Huron City, founded in 1854 by Langdon Hubbard, thrived as a lumber town until it was destroyed by the Fire of 1881.

The site of Huron City was first settled by fishermen in the 1830's. A sawmill was built on Willow Creek in 1837 by Theodore Luce. The settlement was called Willow. Mr. Brakeman of Port Huron bought the mill in 1852, the place was known as Brakeman’s Creek after the new owner. In 1856, Langdon Hubbard bought the sawmill and built a half mile long dock to facilitate the shipping of the lumber since there was no natural harbor at Willow Creek. In 1861, the village was renamed Huron City. Hubbard’s timber business operated successfully until 1871, when the Fire of 1871 burned Huron City to the ground - homes, sawmill, warehouses, and all. After the Fire, Hubbard rebuilt Huron City with a new steam-powered sawmill, shingle mill, and flour mill and reconstructed the half-mile long dock into the lake. The mills processed hardwoods as well and the White Pine. The Fire of 1881 swept through Huron City and again burned it to the ground. Hubbard’s timber business was ruined but he again rebuilt the town, focusing on serving the farmers that moved into the cleared land to the south. Most of the people of Huron City moved away, however, and the town never again regained its prominence.

Hubbard rebuilt his house, “Lakeview” and expanded it in 1886 for guests. One guest was William Lyon Phelps, a friend of Hubbard’s son Frank who married, his sister Annabel Hubbard in 1892. William Lyons Phelps became a professor at Yale, and a world famous literary scholar, educator, author, book critic and preacher. He and Annabel returned to the house in Huron City, also known as the “house of the Seven Gables” after the Hawthorne story, form 1893 through 1938. When in residence Phelps occasionally preached at the Huron City Methodist Episcopal Church, drawing large crowds of up to 1000. In 1938, Life Magazine sent a reporter and photography up to Huron City to profile the Phelps. Annabel Hubbard died in 1939, and William Lyon Phelps died in 1943. The house went to his niece Carolyn Hubbard Parcells Lucas. In 1951, a museum was opened to house Phelps’ library and to feature the history of Huron City. In 1964, the Pointe aux Barques Life Saving Station house was moved here. In 1987, Carolyn Lucas passed away, and the house and museum were taken over by the William Lyon Phelps Foundation. The Museum is open Memorial Day through Labor Day. For hours and more information, check their website at http://www.huroncitymuseums.com.