Charlevoix Historical Society Museum at Harsha House

Welcome to the Charlevoix Historical Society!

The Charlevoix Historical Society Museum at Harsha House, located at 103 State Street, is staffed year-round Monday through Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Please refer to the schedule below for Exhibit Hours. Suggested $5.00 entry donation per person. Free admission for Children aged 12 and under. Please call for special appointments, such as research requests, or to visit before doors open to the public at Noon. Phone: 231-547-0373.

Museum Exhibit Hours are from Noon to 4 p.m. Please refer to the below schedule for days of operation.

January – March: Thurs. – Sat.

April, May: Wed. – Sat.

June – August: Mon. – Sat.

September – December: Tues. – Sat.

(Hours are Subject to Change)

Click the image below to learn about Charlevoix’s historical signs!

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Charlevoix Historical Society

The official webpage of the Charlevoix Historical Society in the famous City on Three Lakes

Charlevoix Historical Society

3 days ago

Recreating D. S. Way’s landmark 1887 storm photograph of Charlevoix’s lighthouse.On September 7, 1887, as gale winds swept across Lake Michigan, local photographer Daniel S. Way carried his wooden box camera and 5×8 dry‑plate negatives to the beach south of the lighthouse pier. Fighting rising wind and breaking waves, he made four extraordinary exposures — among the earliest known photographs of Charlevoix’s original 1885 lighthouse during a storm.Way was the first local photographer to capture storm scenes at the lighthouse, a demanding feat with 1880s field equipment and the beginning of a pictorial tradition that continues today.A former ship’s captain, Way opened Charlevoix’s first long‑standing photography studio around 1882. His “instantaneous” outdoor views documented the harbor, vessel traffic, Round Lake’s growth, and the town’s emergence as a commercial center and resort. His work shaped how Charlevoix was seen far beyond the region.In November 1899, Way, his wife Lizzie, and a young deckhand were lost in a sudden gale while sailing the schooner Chiquita. The wreck was identified in part by Way’s photographic outfit, found washed ashore in Indiana.More than 125 years later, his photographs remain essential to understanding Charlevoix’s early history and mark him as one of the area’s first pioneers of artistic photography.Original exposure: September 7, 1887Camera: Portable wooden box camera with fixed‑focus lensMedium: 5×8 dry‑plate glass negativesPrints: Albumen cabinet cards (5×7) for commercial salePreservation: Original prints and negatives held at the Museum at HarshaCredit: Charlevoix Historical Society#CharlevoixMI #LakeMichigan #GreatLakesHistory #LighthousePhotography #StormPhotography #michiganlighthouses ... See MoreSee Less

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Charlevoix Historical Society

3 days ago

𝐑𝐞𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐃. 𝐒. 𝐖𝐚𝐲’𝐬 𝐋𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐤 𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐞𝐯𝐨𝐢𝐱’𝐬𝐋𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐆𝐚𝐥𝐞 𝐖𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐬, 𝐒𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟕, 𝟏𝟖𝟖𝟕On September 7, 1887, as a heavy gale rolled in over Lake Michigan, Daniel S. Way carried his wood‑box camera and a kit of 5×8 dry‑plate glass negatives to the beach south of Charlevoix’s lighthouse pier. Working against the rising wind, he made four remarkable exposures — among the earliest, if not the first, known local photographs of Charlevoix’s original regulation lighthouse, pictured during a rising storm as heavy waves were breaking against the twin piers. Erected on the north pier in August 1885, the structure was then only two years old.Way was the first local photographer to produce storm photographs at the lighthouse, a technically demanding and artistically groundbreaking effort with 1880s dry plate equipment used in the field — and the beginning of a pictorial tradition that continues today.Way (1843–1899), a former ship’s captain, opened Charlevoix’s first long‑standing photography business on Bridge Street around 1882. His “instantaneous” outdoor views chronicled the harbor, vessel traffic, Round Lake’s development into a major port, and the town’s emergence as a regional commercial center and lively resort destination. Local newspapers followed his fieldwork closely, noting that his views showed Charlevoix as a place of striking scenery and growing appeal — a message that was carried wherever and as far as his photographs traveled. Way's professional work, including fine studio portraiture, continued into the 1890s.In early November 1899, Way and his wife, Lizzie, along with a young deckhand, perished in a sudden gale on Lake Michigan while sailing the schooner 𝘊𝘩𝘪𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘵𝘢 from Charlevoix toward Chicago and the Mississippi River on their way to winter in Florida. The shipwreck and its three victims were identified by Way’s photographic outfit, found among the debris that washed ashore on the other side of the lake near Miller's Station, Indiana. The news made syndicated headlines as far away as New York.More than 125 years later, Way’s photographs remain essential to understanding Charlevoix’s early history and establish him as one of the town’s first pioneers of artistic, pictorial photography.𝐃. 𝐒. 𝐖𝐚𝐲’𝐬 𝐋𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐤 𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐞𝐯𝐨𝐢𝐱’𝐬𝐋𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐆𝐚𝐥𝐞 𝐖𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐬Date of original exposure: September 7, 1887Shot with a portable, tripod-mounted wooden box camerawith a fixed focus lens and an instantaneous field shutter Exposed on 5 × 8 inch dry plate glass negatives in the fieldContact printed in the studio on photographic paper Finished albumen prints mounted as 5 × 7 inch cabinet cards for widespread commercial sale Original prints and related glass plate negatives preserved at the Museum at Harsha Credit: Charlevoix Historical Society#CharlevoixHistory #CharlevoixMi #LakeMichigan #GreatLakes #MichiganHistory #MichiganPhotographers #GreatLakesHistory #LighthousePhotography #StormPhotography #HistoricPhotography #19thCenturyPhotography #PictorialPhotography #MichiganLighthouses #PureMichigan ... See MoreSee Less

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Charlevoix Historical Society

7 days ago

𝗠𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝗮 𝗵𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗹𝗲𝘃𝗼𝗶𝘅 𝗽𝗵𝗼𝘁𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗽𝗵𝘆 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗼𝗴𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗶𝗻 𝗮 𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸 𝗽𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻.The Charlevoix Historical Society’s new book, 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝘾𝙞𝙩𝙮 𝙤𝙣 𝙏𝙝𝙧𝙚𝙚 𝙇𝙖𝙠𝙚𝙨, builds on one of Northern Michigan’s most remarkable photographic legacies to present a vivid history of Charlevoix’s maritime past.Published by Mission Point Press, the volume brings together more than a century of photography. With hundreds of images, many never before appearing in print, this rich pictorial narrative draws on the work of the pioneering local photographers who documented Charlevoix from the late 1870s into the 20th century.New contemporary digital photography carries the story forward, tracing the enduring relationship between the Charlevoix region and the waters that define it.Photo: Bill Ochs, grand passenger liner in Charlevoix's Round Lake harbor, view southwest, ca. 1947. Charlevoix Historical Society, Museum at Harsha House. #CharlevoixMI #GreatLakesHistory #HistoricPhotography #MichiganHistory #MaritimeHistory #LakeMichiganViews ... See MoreSee Less

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Charlevoix Historical Society

1 week ago

As we approach the close of Women’s History Month next week, we share our video tribute to the life and legacy of Waunetta McClellan Dominic, whose foundational work helped secure lasting progress in justice, sovereignty, and community self‑determination. Her story continues to inspire, reminding us how far courage and persistence can lift us — her advocacy reaching from Michigan's northern Lower Peninsula to the halls of the U.S. Congress in Washington, D.C. #WomensHistoryMonth #HerStory #IndigenousWomen #NativeWomenLead #LittleTraverseBayBands #LTBB #Odawa #Anishinaabe #Waunetta #MichiganHistory #NativeAmericanHistory #WomenLeaders #GreatLakesHistory ... See MoreSee Less

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Charlevoix Historical Society

2 weeks ago

For Women’s History Month, we’re honoring 𝗪𝗮𝘂𝗻𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗮 𝗠𝗰𝗖𝗹𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗻 𝗗𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗰, a local Odawa leader whose groundbreaking work helped ensure that the Indigenous heritage of Charlevoix — 𝘡𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘸𝘢𝘢𝘬 𝘡𝘪𝘪𝘣𝘪𝘯𝘨 — remains visible and recognized as part of this region’s living history. We share the inspiring story of Waunetta Dominic’s courage, clarity of purpose, and unwavering commitment to her people and to the community her ancestors have known for millennia. She was posthumously inducted into the 𝗠𝗶𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗴𝗮𝗻 𝗪𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻’𝘀 𝗛𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗼𝗳 𝗙𝗮𝗺𝗲 in 1996.#WomensHistoryMonth #HerStory #IndigenousWomen #NativeWomenLead #LittleTraverseBayBands #LTBB #Odawa #Anishinaabe #Waunetta #MichiganWomensHallofFame ... See MoreSee Less

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