Port Huron Museums hosts history tour on murder and manslaughter – The Voice

During an upcoming Murder and Mayhem tour, a streetcar will roll through the darker side of Port Huron's history.

The Carnegie Museum of Port Huron Museums will host the tour on September 21st.

“The tour will take place on the Port Huron Museum's streetcar,” said Veronica Campbell, executive director of the Port Huron Museum, via email. “It's a convenient and unique way to show guests Port Huron and a great way to host a travel tour.”

The tour begins at 10 a.m. It begins and ends at the Carnegie Museum, 1115 Sixth St. in Port Huron. The tour lasts approximately an hour and a half and includes sites throughout the city. Sites include the Seventh Street Bridge, Lakeside Cemetery, the McMorran Complex, and the Port Huron Museums, among others.

The cost to participate in the tour is $30 per person or $20 per person for Port Huron Museum members.

“To truly illuminate the history and culture of the area and serve our community, we want to offer a variety of interesting tours and programs,” said Kayla Flanagan, curator of programs and education for Port Huron Museums, via email. “The money we earn from this tour allows us to continue to offer interesting and informative public programs.”

For ticket information, call 810-982-0891, ext. 110, or online at eventbrite.com/e/2024-murder-mayhem-historic-trolley-tours-tickets-873547783937. Additional tour dates include October 27 at 10 a.m. and October 30 at 5:30 p.m. Tickets are limited to 20 people per tour.

“We offer several tours throughout the year, both on foot and by tram,” Flanagan said.

Campbell said the idea to offer trolley tours came from the walking tours of Port Huron offered by the museum.

“In 2021, after the pandemic and after gaining a lot of social media followers with our Port Huron city tours, we purchased the streetcar from Blue Water Area Transit and created streetcar tours showcasing the city's historical highlights,” Campbell said. “We have continued and expanded our tours over the past four years.”

The Murder and Mayhem trolley tour is led by Flanagan, who draws on museum research and texts compiled specifically for the tour by a former museum employee. Flanagan said most of the stories are from local history in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, but one story is set in the 17th century.

“We discuss some of the stories that come out of the massive fires that destroyed the Thumb in 1871 and 1881,” Flanagan said. “We also discuss the tragedy of the SS Eastland, where the most lives were lost in a single shipwreck on the Great Lakes, and that connection to Port Huron.”

For more information, visit phmuseum.org or facebook.com/PortHuronMuseum.

Nicole Tuttle is a freelance reporter for The Voice.