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Category Archives: Michigan Historical Markers

Reward Road Number 1

Posted on by Posted in Michigan Historical Markers .

East of Cass City on M81 next to the cemetery is a roadside park with a Michigan Historical Marker. There is also an old stone maker in the park and both of them recall the first mile of improved road funded by the state.  The sign in the park reads:

The state highway system began with the State Reward Road program, created by the Michigan Legislature in 1905. The program provided “rewards” to local governments for road improvements made according to state standards. Horatio “Good Roads” Earle, the state highway commissioner, traveled the state drumming up interest in road improvements. Elkland Township was the first municipality to receive a reward. Spending $985, the township widened (to nine feet) and graveled one mile of rutted wagon road (Later M-81) between the corner of Elkland Cemetery and what became Crawford Road. The township then received a $500 reward. State Reward Road No. 1 marked the beginning of state aid for local roads.

I thought it was interesting the little town of Cass City was the first to take advantage of the state program to improve the roads. I imagine the farmers in the area must have been thrilled to have a decent road to get to town on. I think even before there were cars Michiganders complained about the roads.

P.S. I will be in Cass City at  Rawson Memorial Library 6495 Pine St Monday, February 19, 2018 at 2:00 pm giving a presentation about my travels around Michigan, If you are in the area I hope you can stop by.

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Shiawassee County Courthouse – Michigan Historical Marker

Posted on by Posted in Michigan Historical Markers .

I was born and raised in Saginaw and still live there today. The courthouse that stood in front of the current one in Saginaw was demolished about 10 years before I was born. I have seen photos of it and it was a magnificent ornate building adorned with statues of justice. It’s always bothered me that the courthouse was torn down and traveling around Michigan I still see many old Courthouses and wished the one in Saginaw would have been saved.

I love this old courthouse in Corunna with its white Columns. There is a Michigan Historical Marker in front of it that reads:

Territorial Governor Lewis Cass established Shiawassee County in 1822, but as there were few white settlers in the area, its government was not organized until 1837. Two years later, the county commissioners designated this site in the village of Corunna as the public square. County offices occupied temporary facilities here until 1851, when a brick courthouse was built. It was replaced in 1903-4 by the present structure, designed by Claire Allen and costing $75,000. The cornerstone was laid on May 4, 1904, before the largest gathering in the county’s history. The courthouse, with its elegant clock tower and columned facade, still houses most of the major county offices.

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The Historic Saint Bernard in Alpena

Posted on by Posted in Churches, Michigan Historical Markers .

I am always fascinated by the big old churches in towns and cities in Michigan. This beautiful brick church caught my eye in Alpena. The historical marker next to it reads:

In 1861, Bishop Frederic Baraga (1797-1868) trod through snow and icy waters from Sault Ste. Marie to Alpena where he founded a Catholic church. However, it was not until 1888 that Father Patrick Murray became the first resident pastor of the church dedicated to and named for St. Bernard. Father Murray was instrumental in the building of the first church structure, which was located almost directly opposite the current edifice. The foundation of this stone structure was laid in 1880. Three years later the church split into three parishes. The French parish, which kept the original structure became St. Anne; the Polish became St. Mary, and the Irish retained the St. Bernard name and records. This structure, completed by the Irish in 1884, houses the oldest Catholic parish between Bay City and Cheboygan.

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The Old Stone Church

Posted on by Posted in Churches, Michigan Historical Markers .

Saint John Nepomucene Catholic Church

I love stone churches. I can imagine the people in the congregation donating stones they have collected from their farm fields to build the church. Traveling the back roads near East Jordan in the north-west part of the lower peninsula I came across this beautiful old stone church. Thankfully there was a Michigan Historical marker in front of it with some history of the church. It reads:

In 1885 Bohemian immigrants founded Saint John Nepomucene Catholic Church named for the patron saint of Czechoslovakia. The settlers, most of whom immigrated from Prague, named their community Praga. This Gothic Revival church was built as a frame structure in 1890; the steeple and bell were added in 1893, in 1926 the church was clad in fieldstone. The altar and some statues date from 1894. Since its founding, Saint John Church has been served by neighboring priests.

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What is That Brick Structure in Port Hope?

Posted on by Posted in Michigan Historical Markers, Thumb .

port hope chimney

From a distance, this tall structure in Port Hope looks like lighthouse since it is so close to Lake Huron near the tip of the Thumb, but after you get up close to it you realize it is something different. Thankfully there is a historical marker next to it that tells you what it is and its significance. Maybe I am one of the few people that bother to read the signs but I appreciate them. In this day and age of google sometimes a plain old sign still works extremely well.

Here is what the sign next to the chimney reads.

This chimney was built in 1858 by John Geitz. It is all that remains of the lumber mill established that year by William R. Stafford. Port Hope grew up around the mill. For a score of years, this town was the center of lumbering in the Thumb. It also became an important producer of salt. In 1871 and again in 1881 the mill, the docks, and possessions of hundreds of people were destroyed by fire. This chimney is a monument to those pioneers who by their courage and industry developed this area.

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The Old Church In Gaylord

Posted on by Posted in Churches, Michigan Historical Markers .

I saw a steeple rising above the town of Gaylord, ( one of my favorite places to stop on a trip up I-75) and I had to see what the old church looked like then I found out it is now the Mount Carmel Centre used as a performing arts center. There is a historical marker standing out front that reads:

St. Mary’s Church began as a mission of the Catholic Diocese of Grand Rapids. The first church was built around 1884. The parish grew to become a predominantly Polish congregation while under the pastorate of Father Casmir Skory (1892 – 1905). In 1893 Father Skory founded the St. Mary’s School, which was served by the Dominican Sisters. Father Skory was instrumental in the planning and construction of this church in 1900.

The Neo-Gothic St. Mary’s Catholic Church has been a Gaylord landmark since it was dedicated on September 15, 1900. When the Diocese of Gaylord was established in 1972, the church became the cathedral. The diocese built a new cathedral in 1976 and closed St. Mary’s. In 1985 a local group, fearing the building would be razed, purchased it for use as a performing arts center, which they named the Mount Carmel Centre.

I see a lot of old churches in Michigan, and I see some that are no longer used for worship or have been left abandoned. I love old churches because of the grand architecture that was built with pride by the community they served. You know the saying “they don’t build them like that anymore” it’s probably because they are difficult and expensive to build. They also require a lot of maintenance and are not energy efficient. Although they are beautiful, it’s hard to find a use for an old church when it is no longer needed that’s why I am fascinated when I see a church that has found a new purpose.

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Holland’s Grand Old City Hall and Fire House

Posted on by Posted in Fire Houses, Michigan Historical Markers .

holland michigan city hall fire house

Standing at the east end of downtown Holland’s shopping district, is the old city hall and Firehouse. I wonder how many people notice this stately old building while they are out shopping or enjoying a meal at one of the pubs. I know it’s not forgotten for there’s a historical marker out front recalling its history. The sign says

The city of Holland bought this lot in 1882, and contractor James Huntley began construction of a fire hall the next year. Completed in 1884, the building housed Holland’s city offices and library until 1912 and served as a fire hall until 1978. During World War II the west annex was built. In 1983 the firehouse was rehabilitated for use as office space. Grooves in the engine house floor that provided traction for the horses have been filled, and the doors, once replaced to accommodate trucks have been restored.

On March 8, 1884, some 150 people attended the Columbia Fire Engine Company’s oyster supper celebration honoring Holland’s new city hall and firehouse. The solid brick building reflects the desire for “fire proof” construction following the 1871 fire that devastated the city. The city clerk and a special committee consulted with the Grand Rapids firm of Robinson and Barnaby, and designed the structure with a tower to accommodate drying fifty-foot unfolded fire hoses. Originally a cupola topped the tower.

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The Big Yellow House in Port Sanilac

Posted on by Posted in Houses, Michigan Historical Markers, Thumb .

loop harrison house port sanilac

This Second Empire style mansion was built in the 1870s by Doctor Joseph Loop. A native of New York, Loop moved to Oakland County, Michigan, in 1843. he and his wife, Jane Gardner Loop pioneered this land in Sanilac County in 1854, and after graduating from the University of Michigan medical department in 1855, he opened a practice in Port Sanilac. When this home was built, he kept an office on the lower floor, and serviced a forty-mile circuit, bringing medical care to much of the county. Doctor Loop died in 1903 at the age of ninety-three, leaving the home to his only child, Ada. She and her husband, the Reverend Julius Harrison passed it in turn to one of their sons, Captain Stanley Harrison. In 1964 he deeded it to the Sanilac County Historical Society for a museum.

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Newberry Jail and Sheriff’s Residence – Michigan Historical Marker

Posted on by Posted in Historic Places, Houses, Michigan Historical Markers, upper peninsula .

Jail and Sheriff's Residence
Constructed in 1894, this graceful Queen Anne style structure served as the Luce County jail and sheriff’s residence for over seventy years. The peninsular Land Company donated the site. The architectural firm of Lovejoy and DeMar from Marquette designed this sturdy edifice from rough-hewn Jacobsville sandstone. The Luce County Historical Society rescued this building from demolition in 1975 and restored it as the Luce County Historical Museum in 1976.

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The Devastating Metz Forest Fire

Posted on by Posted in autumn, Michigan Historical Markers, small towns .

Metz Michigan

The tracks are gone, and a rail trail  for biking and hiking remains where they used to be. Autumn trees of reds and yellows stand alongside the path with memories of the tragic forest fire that burned the town of Metz.

 

metz-fire-tracks

A photo of the warped tracks from the fire ( photo from the roadside park in Metz)

The historical marker in Metz reads: On October 15, 1908, raging fires swept the pine forests of Presque Isle County. When the flames approached the village of Metz, a train jammed with women and children left for Posen, five miles away. At Nowicki’s siding, two miles out of town, huge piles of blazing wood lined the track. As the engine raced past the siding, where intense heat had warped the rails, the train left the track, leaving an open car full of refugees in the center of the flames. Sixteen were killed and dozens of others badly burned. Throughout this part of the state hundreds were left homeless, as many homes and farms were devastated. Supplies soon poured in so that shelters could be erected before the onset of the northern winter.

There is a nice roadside park in Metz with a memorial to the people who lost their lives in the fire and there more info and photos about the fire HERE

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