Information on Traverse City, Michigan and the surrounding Northwest Michigan area

Charlevoix History

Those interested in history could easily spend all afternoon at the Harsha House Museum located downtown at 103 State Street. Built in 1891 by Charlevoix businessman Horace S. Harsha, the site is both a museum and headquarters of the Charlevoix Historical Society.

The museum contains an impressive display of historical documents and artifacts including the original copy of Ernest Hemmingway's 1921 marriage license, local oral and family history collections, the Gray's Reef Lighthouse Third and ½ Order Fresnel lens, and a 1917 working player piano. In addition, the museum contains over 10,000 historic photographs which are neatly organized and ready to view.

The Charlevoix Historical Society, in conjunction with Consumers Energy's Big Rock Point Restoration Project and the Consumers Energy Foundation, is sponsoring a retrospective exhibit of the nation's fifth commercial nuclear power plant.

Construction of Big Rock Point Nuclear Power Plant began in 1959 and ended with demolition and restoration of the site completed in 2006. The 47-year story of the plant comes alive through photos, documents, artifacts, models, and videos.

The exhibit is open to the public from June 30-September 2, Tuesday-Saturday from 1-4 p.m. Fall dates and hours of operation are September 8-October 14, Friday and Saturday from 1-4 p.m.

The exhibit is located at the historic train depot on Charlevoix's northeast side. It can be reached from U.S. 31 by turning south onto Mercer Street and then east on Chicago Avenue. For more information, call the Charlevoix Historical Society at 547-0373 or visit www.chxhistory.com.