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List of National Historic Landmarks in Michigan facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Michigan is home to many amazing places that tell important stories about its past! These special spots are called National Historic Landmarks (NHLs). They show us Michigan's history from long, long ago, even before European settlers arrived, all the way up to World War II.

These landmarks include places important to Michigan's famous car-making, its busy shipping on the Great Lakes, and its mining history. There are 42 NHLs across Michigan, found in 18 of its 83 counties. You can find military forts like Fort Michilimackinac, religious sites like the St. Ignace Mission, and cultural spots like the Fox Theater and even Ernest Hemingway's childhood summer cottage. Sadly, two landmarks that were once on this list have been taken off because their buildings were torn down.

The National Park Service helps manage the National Historic Landmark Program. This group decides which places are special enough to become NHLs. They work with property owners and then the Secretary of the Interior makes the final decision. Both public places (like parks) and private properties (like homes) can become NHLs. This special title helps protect these places, sometimes by offering tax benefits or grants. If an owner doesn't want their property to be an NHL, it can still be listed as "eligible" for the title.

All NHLs are also part of a bigger list called the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). Think of it like this: all NHLs are important across the whole country, while other NRHP places are important to a local area or just the state. Michigan's NHLs make up about 2% of all the historic places listed in the state.

Wayne County, where the car capital Detroit is located, has the most NHLs with 13. Emmet County and Mackinac County each have three. Some counties have two, and others have one. Michigan's first NHLs were chosen on October 9, 1960. The newest one was added on January 13, 2021. Eleven of Michigan's NHLs are actually "National Historic Landmark Districts," which means they cover a larger area, not just one building.

Michigan's Special Historic Landmarks

National Historic Landmark National Historic Landmark
National Historic Landmark District National Historic Landmark District
  • The different colors help show which landmarks are large "districts" (covering an area) and which are single buildings or objects.
Landmark name Image Date designated Location County Description
1National Historic Landmark District Bay View
Houses and outbuildings
December 23, 1987
(#72000613)
Bear Creek
45°23′08″N 84°55′49″W / 45.385555555555555°N 84.93027777777779°W / 45.385555555555555; -84.93027777777779 (Bay View)
Emmet This community started in 1876 as a Methodist summer camp. It later became a "chautauqua" (a place for education and culture) until 1915. It's a great example of these unique American community styles.
2National Historic Landmark District Calumet Historic District
Postcard of the Calumet and Hecla company town, showing multiple buildings.
March 28, 1989
(#89001097)
Calumet
47°17′45″N 88°27′14″W / 47.295833°N 88.453889°W / 47.295833; -88.453889 (Calumet Historic District)
Houghton This area shows the history of the Calumet and Hecla Mining Company. It highlights how important and long-lasting the copper mining industry was in Michigan.
3National Historic Landmark City of Milwaukee (Great Lakes Car Ferry)
A ship in port
December 14, 1990
(#90002221)
Manistee
44°15′34″N 86°18′58″W / 44.259324°N 86.316018°W / 44.259324; -86.316018 (City of Milwaukee (Great Lakes Car Ferry))
Manistee From 1931 to 1982, the City of Milwaukee was a ferry that carried cars across Lake Michigan. It's the only Great Lakes car ferry built before 1940 that still exists today.
4National Historic Landmark District Cranbrook
A large brick building with a central tower
June 29, 1989
(#73000954)
Bloomfield Hills
42°34′23″N 83°14′57″W / 42.573055555555555°N 83.24916666666667°W / 42.573055555555555; -83.24916666666667 (Cranbrook)
Oakland Cranbrook was designed as a beautiful place to learn. It's known as "one of the most important groups of educational and architectural structures in America."
5National Historic Landmark Detroit Industry Murals, Detroit Institute of Arts
Detroit Industry Murals, Detroit Institute of Arts
April 22, 2014
(#14000279)
Detroit
42°21′34″N 83°03′52″W / 42.359423°N 83.064414°W / 42.359423; -83.064414 (Detroit Industry Murals, Detroit Institute of Arts)
Wayne These four murals at the Detroit Institute of Arts are famous artworks by Mexican artist Diego Rivera. They are considered some of the best modern art in the U.S. that show industrial themes.
6National Historic Landmark Alden Dow House and Studio
The front porch of a house, surrounded by lush greenery
June 29, 1989
(#89001167)
Midland
43°37′22″N 84°15′18″W / 43.622792°N 84.255121°W / 43.622792; -84.255121 (Alden Dow House and Studio)
Midland This house and studio belonged to the famous 20th-century architect Alden B. Dow. His unique work and connection to Frank Lloyd Wright made him nationally recognized.
7National Historic Landmark Herbert H. Dow House
A house surrounded by large trees and bushes
May 11, 1976
(#76001033)
Midland
43°37′08″N 84°15′10″W / 43.618847°N 84.252758°W / 43.618847; -84.252758 (Herbert H. Dow House)
Midland From 1899 to 1930, this house was the home of Herbert H. Dow, who founded the Dow Chemical Company.
8National Historic Landmark Durant-Dort Carriage Company Office
A large brick building
June 2, 1978
(#75000943)
Flint
43°01′03″N 83°41′43″W / 43.017443°N 83.695280°W / 43.017443; -83.695280 (Durant-Dort Carriage Company Office)
Genesee From 1895 to 1913, William C. Durant managed his car businesses from this office. The Durant-Dort Carriage Company helped start and fund the carriage and car industries, even helping Buick and General Motors get started.
9National Historic Landmark District Edison Institute
The clock tower of a large brick building at night
December 21, 1981
(#69000071)
Dearborn
42°18′17″N 83°13′55″W / 42.304722°N 83.23194°W / 42.304722; -83.23194 (Edison Institute)
Wayne Henry Ford created the Edison Institute to show the history of the industrial age. The Henry Ford Museum, opened in 1929, is very important in the history of museums, especially outdoor village museums.
10National Historic Landmark USS Edson (Destroyer)
June 21, 1990
(#90000333)
Bay City
43°36′50″N 83°52′10″W / 43.613953°N 83.869405°W / 43.613953; -83.869405 (USS Edson (Destroyer))
Bay The USS Edson is one of only two Forrest Sherman-class destroyers still around. It fought in the Vietnam War and became a museum ship in Michigan in 2013.
11National Historic Landmark District Fair Lane
A very large stone house with many windows
November 13, 1966
(#66000399)
Dearborn
42°18′51″N 83°13′57″W / 42.31416665°N 83.2325°W / 42.31416665; -83.2325 (Fair Lane)
Wayne This 56-room house was the home of Henry Ford and his family from 1915 to 1950. It was designed with a mix of styles, including Prairie School and Late English Gothic.
12National Historic Landmark Fisher Building
Ground view of a large skyscraper reaching into a blue sky
June 29, 1989
(#07000847)
Detroit
42°22′15″N 83°04′38″W / 42.370703°N 83.077310°W / 42.370703; -83.077310 (Fisher Building)
Wayne Built in 1927 by the Fisher brothers, this skyscraper is a masterpiece by architect Albert Kahn. It was meant to be a beautiful gift to Detroit.
13National Historic Landmark Ford Piquette Avenue Plant
A large brick building with a sign that says Ford Piquette Plant
February 17, 2006
(#02000041)
Detroit
42°22′07″N 83°03′55″W / 42.36861°N 83.065278°W / 42.36861; -83.065278 (Ford Piquette Avenue Plant)
Wayne This factory was the first for the Ford Motor Company. Built in 1904, it's where the first Model T Ford was designed and made. This plant helped Henry Ford become famous in the car industry.
14National Historic Landmark District Ford River Rouge complex
Machining operations inside a large building
June 2, 1978
(#78001516)
Dearborn
42°18′34″N 83°09′44″W / 42.30941°N 83.16212°W / 42.30941; -83.16212 (Ford River Rouge complex)
Wayne This huge complex, built mostly between 1917 and 1927, is where Henry Ford first created a continuous assembly line for cars. It's known as "one of the industrial wonders of the world."
15National Historic Landmark Edsel and Eleanor Ford House (Gaukler Pointe)
Edsel and Eleanor Ford House (Gaukler Pointe)
October 31, 2016
(#79001164)
Grosse Pointe Shores
42°27′21″N 82°52′26″W / 42.455833°N 82.873889°W / 42.455833; -82.873889 (Edsel and Eleanor Ford House (Gaukler Pointe))
Macomb In 1926, Edsel Ford (Henry Ford's son) and his wife Eleanor hired Albert Kahn to design their home. It looks like cottages they saw in England's Cotswolds. The gardens were designed by Jens Jensen. The Fords moved in during 1929.
16National Historic Landmark Fort Michilimackinac
Interior of a walled fort overlooking water, showing several buildings and walkways
October 9, 1960
(#66000395)
Mackinaw City
45°47′11″N 84°44′08″W / 45.786389°N 84.73555°W / 45.786389; -84.73555 (Fort Michilimackinac)
Emmet This fort at the tip of Michigan's lower peninsula was first built by the French, then taken over by the British. During the American Revolutionary War, it was the only British fort on the Great Lakes with soldiers.
17National Historic Landmark Fox Theater (Detroit)
Nighttime photograph of a large building with a brightly lit marquee.
June 29, 1989
(#85000280)
Detroit
42°20′16″N 83°03′05″W / 42.337792°N 83.051442°W / 42.337792; -83.051442 (Fox Theater (Detroit))
Wayne This amazing movie theater was designed by Howard Crane and built in 1928. It features a mix of decorations from different Far East cultures.
18National Historic Landmark General Motors Building
Large building with four tower sections rising vertically above the street.
June 2, 1978
(#78001520)
Detroit
42°22′09″N 83°04′32″W / 42.369254°N 83.075693°W / 42.369254; -83.075693 (General Motors Building)
Wayne Finished in 1923, this is the oldest existing headquarters for General Motors in Detroit. It represents one of the world's largest car companies.
19National Historic Landmark General Motors Technical Center
A wide rectilinear six-story blue-and-white building with the American, Canadian and Mexican flags flying in front, seen from a nearby roadway, under a cloudy sky
August 25, 2014
(#00000224)
Warren
42°30′48″N 83°02′16″W / 42.51333°N 83.03778°W / 42.51333; -83.03778 (General Motors Technical Center)
Macomb This research center for General Motors was completed in 1955. It's praised as one of the best industrial buildings of its time.
20National Historic Landmark Grand Hotel
Large hotel atop a short rise with a wide verandah, set among manicured lawns and greenery.
June 29, 1989
(#72000637)
Mackinac Island
45°50′56″N 84°37′33″W / 45.8488968693°N 84.6259042142°W / 45.8488968693; -84.6259042142 (Grand Hotel)
Mackinac Built in the late 1800s, this large wooden hotel is one of the few left from that time. It sits on a bluff overlooking Lake Huron and is called "the American dream of "a summer place.""
21National Historic Landmark Guardian Building
Interior photograph of high, arched ceilings, elaborately patterned with brightly colored designs, while an intricate metal screen partially hides a large mural behind.
June 29, 1989
(#89001165)
Detroit
42°19′45″N 83°02′46″W / 42.329153°N 83.046122°W / 42.329153; -83.046122 (Guardian Building)
Wayne This 1928 building was designed to feel welcoming to customers. It's an example of how skyscrapers changed in the U.S., using Arts and Crafts tiles on a steel frame.
22National Historic Landmark Ernest Hemingway Cottage
Small cottage partially hidden by large trees
October 18, 1968
(#68000026)
Walloon Lake
45°16′41″N 84°59′58″W / 45.2781756787°N 84.9993079874°W / 45.2781756787; -84.9993079874 (Ernest Hemingway Cottage)
Emmet From 1904 to 1921, this cottage was the summer home of famous author Ernest Hemingway. Here, he learned to love the outdoors, which became a big part of his books.
23National Historic Landmark Highland Park Ford Plant
Large brick building with many windows
June 2, 1978
(#73000961)
Highland Park
42°24′38″N 83°06′02″W / 42.410687°N 83.100528°W / 42.410687; -83.100528 (Highland Park Ford Plant)
Wayne This plant, designed by Albert Kahn, is considered the "birthplace of the moving assembly line". Car making started here in 1910 and continued until 1927.
24National Historic Landmark Lightship No. 103 "HURON"
A boat on the water, with RELIEF painted on the side in large letters
December 20, 1989
(#76001974)
Port Huron
42°59′15″N 82°25′36″W / 42.98737°N 82.42667°W / 42.98737; -82.42667 (Lightship No. 103 "HURON")
St. Clair Lightships were used on the Great Lakes to mark dangerous areas where lighthouses couldn't be built. The Huron is the only one of its kind left and was the last one used on the Lakes.
25National Historic Landmark District Mackinac Island
The downtown of a small town, showing many buildings, some pedestrians and a horse-drawn wagon.
October 9, 1960
(#66000397)
Mackinac Island
45°52′00″N 84°38′00″W / 45.86667°N 84.63333°W / 45.86667; -84.63333 (Mackinac Island)
Mackinac This island was very important for the early fur trade because of its location in the Great Lakes. It still has many buildings from the fur industry. Its importance was settled after the 1814 Treaty of Ghent.
26National Historic Landmark District Marshall Historic District
A house with a large porch
July 17, 1991
(#91002053)
Marshall
42°16′19″N 84°57′51″W / 42.271944°N 84.964167°W / 42.271944; -84.964167 (Marshall Historic District)
Calhoun Marshall was once considered to be the state capital. It later became a center for railroads and medicine production. Much of its original architecture from the 1860s still remains.
27National Historic Landmark McGregor Memorial Conference Center
February 27, 2015
(#10001023)
Detroit
42°21′34″N 83°04′15″W / 42.359519°N 83.070722°W / 42.359519; -83.070722 (McGregor Memorial Conference Center)
Wayne Completed in 1958, this was architect Minoru Yamasaki's first big project after his trip to Japan. It was praised by architecture magazines as "delightful" and "refreshing."
28National Historic Landmark Meadow Brook Hall
Meadow Brook Hall is made of light-colored brick with much architectural detail, in the Tudor style
March 2, 2012
(#79001166)
Rochester Hills
42°40′19″N 83°12′04″W / 42.671944°N 83.20111°W / 42.671944; -83.20111 (Meadow Brook Hall)
Oakland This large Tudor revival estate belonged to Matilda Dodge Wilson and was built in the 1920s. It's one of the largest historic houses in the country.
29National Historic Landmark Michigan State Capitol
A large stone building topped with a dome and spire
October 5, 1992
(#71000396)
Lansing
42°44′01″N 84°33′14″W / 42.733661°N 84.553911°W / 42.733661; -84.553911 (Michigan State Capitol)
Ingham Designed by architect Elijah E. Myers, this building was constructed between 1872 and 1878. It was the first state capitol building to be modeled after the US Capitol Building.
30National Historic Landmark District Mies van der Rohe Residential District, Lafayette Park
Several modernist gray high-rises with smaller, brown brick buildings beneath the bare trees among them, seen from across a body of water
July 21, 2015
(#96000809)
Detroit
42°20′22″N 83°01′55″W / 42.33940°N 83.03190°W / 42.33940; -83.03190 (Mies van der Rohe Residential District, Lafayette Park)
Wayne This area has the largest collection of buildings by Mies van der Rohe in the world. They are great examples of the International Style of architecture.
31National Historic Landmark Milwaukee Clipper (Passenger Steamship)
A ship at a dock
April 11, 1989
(#83003570)
Muskegon
43°13′19″N 86°17′45″W / 43.221944°N 86.295833°W / 43.221944; -86.295833 (Milwaukee Clipper (Passenger Steamship))
Muskegon This passenger steamship, first called Juniata, was built in 1905. After being rebuilt in 1940, it was renamed Milwaukee Clipper. It still has its original 1905 engines.
32National Historic Landmark District Minong Copper Mining Historic District
The mouth ok a cave, looking out.
January 13, 2021
(#100006259)
West of McCargoe Cove campground
48°04′58″N 88°43′35″W / 48.082778°N 88.726389°W / 48.082778; -88.726389 (Minong Copper Mining Historic District)
Keweenaw The Minong Mine site has very old copper mining pits, possibly 4500 years old! It also has remains of a 19th-century copper mine that operated for ten years.
33National Historic Landmark District North Manitou Island Lifesaving Station
A small white building.
August 5, 1998
(#98001191)
Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore
45°07′09″N 85°58′39″W / 45.119194°N 85.977517°W / 45.119194; -85.977517 (North Manitou Island Lifesaving Station)
Leelanau This station helped save lives on the Great Lakes from 1854 to 1932. It's the only one left of nearly 200 stations that once existed. These stations helped shipwreck victims.
34National Historic Landmark Norton Mound group
Norton Mound group
December 21, 1965
(#66000396)
Grand Rapids
42°56′12″N 85°43′19″W / 42.936581°N 85.721981°W / 42.936581; -85.721981 (Norton Mound group)
Kent From about 400 B.C. to A.D. 400, this was an important center for the Hopewellian culture in the Great Lakes area. It's one of the best-preserved examples.
35National Historic Landmark Parke-Davis Research Laboratory
A large brick building with many windows
May 11, 1976
(#76001039)
Detroit
42°20′06″N 83°00′52″W / 42.3349347044°N 83.0144806964°W / 42.3349347044; -83.0144806964 (Parke-Davis Research Laboratory)
Wayne Built in 1902, this was the first industrial research lab in the U.S. specifically for drug research. It helped start the modern way of developing new medicines.
36National Historic Landmark Pewabic Pottery
A building with a sign reading Pewabic Pottery
December 4, 1991
(#71000430)
Detroit
42°21′42″N 82°58′52″W / 42.361567°N 82.981083°W / 42.361567; -82.981083 (Pewabic Pottery)
Wayne This 1907 building is the studio of ceramic artist Mary Chase Perry Stratton. Her work in the Arts and Crafts movement improved American pottery and is shown in many famous buildings.
37National Historic Landmark District Quincy Mining Company Historic District
A mine shafthouse and hoisthouse in a snowy landscape. A large brick building can be seen in the background.
February 10, 1989
(#89001095)
Hancock
47°08′07″N 88°34′33″W / 47.135278°N 88.57583°W / 47.135278; -88.57583 (Quincy Mining Company Historic District)
Houghton This historic area shows the U.S. copper industry from the mid-1800s to 1920. It represents company towns, mining technology, and different ethnic groups who settled there.
38National Historic Landmark Badger (Car Ferry)
A large black ship with white upper decks rests at a berth, its rear surrounded by wooden posts.  The rear access to its vehicle decks is opened upward.
January 20, 2016
(#09000679)
Ludington
43°56′57″N 86°27′04″W / 43.949167°N 86.451111°W / 43.949167; -86.451111 (Badger (Car Ferry))
Mason The Badger is the last Great Lakes rail ferry ever built and the last one still working. It has unique engines that are the only ones of their kind still running.
39National Historic Landmark St. Clair River Tunnel
A postcard with a frontal view of a train emerging from a tunnel
April 19, 1993
(#70000684)
Port Huron
42°57′29″N 82°25′59″W / 42.958118°N 82.43298°W / 42.958118; -82.43298 (St. Clair River Tunnel)
St. Clair This tunnel was a big step forward in railroad technology. When it was finished in 1891, it was the first underwater tunnel in North America for full-size trains.
40National Historic Landmark St. Ignace Mission
A large wooden building with new white paint, topped by a cross
October 9, 1960
(#66000398)
St. Ignace
45°52′11″N 84°44′38″W / 45.869651°N 84.743945°W / 45.869651; -84.743945 (St. Ignace Mission)
Mackinac This park was once a mission started by French priest Jacques Marquette, who was buried here in 1677. A new mission was built later and moved to St. Ignace in 1954.
41National Historic Landmark St. Marys Falls Canal
Aerial photography of a large locks system, a bridge, and two towns.
November 13, 1966
(#66000394)
Sault Ste. Marie
46°30′11″N 84°21′17″W / 46.50305°N 84.35472°W / 46.50305; -84.35472 (St. Marys Falls Canal)
Chippewa The original canal of the Soo Locks, built in 1855, allowed ships to travel between Lake Superior and Lake Huron. This helped move resources from Michigan's Upper Peninsula to cities in the Lower Peninsula.
42National Historic Landmark USS Silversides (Submarine)
A submarine tied to a dock, flying many signal flags.
January 14, 1986
(#72001566)
Muskegon
43°13′47″N 86°19′58″W / 43.229739°N 86.332830°W / 43.229739; -86.332830 (USS Silversides (Submarine))
Muskegon The Silversides is the most decorated U.S. submarine still existing. It sank 23 ships during World War II and earned many awards. It patrolled the Pacific Ocean to stop supplies from reaching the Japanese.

NHLs That Moved from Michigan

Some landmarks were once in Michigan but have since moved to other states.

Landmark name Image Date designated Location County Description
1National Historic Landmark Columbia (Steamer)
A ship on the water, the stack belching a column of black smoke.
July 6, 1992
(#79001171)
Buffalo, New York
42°51′39″N 78°51′44″W / 42.860878°N 78.862312°W / 42.860878; -78.862312 (Columbia (Steamer))
Erie This passenger steamship carried people to Bois Blanc Island. It's one of the last ships of its kind. In 2015, it moved to Buffalo, New York.

Former NHLs in Michigan

These landmarks were once in Michigan and had the special NHL status, but they are no longer considered landmarks because the sites were changed or torn down.

Landmark name
Image
Date designated
Date moved
or delisted
Locality
County
Description
1* Lincoln Motor Company Plant Aerial photograph of extensive building complex, with inset photographs of a ground-level view of a building and the interior of a large warehouse. June 2, 1978 April 4, 2005 Detroit Wayne Henry M. Leland bought this factory in 1917 and made it much bigger to produce engines for World War I. After the war, Leland started the Lincoln car line here. Henry Ford bought the company in 1922. Most of this factory was torn down in 2002–03, so it lost its landmark status.
2* Reo Motor Car Company Plant A large building with a sign reading "Diamond Reo – World's Toughest Truck" sign on the roof and industrial surroundings. June 16, 1978 July 31, 1985 Lansing Ingham After leaving Oldsmobile, Ransom E. Olds started the Reo Motor Car Company at this plant in 1904. Reo made many new things in car manufacturing. The factory was torn down in 1980, so it lost its landmark status in 1985.
3* SS Ste. Claire Steamer Ste Claire c 1915.jpg July 6, 1992 December 11, 2023 Detroit Wayne The Ste. Claire carried passengers to Bois Blanc Island from 1910 to 1991. It was designed by naval architect Frank E. Kirby. The ship was removed from the National Historic Landmark list in 2023.

See also

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