Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
More historic than 95% of U.S. towns · #30 of 701 in Michigan. What drives it
11 places in town are on the National Register, among them 2 National Historic Landmarks and a historic district with 74 buildings. Below: 22 old photos and papers, maps from 1939 on, and the census since 1850.
Port Huron dates its founding to 1814 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1850.
More historic than 95% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Port Huron is more historic than 95% of U.S. towns, #30 of 701 in Michigan. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its share of homes from before 1940 ranks highest and its age lowest.
Few Michigan towns list much on the Register (a typical Michigan town has 0.0 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Port Huron’s 28.3 sits above most of its state (88% of Michigan towns have fewer) while its 81 historic buildings outnumber those of 88% of U.S. towns.
Founding year: Wikidata (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving. 2 are National Historic Landmarks, the highest tier.
★ Landmark
★ Landmark
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.
Four other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
3 decades in the archive, from the 1880s to the 1900s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.
1880Samuel Edison, Jr., and family in front of their home…
1881Addition to the City of Port Huron Being a Subdivisio…
c. 1890Davidson House c1890![[Samuel Edison, Jr., and unidentified woman?]](https://images.townratings.com/story/8050/ed6703eb742ae6d09044-s.jpg)
c. 1895[Samuel Edison, Jr., and unidentified woman?]
1895Lobby of Harrington Hotel
1898Post Office, Port Huron, MichPostcard
1898Public Library, Port Huron, MichPostcard
1900Detroit Publishing - Engine, locomotive, 1500 h.p., S…
1900St. Clair tunnel Electric locomotives
1900Panorama
1900Public Library
1900The Auditorium
1900Gratiot Light
1900Gratiot Light
1900High school
1900Military Street
1900Black River![Huron St. [Street] and ferry landing](https://images.townratings.com/story/8050/92754d3d9204b6045f62-s.jpg)
1900Huron St. [Street] and ferry landing
1900St. Clair tunnel
1900Ferry landing
1900Pavilion, Pine Grove Park
1900Cottages at Huronia BeachFrom Wikipedia’s history of Port Huron.
This region was long occupied by the Ojibwa people. French colonists had a temporary trading post and fort at this site in the 17th century.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Passages that mention Port Huron, cut from the printed page as they were published.
By 1854 the number of supervisors of the county had increased to fifteen and at the October session of that year Mr. J. P. Minnie, of Port Huron, offered a resolution that the coimty seat of St. Clair coimty be removed to the village of Port Huron, and that the question be laid before the people of the county for their approval or disapproval, the people of the town of Port Huron building the court house and jail and such other buildings as would be required by the board of supervisors, at the expense of the township of Port Huron without any charge or
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
The city of Port Huron was incoi-porated by act approved February 4, 1857, so as to include the following territory : All of fractional section 2, fractional section 11, fractional section 14, the north half of section 15. all of section 10. and all that part of section 3 lying south and west of Black river, in town 6 north, of range 17 east, and also all the waters of the Black and St. Clair rivers within and in front of the above limits, is hereby set off from the township of Port Huron, and constituted the city of Port Huron, by which name it shall be hereafter
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
BuiltFort Gratiot Lighthouse is built
BuiltHoward Block is builtIn the archiveSamuel Edison, Jr., and family in front of their home on the shore of Lake HuronIn the archiveDavidson House c1890BuiltSt. Clair River Tunnel is built
Born hereColleen Moore is born hereIn the archiveDetroit Publishing - Engine, locomotive, 1500 h.p., St. Clair tunnel, Port Huron, Mich
On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
Born hereDennis Sullivan is born here
Born hereTerry McMillan is born hereEvery edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Port Huron. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Port Huron.
Drag across each photo to compare.
1900TodayBetween 1,584 and 36,084 people in every census since 1850.
18 censuses, 1850–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Port Huron’s Wikipedia page.
Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.
Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.
Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.
In 1814, according to Wikidata. Port Huron’s post office opened in 1826, and the census of 1850 counted 1,584 people here.
Port Huron is more historic than 95% of U.S. towns, #30 of 701 in Michigan. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
11 listings, 2 of them National Historic Landmarks: 7 buildings, 1 historic district, the Military Road Historic District, with 74 contributing buildings, and 3 structures. 81 historic buildings in all.
33% of Port Huron’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.3 points), against a typical 12% for a Michigan town; the median home was built in 1955.
What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.
Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
From Wikimedia Commons (8), the Library of Congress (14), Wikidata (2), the National Register of Historic Places (11), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
