A Two-Step Back In Time With Walking Tour Brochure

By Sheila Ehrhardt

Every summer hundreds of visitors stop by the Chamber office to find out what there is to do in our fair city. The first questions from the gals are generally:

• “Where are the dress shops?”
• “Where are the antique shops?”
• “Where are the gift shops?”

In an effort to offer them something that would be interesting and informative, we began brainstorming and came up with an idea for a self-guided walking tour of the Historic Old Plat area.

An informal committee got together on a snowy winter day. Taking a giant leap of faith the group decided that they could sell sponsorships to finance printing of such a brochure and could put together short histories of the many unique and unusual homes that dot this 12-block-square area. 

Serving on the committee, in addition to myself, were Judy Ryan and Kathy Muehlhauser Moore, published local historians representing the Huron Historical Society; Nancy Thornhill of the Old Plat Association and Lisa Yako, who operates Historical Research Partners, a research firm specializing in home histories.

We were able to come up with a wide-ranging group of generous sponsors from throughout the community. A very special thank you goes to the 18 Huron businesses and organizations that provided donations to make this brochure possible. They include” Arby’s-Huron, Barnes Nursery, Costa Azul Restaurant, Historical Research Partners, Huron Chamber of Commerce, Huron Historical Society, Huron Hometown News, John Halter GMAC Realty, Lemmy’s Restaurant, Lighthouse Real Estate, Old Plat Association of Huron, Pabodie Design Studios, Pro-Med Claims Service, Rainbow Chinese Restaurant, ReMax Quality Realty, River’s Edge Inn, Sawmill Creek Resort, Subway Sandwich Shop.

The self-guided walking tour includes churches, private homes, and other historic sites within the Old Plat District. Thanks to the graphic wizardry of Leslie Grashel at Pabodie Design Studios, the sepia-colored photos on the earth-toned brochures invite visitors to come and explore Huron’s colorful history and the unique and varied architecture to be found in the Old Plat area.

The brochure is available here at the Chamber office and is being included in the Chamber “goodie bags” given out to boaters as they register at the Boat Basin office.

Click Here to Download Walking Tour Guide Brochure