We try to keep this list of historic house museums for Michigan current, but it is best to check directly with the museums for their hours and other information.
If you know of a historic house museum not in our list, please submit it.
If you are the director of a museum in our listings and you would like to claim your listing so you are able to maintain your listing yourself, please email us at info@vpa.org and we will set you up.
Step into the home of Agatha and Edward Biddle, merchants who moved in around 1830. This was a time of change, and the 1830s were critical to the Biddles for another reason: as an Anishnaabek woman, Agatha and other indigenous people witnessed their culture subjected to immense changes. The decade transformed the Anishnaabek, linking old ways with Michigan’s modern… Read More
The restored Genesee County community of 1860 to 1880 includes several residences and a number of craft shops. Read More
The museum consists of three buildings including the McFadden-Ross House that dates from the early 1800s. It is furnished in period. The Exhibit Annex has craft shops, wagons and buggies. Read More
The Fords built their home as a place where they could integrate their family's activities and interests with global business responsibilities and concern for the local community. The home, its contents and grounds, along with the legacy left by the Fords, all reflect the important role that design excellence played in the family's lives. Read More
Visitors are invited to tour Ella Sharp's 19th-century Hillside Farmhouse, the Dibble One-Room Schoolhouse, Eli Stilson's Log House and the Merriman-Sharp Tower Barn. Other exhibits down Farm Lane include a woodworking shop, doctor's office, general store and print shop. And the farm's original granary is now Ella's Granary Restaurant. Read More
The Fort St. Joseph Museum is located in the former carriage house of the beautiful Victorian period Chapin Mansion. The museum tells the story of Niles from its colonial start in 1691 to the present. Featured exhibits portray the history of Fort St. Joseph, built by the French in 1691, the story of the Underground Railroad in southern Michigan,… Read More
Glensheen, a historic estate on the shores of Lake Superior, offers a slice of turn-of-the-last-century opulence. Its 1908 collection is intact, completely immersing you in the life of one of Minnesota’s most influential families. Beyond the 39-room mansion, visitors can also explore seven-acres of formal gardens and working vegetable gardens, the tennis court and bowling green, and the carriage… Read More
This site preserves the homes of Muskegon's most famous lumber baron, Charles H. Hackley, and his business partner, Thomas Hume. The Site envelops the visitor in a unique living space, bringing late 19th century craftsmanship to life. Read More
Spread over 81 acres are some 80 historic homes, workplaces, and community buildings moved to the site from all over the U.S. Read More
The complex has 16 buildings in its recreated village, some original and others reconstructions. They are furnished in period. Read More
This preserved ghost town was founded in 1866 by Jackson Iron Co manager Fayette Brown. The town thrived while there was iron to smelt, but it was abandoned in 1891. Read More
Built in 1860 by a chief justice of the Michigan Supreme Court who later became U.S. Consul to Hawaii. The house is thought to be a duplicate of his Hawaiian home. Read More
The museum complex has several restored buildings including the House of Seven Gables, the 1882 Victorian mansion of William Lyon and Annabel Hubbard Phelps. Read More
Take a journey back in time to the turn of the century. Explore the house built in 1902 for Margaret Husband, a bookkeeper for the Jenison twins, Lucius and Luman. Furnished with items owned by Margaret Husband. Displays include medical instruments, a working 5'cash register from the L&L Store and a Morning Glory Talking Machine. Read More
Not far from Michigan's urban centers is a small town where two sisters grew up in the late 19th century. Discover their Victorian home, sleighs, gardens and other artifacts of their genteel upbringing. Read More
Built in 1926, this 100 room Tudor mansion was the former home of Alfred and Matilda (Dodge) Wilson. Of special interest are the ballroom, antique needlepoint draperies, 24 fireplaces, hand carved paneling in the library and great hall, sculptured ceiling in the dining room, pipe organ and stone entranceway. Read More
This old brick home is where Berry Gordy, Jr. Developed the "Motown" sound with artists such as Marvin Gaye, Smokey Robinson and Diana Ross. Read More
Designed by America's most famous architect Frank Lloyd Wright, the Meyer May House was commissioned in 1908 by a prominent Grand Rapids, Mich., clothier. An example of Wright's now-famous Prairie style of architecture, it was restored to its original concept by Steelcase and opened for visitor tours in 1987. The Meyer May House offers the public a rare opportunity… Read More
Located in the restored Bradley House, the museum has displays of Victorian and 1920s furnishings. Read More
Sandpoint Lighthouse is open to the public and it includes the keeper's house which is furnished in period. Read More
The 1872 Loop-Harrison House, a restored Victorian home, contains most of its original furnishings. Also on display are medical instruments; antique glassware; marine, military and Indian artifacts. Also on the grounds is the late 19th century Banner Cabin, which is furnished in period. Read More
1880-81 home centered on a 1-acre lot, listed in both the National Register of Historic Places and the Michigan State Register of Historic Sites. Constructed of two-course brick, locally fired, veneered with pink variegated Ionia sandstone,structurally unchanged since it was built. Original woodwork and chandeliers throughout. Read More
A visit to the Farm Museum and tour includes a complex of farm buildings including the restored ten-room Farmhouse dating from 1855. In the Farmhouse kitchen you will be greeted by the delicious smells of Sunday dinner being readied for the dining room table. A docent in every room will be your guide as you tour the house set… Read More
Whaley House was the residence of the Robert J. and Mary McFarlan Whaley from 1885 to 1925. During Mr. Whaley's presidency of Citizens Bank, he issued a $2,000 loan to the Flint Road Cart Company. This loan led to the creation of General Motors in Flint in 1908. Whaley House mission is to educate visitors about the legacy of… Read More