A giant harbor and a Supreme Court justice

Harbor Beach has two claims worth knowing. The first is the harbor itself: protected by a long stone breakwall out in Lake Huron, it’s often called the largest man-made freshwater harbor in the world, and it’s the heart of the town — a safe refuge for boats on the big lake, with a marina, a fishing pier, and lighthouse tours in summer.

The second is a person. Frank Murphy was born here in 1890 and grew up to become one of the most accomplished public servants Michigan has ever produced — mayor of Detroit, governor of Michigan, U.S. Attorney General, and finally a justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. He’s best remembered for standing up for civil rights, including a famous dissent against the World War II internment of Japanese Americans, which he called the “legalization of racism.” His boyhood home in town is preserved as a museum.