Harbor Beach rallies around forgotten historical marker - Harbor Beach, MI - News Article Locations on Waymarking.com

The historical marker was replaced in front of the Frank Murphy Memorial Museum at 142 S Huron Ave, Harbor Beach, MI 48441. The marker reads:

Frank Murphy was associate justice of the U. S. Supreme Court from 1940 until his death in 1949. His earlier career included service as a judge in the Detroit Recorder’s Court and instructor in law at the University of Detroit in the twenties. In the following decade he was mayor of Detroit, U. S. governor-general in the Philippines, governor of Michigan, and attorney general of the United States. Governor Murphy’s stand during the 1937 sit-down strike received national attention when he refused to send troops to remove workers from the factories. As an associate justice, Murphy wrote many of the Court’s opinions concerning civil liberties. In Thornhill v. Alabama (1940), Murphy clarified labor’s right to strike, holding that peaceful picketing was a manifestation of freedom of speech. Murphy died on July 19, 1949, and is buried in Harbor Beach.

Article Text:
HARBOR BEACH – Residents are continuing gradual leaps at strengthening the allure of Harbor Beach, most recently with the city’s historical marker, which until last week had been tucked-away in a barn for years.

The City of Harbor Beach paid about $1,500 for labor and aluminum posts to put the Frank Murphy marker back up, returning the registered Michigan historic site back to its position outside the museum that honors the late civil rights defender who was born in the city.

The process to restore the marker appeared to start with Tony Thompson and his wife, Charlie. They moved from Detroit to Harbor Beach about two years ago. Looking to get involved, they volunteered to help address much-needed upkeep at the Murphy House.

This spring, after about six months of volunteering, Mr. Thompson was concerned when he found the historical marker propped against a wall in the barn behind the museum.

“I didn’t come here to make a name for myself,” Thompson said. “I just think this is something that should have been done right.”

The couple began hounding signatures for a petition to replace the marker. They also attended several city council meetings, pressing members on why the marker had been hidden from the public. The petition, indeed, had 157 signatures on it.

“There’s so many closed businesses in our town now,” said Thompson, lamenting on the draw for visitors. “Al’s Restaurant burned, and that was a big draw. We’re just looking to put the town on the map so people don’t just drive through here.”

Thompson said a version of this several times. The concern stems from what he believed as a missed opportunity to market Harbor Beach. A writer for a prominent media outlet in Detroit was recently tasked with writing a story about the Thumb, Thomson said.

While on the assignment, the writer drove through Harbor Beach and on to Port Hope instead, in part because he couldn’t locate the historical marker on an iPhone application, Thompson said.

“He drove right through our town,” Thompson said. “That was like our crusade to get that thing put up.” It had been stored away in the barn for about three years – after it had been damaged by snow removal equipment – and city director Ron Wruble said interpretive signs with the same information on the marker had been erected in town. And, at that point, the Friends of the Murphy House group didn’t request for the marker to be replaced. That is until this spring, when the group requested it, in large part because of the Thompson couple’s effort. Ordering the posts took some time and waiting for the campgrounds and lawn services to calm down for the winter was why it took months to resolve the situation. “It wasn’t as simple as it sounds,” Wruble said.

Type of publication: Internet Only When was the article reported?: 11/01/2018 Publication: Huron County View Article Url: [Web Link] Is Registration Required?: no How widespread was the article reported?: local News Category: Arts/Culture

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