Michigan Roadside Attractions on Travel the Mitten highlights our attempts to explore the many interesting things that can be found on the highways, byways and back roads of Michigan, ranging from the interesting to the unusual.

Harbor Springs is a favorite summer destination for those looking for the “up north resort” feel, but the small city is also home to several historical attractions. One recent addition to the city’s Shay Park is the Aha steel yacht, a 50 foot long boat that dates back to the 1890s. Like a few of the other historical attractions around town this one involves Ephraim Shay, an inventor famous for his geared steam locomotive design. Shay lived in Harbor Springs for the final three decades of his life, and having his Aha boat restored and returned to prominence near where it was first constructed.

The Aha was added to Shay Park in 2021 after many months of restoration. After Shay’s death the boat had an unlucky life as its engine was removed and issues hauling it to storage caused it to be beached. It spent some time ashore at what is now Wilderness State Park before ending up at the Harbor Springs public works building. Thankfully, some saw the potential in this piece of history and helped save it.

Two plaques in front of the Aha tell us more. The first tells us about the boat itself: “The ‘Aha’ was built in the early 1890s in Ephraim Shay’s machine shop, on land that is Shay Park today. It was built from Shay’s own design, for his pleasure, and could carry 20 people. After its launch, a local magazine wrote that “nothing like it floats or ever floated on the water or salt.” Local stories claim that this all-steel boat, with its triple-expansion engine, set speed records on Little Traverse Bay. This watercraft is also honored for its August 1894 rescue of the ‘Manitou’ steamship, stranded with hundreds of passengers, through foggy darkness and uncertain Lake Michigan waters to safety in Harbor Springs.”

We learn more about the restoration of the boat from the other plaque: “In changing times, the Aha was abandoned and its remarkable history was forgotten. In the 1930s, while being towed to storage, the empoty hull took on water and was beached near Sucker Creek. There it became an informal shelter for hunters and fishermen, gathering rust and bullet holes. In 2003 the ‘Aha’ returned to Harbor Springs to join the Historical Society’s collection. In late 2019, it was transported east to Onaway for faithful restoration by students of the Industrial Arts Institute.”

The Aha and Shay Park are across the street from the Shay Hexagon House, a local landmark that was Shay’s home. It is currently undergoing some restoration before it re-opens as a museum. The Harbor Springs Historical Society has done a great job of preserving things here, and we loved seeing the Aha back out on display!

Shay Park is located on the east side of Judd St., between E. Main St. and E.Bay St.