Welcome!

Fall 2026 Hours: Friday and Saturday 10-2, Until Mid-October
CLOSED for the season from mid-October to mid-May.

Very Exciting NEWS:
Pat and Penny Huber, founding members of the IWRHS have established an endowment for the IWRHS. The open endowment is officially titled:
The Walter and Harriet Huber Fund for the Inland Water Route Historical Society.
The endowment is managed by:
The Petoskey Harbor Springs Area Community Foundation.
If you would like to contribute to this fund, please contact:
Jennifer Murphy, MA, Director of Finance and Operations (endowment manager)
(231) 348-5820; email: jmurphy@phsacf.org 

Leave a Legacy That Lives On Forever

When you give to our endowment fund, you aren’t just making a donation for today—you are building a permanent foundation for tomorrow.

An endowment is a invested fund where the principal remains intact, and only the generated income is used to support our mission. This means your gift will continue to give, year after year, generation after generation.

Opportunities for significant tax savings for 70 1/2 aged seniors. Consider:
QCD: Older adults can lower their income taxes by giving directly to charity from their retirement accounts through a tax rule that allows people age 70½ and older to donate from Individual Retirement Accounts without counting that money as income.

Usually, money taken out of an IRA is taxed. That includes money given to family or to charity. But if the gift meets special rules, called a Qualified Charitable Distribution, or QCD, it does not count as income, so it is not taxed.

To qualify, the donor must be at least 70½ years old. The gift must go straight from the IRA to a charity like the Community Foundation. Donors cannot get anything in return, like a meal or a gift, and the most a person can give this way in 2025 is $108,000.

RMD synergy: These distributions can satisfy your Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs), lowering your Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) and potentially preventing higher Medicare premiums. 
Consult your financial manager/advisor before making any significant gift.

A Popular new book on the history of the Inland Water Route is now available:
Hardcover, Paperback, and Kindle editions.
Available at:
Amazon. McLean & Eakin Booksellers, Downtown Petoskey.
And at our Museum

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FUN new presentation on: The Steamer Topinabee. CLICK HERE

Looking for a Gift ?
Consider the following:
Inland Water Route Navigational Charts (reproduction), and,
Our self-published and very popular books:
Then Came May and
In the Wake of the Topinabee
They are available online. [click here]

Sit back, relax, and enjoy this (kinda long) video documenting:
The Maiden Voyage of our Launch: Marilyn Jean

The Inland Water Route and the G.R.&I Railroad are intricately related.
Dave Pott, Charter member and Board Member of the IWRHS and resident expert on all things railroad in Northern Michigan, is a guest on the Podcast “Tales of Northern Michigan’s Past”, which is hosted by Christopher Struble.
There are two episodes: Listen HERE1: and HERE2.

Can you contribute an artifact or information to help tell the History?
🌟 Help Us Preserve the History of the Inland Water Route!
Our mission thrives on the unique perspectives and historical treasures shared by local community members and those who cherish the Water Route.

We are seeking contributions in any form to build a comprehensive historical record. If it relates to the Inland Water Route’s past, we want it! We welcome your:

• Photographs: Vintage shots of Steamers, boats, docks, cottages, businesses, and people.
• Documents: Historical records, Charts, maps, and advertisements.
• Stories & Anecdotes: Personal memories and firsthand accounts.

Your contributions are welcomed with enthusiasm and are vital to preserving this important piece of our regional heritage.
Please respond to: Mark Hill amphihill@gmail.com

THANK-YOU for peeking in and supporting the IWRHS!

Updated 6-2026

Atherton / Rawdon PPT