September 2014 - Lost In Michigan

The Old Marquette Orphanage

The Holy Family Orphanage was opened in 1915 by the catholic church and was designed to accommodate 200 children. The reason for the large orphanage was Native American Children were removed from their families and tribe in an effort by the government and society to separate them from their culture. Sadly I don’t remember hearing about this in history class. I found the Indian_Child_Welfare_Act on wikipedia for more info.

It was furnished with classrooms, a dormitory, bathrooms on every floor and an annex that housed heating and plumbing facilities. There were laundry and kitchen facilities, a large dining hall and playrooms. the orphanage was open until the 1960s and some of the Cuban refuges children were some of it’s last to live there before being moved to foster homes. Northern Michigan University used it until the 1980s and it has been abandoned since then.

There are urban legends of abuse by the nuns, and a rumor of one girl who was out playing in the snow who caught pneumonia and died a few days later from her Illness. Supposedly the nuns had a funeral for her in the basement. they say on a quite night you can still hear the children playing.

For the record, I do not trespass, and I took this photo from a public sidewalk.

Lost In Michigan Calendars are back on sale this weekend and help me with expenses to do this website, I hope you will take a look at them HERE

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Lost in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula

Posted on September 15, 2014 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Forgotten Places, upper peninsula .

An old store or saloon I saw in Covington

I haven’t posted in the past few days because I went on a whirlwind tour of the Upper Peninsula, and I can honestly say I got lost, well maybe not lost since I knew where I was but I did make a wrong turn, somewhere after Escanaba, 41 and 2 split and somehow I missed that and drove thru Stephenson and when I saw the sign for Green Bay then I new something was wrong. At that point I decided to let the GPS lady get me back to Iron Mountain, She took me down some back roads and I found the Statue of Liberty proudly standing in someone’s yard. Don’t ask me where because I had no Idea where I was at. From Iron Mountain, we (my wife went along too) went up to Calumet then back down to Marquette over to Munising and then to Newberry and finally back over the bridge to the L.P.

I put over 1300 miles on the car and took over 1100 photos in the past 4 days. I know I was early for the color, but I can’t get mother nature to work with my schedule, It looks like the fall colors will start to peak this weekend in some spots of the northern U.P. and then in two weeks for the rest of the U.P.

I am looking forward to sharing pics from this recent trip along with the other pics from around Michigan I have.

Mike Sonnenberg.

6 Unbelievable Almost Forgotten Historic Michigan Mansions

Posted on September 10, 2014 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Houses, Uncategorized .

Visiting different cities while traveling around Michigan, I’ve noticed in several towns the most prominent house seems to be the one in need of saving. They were built by a wealthy Michigander, but then over time, some were converted into another purpose, such as a restaurant, hospital or apartments. Restoring them to their former glory and maintaining an old house is not as easy as owning a modern “maintenance free” home.

Here is a list, in no particular order, of some of my favorite houses I have seen, They are such beautiful historic houses and it would be sad to lose them.

Ammi Wright house in Alma

The Ammi Wright house in Alma, was used as a hospital and is in the process of being restored. CLICK HERE for more

Charles G. Learned House in Port Austin Michigan

The Charles G. Learnerd House in Port Austin, which was converted into the Garfield Inn, lat time I was there it was for sale. CLICK HERE for more

Heritage House in Chesaning

The Heritage (George Nason) house in Chesaning. Built by lumber baron George Nason and converted into a restaurant in 1980 the Heritage house has been vacant for years and was recently purchased. CLICK HERE for more

the James Scott Residence in Detroit

The James Scott Residence in Detroit, It was recently announced it will be converted into condominiums. CLICK HERE for more

The Hill House in Saginaw

The Hill House Built in 1886 for Clarence and Susie R. Hill. it is currently for sale to someone willing to renovate it. CLICK HERE for more

The Richard C Burtis house in Watrouseville

The Richard C. Burtis House in Watrouseville also known as the “Wedding Cake House” was recently purchased by a local family and they are in the process of restoring it. CLICK HERE for more

Houghton Hancock Lift Bridge

Posted on September 9, 2014 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Bridges .

The Portage Lake Lift Bridge (officially the Houghton–Hancock Bridge) connects the cities of Hancock and Houghton, in the US state of Michigan, across Portage Lake, a portion of the waterway which cuts across the Keweenaw Peninsula with a canal linking the final several miles to Lake Superior to the northwest. US Highway 41and M-26 are both routed across the bridge.

The bridge is the world’s heaviest and widest double-decked vertical-lift bridge.More than 35,000 tons of concrete and 7,000 tons of steel went into the bridge, which replaced the narrow 54-year old swing bridge, declared a menace to navigation on the busy Keweenaw Waterway.Its center span “lifts” to provide 100 feet (30 m) of clearance for ships.

The original 1959 design by Hazelet and Erdal of Chicago of the bridge’s liftspan had roadways constructed on both levels with rails imbedded in the road surface on the lower deck. This allowed the span to be partially raised to allow small and medium boat traffic to pass underneath without disrupting vehicular traffic. From this middle position, the span would then only need to be raised for large ships or lowered to allow trains to cross. With the end of rail service in 1982, the lowest position is no longer needed to allow trains to pass so the bridge is not lowered below the middle position during the summer boating season except for periods of maintenance or repair. In the winter after the lake freezes, the bridge is placed in the lowest position to allow the lower deck to be used by snowmobile traffic

The Old Guitar Factory in Kalamazoo

Posted on September 1, 2014 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Historic Places .

Sitting on 225 Parsons Street in Kalamazoon is the old guitar factory that looks like a church with the doorway in a sort of steeple. it’s like a temple to the gods of music. The smokestack still has the word “Gibson” laid in tile across the side of it. unfortunately Like many companies, Gibson made the decision to leave Michigan. After they left, some talented Luthiers formed the Heritage guitar company in 1985 and continue to this day building some of the worlds greatest guitars at the old factory in Kalamazoo