Thomas Edison grew up here

Before he was the most famous inventor in the world, Thomas Edison was a Port Huron boy. His family moved here in 1854, when he was seven, and it was in this town that young “Al” Edison ran his first experiments in chemistry and electricity, mostly taught at home by his mother after only a few months of formal school.

At twelve he got a job selling newspapers, candy, and produce to passengers on the Grand Trunk Railroad, riding the line back and forth between Port Huron and Detroit. He was a natural businessman, soon hiring other boys to help, and he even printed his own little newspaper right in the train’s baggage car. He set up a chemistry lab back there too, until the day a chemical spilled, caught fire, and got him and his experiments thrown off the train.

You can still visit the actual depot he worked out of, a handsome little station built in 1858 that now sits in the shadow of the Blue Water Bridge. It’s been turned into the Thomas Edison Depot Museum, with a restored baggage car, hands-on science exhibits, and what’s billed as the world’s largest light bulb. You’ll find hours at phmuseum.org.