Grice House Museum
Encyclopedia
The Grice House is located at 865 North Huron Avenue in Harbor Beach, Michigan
. It is a museum showing life in years gone by.
in the early 1860s with five of his seven sons and one daughter. By the 1870s was employed at the Rock Falls sawmill
. The building survived the 1881 Thumb Fire
. In the 1960s, 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.
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 forth order Fresnel lens
of the Harbor Beach Lighthouse, which was removed from service in 1986, 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, was moved to the grounds in 1988. This school serves as a reminder of the area’s educational roots.
Harbor Beach, Michigan
Harbor Beach is a city in Huron County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 1,837 at the 2000 census, with an estimated population of 1,587 in 2009.-Geography:...
. It is a museum showing life in years gone by.
History
The Grice House was built by James G. Grice, who immigrated to the United States from EnglandEngland
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
in the early 1860s with five of his seven sons and one daughter. By the 1870s was employed at the Rock Falls sawmill
Sawmill
A sawmill is a facility where logs are cut into boards.-Sawmill process:A sawmill's basic operation is much like those of hundreds of years ago; a log enters on one end and dimensional lumber exits on the other end....
. The building survived the 1881 Thumb Fire
Thumb Fire
The great Thumb Fire took place on September 5, 1881, in the Thumb area of Michigan in the United States. The fire, which burned over a million acres in less than a day, was the consequence of drought, hurricane-force winds, heat, the after-effects of the Port Huron Fire of 1871, and the...
. In the 1960s, with the last Grice descendent deceased, the city of Harbor Beach
Harbor Beach, Michigan
Harbor Beach is a city in Huron County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 1,837 at the 2000 census, with an estimated population of 1,587 in 2009.-Geography:...
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.
Description
The museum complex is 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 1800s-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
Loom
A loom is a device used to weave cloth. The basic purpose of any loom is to hold the warp threads under tension to facilitate the interweaving of the weft threads...
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 forth order Fresnel lens
Fresnel lens
A Fresnel lens is a type of lens originally developed by French physicist Augustin-Jean Fresnel for lighthouses.The design allows the construction of lenses of large aperture and short focal length without the mass and volume of material that would be required by a lens of conventional design...
of the Harbor Beach Lighthouse, which was removed from service in 1986, 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
Port Hope, Michigan
Port Hope is a village in Huron County of the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the village population was 310. The village is within Rubicon Township.-Geography:...
, a beautiful spinning wheel
Spinning wheel
A spinning wheel is a device for spinning thread or yarn from natural or synthetic fibers. Spinning wheels appeared in Asia, probably in the 11th century, and very gradually replaced hand spinning with spindle and distaff...
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, was moved to the grounds in 1988. This school serves as a reminder of the area’s educational roots.