Was Thomas Edison in Port Huron? The Thomas Edison Depot Museum has the Answer.

The Thomas Edison Depot Museum in Port Huron, Michigan, is part of the Port Huron Museum. This group includes the Fort Gratiot Lighthouse, the Carnegie Center, and the Huron Lightship. They are all centrally located near the downtown and Riverwalk areas.

Thomas Edison Depot Museum under Blue Water Bridge

The Thomas Edison Depot Museum is along the Riverwalk, almost directly under the Blue Water Bridge. It is easy to get to, and you can park near the door. All around the outside walls of the little building is a patio with plaques on posts that give you a little history about the area. You can also sit and enjoy the view of the river and the bridge on the benches.

Port Huron was Home for Young Thomas Edison

We knew that Thomas Edison was part of Michigan’s history and had seen information about him at other museums across the state. We did not know that he called Port Huron “home” as a child. The Thomas Edison Depot Museum has a detailed history of his early life and displays his history in a clever and engaging way.

Museum Displays are Creative and Engaging

A few life-size vignettes show parts of his life, such as his school and workshop. Despite the stationary nature of the vignettes, they portray movement and feeling. They pull you into the scene so that you can imagine the action they are representing.

All along the walls inside the museum are signs, arrows, and lines connecting them. Each sign and arrow describes a little piece of history. They flow along with the story as you follow the signs and arrows. This makes reading the information fun and intriguing. Each sign has a small tidbit of information. The lines invite you to carry along with the story to the next sign. Who knew that reading history could be so engaging?

There is a short history enactment video you can watch while there. Surrounding the room for this video are a myriad of Thomas Edison’s inventions. They are nicely displayed with the same style of small bits of information to keep you engaged and following along with the story.

The museum invites you into the story in other ways as well. A few interactive pieces encourage you to try your hand at tasks to illustrate some aspects of the information.

Replica of a Passenger Train Car

Finally, there is a replica of a train station platform and a train car at the back. The back end of the train car shows you what the baggage car or caboose might have looked like where Thomas Edison worked and experimented. The other end of the train car is set up as an old passenger car with seats and bathrooms. The middle section is clearly used for teaching groups visiting the museum for events. It’s a nice place to sit and watch the view of the ships on the river and the bridge over the water. These seats have a great view.

So, yes, Thomas Edison did indeed live in Port Huron and got up to some very unusual things while living there. Stop at the Thomas Edison Depot Museum in Port Huron, Michigan, to find out what those were.

Make sure to add this stop to your Port Huron Daytrip Itinerary, and maybe one of the superb coffee shops located in the city. If you are hungry, check out Nicky D’s Burgerz.