In September 1846, fisherman Simeon M. Holden and his boat's crew, Robert McMullen and William Hill, were driven by a northwest gale from their fishing ground at Thunder Bay Island and made land at the High Banks of AuSable, now called Springport. Delayed by the gale, they explored the area and found excellent pine suitable for fish barrel staves and abundant springs of pure, cold water. Holden decided to establish a fishing station there and soon moved his family to the site. In 1854, Holden and his partner Crosier Davison purchased the pine lands and water power at what is now Mill Pond, built a small water mill, and began the first manufacture of lumber. Years later they sold the business to Benjamin Harris and his sons Levi O. and Henry H., and Levi's mechanical skill transformed the mill from a single saw into a steam gang and siding mill. The new village took the name Harrisville from the Harris family firm. In 1859, the Board of Supervisors of Alpens County granted an application to organize the area as a township. Harrisville was platted in 1870, organized as a village in 1887, and became a city in 1905. Because most business buildings were made of wood, many were lost to fires over the years, and Thomas Cook Insurance and the old Post Office are among the oldest surviving buildings. Harrisville continued as a business district and county seat of Alcona County, with notable local sites including the Harrisville Dock Company established in 1869, the old Post Office built in 1890, the Electric Theatre opened in 1909, the State Fish Hatchery opened in 1920, Pizer Variety Store built in 1924, Ford dealerships operating at one location beginning in 1925, the Conklin Service Station built in 1930 with the Conklin Cafe added in 1934, and Harrisville Harbor dedicated on August 5, 1961.