W. R. Stafford Saw Mill Site
W. R. Stafford Saw Mill Site is at 4451 Huron Street on the shore of Lake Huron in Port Hope, Michigan. The 4.5-acre area is part of Stafford County Park and today offers parking, lawns, and a beach.
The first saw mill here was built in 1858 for lumberman William R. Stafford, featuring a stone chimney built by mason John Geitz. The mill, its docks, and workers’ houses were destroyed by a fire in 1871. It was rebuilt in 1872, burned again in 1881, and rebuilt yet again, remaining in use into the early 1890s. The 1858 chimney was used by all versions of the mill and is still visible today as the Port Hope Chimney.
The mill area sat unused for decades. The lake dock, made of timber cribs filled with stone and extending about 1,000 feet into the lake, was destroyed in a 1913 storm; the last building was removed in 1941 and turned into a farm shed.
Archaeology: Commonwealth Associates conducted a limited investigation in 1978 as part of Stafford County Park improvements; a more complete study has not been done.
Current status: The site is now part of a county park with parking, lawns, and a beach. The only major visible remnant is the 1858 chimney, about 80 feet tall, standing above the beach. The chimney footprint is 9 by 10 feet at the base, with the lower 20 feet of sandstone containing an open hearth and the upper 60 feet of red brick tapering to the top. The site was added to the National Register of Historic Places on November 20, 1987.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 12:02 (CET).