Port Hope

History

In 1851, William Stafford, while living in Lexington, bought the first parcel of land in what is now Port Hope, with Reuben Dimond. Later, Stafford and William Southard invested in buying up forty-acre parcels from the government. These parcels had been set aside as pensions for veterans of the War of 1812. Traveling to the area by schooner, Southard was let off at some distance from shore, due to a pending storm. Rowing in a skiff in the wind, he vowed that if he made it to shore, he would name the spot Port Hope. Stafford, along with others, opened up the area to lumbering and by 1858 his company dock was constructed and mills were in operation. The chimney from one of those mills can be seen and is the last standing chimney in Michigan from the lumbering era. Port Hope survived the 1871 fire and was able to return to lumbering, but after the second fire in 1881 the trees were gone, and farming became the focus. Stafford adjusted and built a flour mill, elevator and a new dock. Port Hope was incorporated in 1887, with the railroad coming in 1903. A walking tour brochure, with some of the 11 historic sites listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is available for visitors.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of , all land.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Canada Goose (canadensis Group)

  Branta canadensis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  638
• Ring-billed Gull

  Larus delawarensis Ord, 1815 · Aves
  569
• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  479
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  472
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  429
• Black-capped Chickadee

  Poecile atricapillus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  424
• Turkey Vulture

  Cathartes aura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  407
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  393

Largest nearby schools

• Harbor Beach Community High School
  High · HARBOR BEACH · 212 students · 21.2:1 ratio
• Harbor Beach Elementary School
  Elementary · HARBOR BEACH · 175 students · 10.9:1 ratio
• Harbor Beach Middle School
  Middle · HARBOR BEACH · 104 students · 20.8:1 ratio
• Adams Elementary School
  Elementary · BAD AXE · 34 students · 17:1 ratio
• Eccles School
  Elementary · HARBOR BEACH · 25 students · 12.5:1 ratio