Fishtown Preservation
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Home
  • Events
    • Leland Community Cleanup + Care – JUNE 20th
    • 2026 Fishtown 5K
    • Fishtown in Lights 2025
  • Visit | Stay
    • Shanties
    • Fish Tugs
    • Fishtown Shops and Charters
    • Art Shanty
      • 2026 Fishtown Art Shanty Lineup
    • Native Plants in Fishtown
    • Fishtown’s Vacation Rental—The Otherside
    • Photo Galleries
    • Our Community
    • Directions and Map
  • About
    • Fishtown Board
      • Honoring Kathryn Eckert Omoto, 1935-2022 – by Berkley W. Duck
    • Fishtown Staff
    • Fishtown Leland (b)Logs – Emma Nelson
    • Commercial Fishing Today and Q & A
    • Internships
    • FAQs
    • Our Partners
    • Fishtown Newsletters
    • News from Fishtown
    • Media / Press Coverage
  • Support
    • Donate to Fishtown
    • Become an Anchor
    • Our Business Anchors
    • Van Raalte House
    • Campaign for Fishtown Update
    • Get Involved
  • Fishtown Forever
  • Contact
Navigation
Search the site...
Slider does not exist.

We Are Fishtown Preservation

What Is Fishtown

Fishtown is a collection of weathered fishing shanties, smokehouses, overhanging docks, fish tugs and charter boats along the Leland River in Leland, Michigan. The heart of a commercial fishing village, Fishtown is where we can still see and feel a connection to the long tradition of Great Lakes maritime culture.

Learn More

What We Do

Fishtown Preservation Society exists to assure public access to Fishtown and to maintain its historical integrity, working waterfront, artifacts and stories through preservation, education and stewardship.

Learn More

You Can Help

Few places are as real as Fishtown. Here we can preserve a living link to a long Great Lakes maritime heritage, as well as to our own families and memories. We want to ensure that Fishtown remains alive for future generations. Your participation will make all the difference for Fishtown.

Learn More

Follow us on Instagram

fishtownmi

Fishtown Preservation a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that preserves and manages the Historic Fishtown site. For more info and to donate visit:

We’re thrilled to have Debra Howard back at the Ar We’re thrilled to have Debra Howard back at the Art Shanty this week!

Debra’s life and art have always been connected to the water. After years as a successful illustrator in San Francisco, she traded her studio for a sailboat and spent nearly three decades painting her way through the Caribbean, Central America, and beyond.

Her introduction to Northern Michigan came as an artist-in-residence at Sleeping Bear Dunes, and she quickly fell in love with the region. This has been a prolific summer for Debra - making a point to paint every single day. She has brought a wonderful collection of original paintings inspired by the places she’s been - many of which you will recognize from this area. 

She can tell you the story behind every piece—what the experience was like and what inspired her to paint it. And the light! The light Debra is able to capture in her paintings is like being there with her.

Come meet Debra, hear the stories, and see her beautiful work in person at the Art Shanty until October 12th. If you can't make it to Fishtown, you can find Debra and more of her work online at https://www.debrahoward-artist.com/.
Beautiful blues and lots of fishing🎣 Beautiful blues and lots of fishing🎣
Monday, October 12 marks the national celebration Monday, October 12 marks the national celebration of Indigenous Peoples’ Day. Join us in the Leland Cultural Campus to honor the culture, history, traditions and art of the local Anishinaabeg.

The day will feature drumming and dancing, Indigenous Knowledges films, food, art, educational opportunities, museum exhibits, and more, culminating with featured speaker James Vukelich Kaagegaabaw at 6:00 PM. All activities are free and open to all ages.
Kite surfing, clouds, and a sunset over Fishtown t Kite surfing, clouds, and a sunset over Fishtown this evening.
Beautiful day and the salmon are jumpin’ ~ Hope yo Beautiful day and the salmon are jumpin’ ~ Hope you can make it to see the action🐟
We’re so happy to welcome back @montaguetileworks We’re so happy to welcome back @montaguetileworks  to the Art Shanty!

Detroit ceramic artist Jessica Montague has a wonderful way of bringing color, character, and a little bit of whimsy to her work. Her handmade tiles and ceramic wares are beautifully crafted, thoughtfully designed, and meant to be enjoyed—whether they’re hanging on a wall, marking your home, or simply making an everyday moment a little more special.

One of Jessica’s specialties is custom house tiles—she transforms a photo of your house into a one-of-a-kind ceramic portrait, carved, glazed, and finished by hand. It’s a wonderful opportunity to commission a piece that’s truly personal and tells a story that’s uniquely yours.

Stop by the Art Shanty, meet Jessica, see her work up close, and you might even catch her creating some of it.

Jessica will be in Fishtown through October 5, or you can find more of her work on her website: https://montaguetileworks.com/
Follow on Instagram
(c) 2013 Fishtown Preservation - Web Design by History By Design and Alyeska.
  • Log In
  • Sitemap
  • Archives
  • FAQ
  • Contact Us
  • DONATE