Artifacts in and of themselves are just “old stuff.” It’s the stories behind them that make that old stuff come alive. We welcome you to read here some of the stories behind the historic items at the Port Hope Area Historical Society.
Most of us have experienced moving from one home to another, whether it be in the same town or another town or even another state. Usually, it’s because of a job(s) transfer, retirement, or simply an upgrade to our lifestyle. Along with this being a big decision, it is a stressful process and involves a lot of work.
“On December 22nd, 1877, Wilhem, and Bertha Hartz Schewe, Sr. bought forty acres in Rubicon Township. It is interesting that Wilhelm was the first Schewe landowner in port. Hope, but Gottlieb was the first Schewe in Port Hope, as his daughter Martha was born here on March 15th, 1876. Gottlieb and wife Ida were probably pulled to Port Hope by her Plietz relatives, but they did not buy a farm until 1886...."
Going back seventy years or more, trains and automobiles were common place in most small towns. But what do we know about airplanes flying in and out of Port Hope and Harbor Beach? Well, at one time, both Port Hope and Harbor Beach had private airfields that created a new kind of excitement and stories to be remembered forever. The following two articles provide a brief overview of those two privately owned airports, and two individuals, each having a drive and desire to construct a landing strip using tractors and plows, an airplane hanger and creating a third important mode of transportation.
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Read More..."In the summer of 2019, after nearly two years, the project was complete. A diorama display that is four feet wide and twelve feet long, with over thirty structures lining both sides of Main Street. Included are over 100 “little people players”, Port Hope residents that made the town what it was."
"Built approximately ninety years ago by part time mail carrier, Harold W. Finkel, it was able to deliver mail thru the roughest of weather conditions."
Port Hope now has farms with hundreds of acres and dairy farms are few and far between, but those that remain are each milking hundreds of cows. How did farms start in Port Hope? Thankfully we have the 1880 Agricultural Schedule of the US Census to tell us about those Port Hope farms.
The Port Hope farms of 1880 were just a few years away from woodlands.
