walter is a transcription of letters sent home by Walter Niles, a 20 year old Michigan man who fought with the 24th Michigan Iron Brigade during the Civil War.  Mr. Niles fought at Antietam, Fredricksburg, Port Royal, Chancellorsville and Gettysburg.

You can visit the website by clicking the highlighted titles above.

Audio Walking Tour Available

The museum has had a narration recorded for visitors to play when they visit the museum grounds after hours or off season.  The recording tells visitors a bit about the various buildings they encounter as they walk the Historic Village on their own.  This recording is in mp3 format, and can be played on any device that accepts that format, including many cell phones.  Your feedback on the recording is welcome in the comments section here.  To download, right click  this link and choose "save as."

Black River Bluegrass Boys - NEW DATE

Sunday, February 9th at 3:00 PM in The Museum Church the ever-loving and popular “Black River Blue Grass Boys” (Boys?) are back after a two year world tour! (if you believe that you will believe anything)  This group of “boys” have too much fun performing, and their enthusiasm spills over into the audience.  Not only can they play, but their jokes are so corny, it is infectious.

Tickets $10, Students $5

Free Online Access to Rare Historical Texts

This link to Envision The Past is an entryway to the website 'History of the Great Lakes States', which has links to over 1,200 online books, articles, maps and other materials for historic Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, Illinois and Wisconsin. Many of the materials are quite rare. There are over a dozen pages of links to books, maps, and magazine articles about historic Michigan. I've included a link below to a recent post to the site called "Michigan Explorers and Pioneers Tell Their Own Stories".

Everything is available for online use by the public free of charge, and we do not/not ask users to register or provide personal information. We have no political agenda. We're simply enabling access to historical material in the public domain.

You may also follow us on Facebook if you so choose.

Best Regards,
Ted Lienhart

William Henry Russell In Concert This Sunday

We are pleased to announce that William Henry Russell will be appearing in concert at The Museum Church on Sunday, October 15th at 3:00 PM.  

 Mr. Russell is a seasoned performer on solo acoustic guitar and the 2009 Gamble Rogers Finger Style Guitar Champion.  He received a Bachelor’s Degree in Music from The Boston Conservatory and a Master’s Degree in Music from Florida State University.  As well as being a classically trained musician he is also an established composer and arranger.  Performing in countless churches, cafes, concert halls, and festivals he has honed his craft while entertaining audiences for almost thirty years.  Drawing from a classical music background, vivid imagination, and a love for all types of music, Bill has perfected his own distinctive personal style.  An enchanting style that bears a deeper understanding of the music conveyed through an impeccable classical technique.

If you never heard a performer make his instrument sing, this is your chance.

Admission to this event is by donation only.  Please bring a friend.