May 2015 - Lost In Michigan

The Civil War Statue and his Brothers

Posted on May 19, 2015 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Historic Places .

The Stockbridge Civil War Monument in the center of town.

I always admired the Statue of the Civil War Soldier at Oakwood Cemetery in my hometown of Saginaw. I always thought it was a statue of James N. Penoyer since his name is so prominently displayed on the plinth. As I went around Michigan taking photos and finding other Civil War statues I noticed something familiar about them. I started comparing photos and realized that they were all identical statues.

The James N Penoyer Monument at Oakwood Cemetery in Saginaw Michigan

If the statue that I thought was James N. Penoyer was not really a statue of him then who was it. A search on google reveals there are a plethora of statues of the same soldier around the country and I wondered where they all came from.

Old Simon watching over the Veterans Section at Oak Hill Cemetery

I think the statues are based off the U.S. Soldier Monument at Antietam National Cemetery called The American Volunteer . The monument is also known as the Private Soldier Monument. The monument was designed by sculptor Carl Conrads and architect George Keller, both of the New England Granite Works of Hartford, Connecticut started by James G. Batterson. The statue,

U.S. Soldier Monument in Antietam National Cemetery

described as “the largest work of its kind in the country,” was prominently exhibited at the 1876 Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was transported to Sharpsburg, installed atop the monument, and dedicated at the National Cemetery in 1880. The total cost of the monument was over US$32,000. The statue’s nickname is “Old Simon.”

I am thinking with the popularity of Old Simon the New England Granite Works began producing replica statures and monuments for towns across America to honor the Civil War soldiers. I have seen the statue referred to “Soldier At Parade Rest”. I am not sure how many statures were carved, but I find it fascinating looking at photographs of the different statues, how identical they are, considering the technology at the time, they must have carved them by hand.

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Bath School Disaster – Michigan Historical Marker

Posted on May 17, 2015 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Michigan Historical Markers, Schools .

the cupola from the Bath School that was bombed rests in a park in Bath Michigan

On May 18, 1927, a dynamite blast rocked the Bath Consolidated School, shattering one wing of the building and resulting in the death of thirty-nine children and teachers; dozens more were injured. An inquest concluded that dynamite had been planted in the basement of the school by Andrew Kehoe, an embittered school board member. Resentful of higher taxes imposed for the school construction and the impending foreclosure on his farm, he took revenge on Bath’s citizens by targeting their children. Soon after the explosion, as parents and rescue workers searched through the rubble for children, Kehoe took his life and the lives of four bystanders including the superintendent, one student and two townspeople, by detonating dynamite in his pick-up truck as he sat parked in front of the school.

The destruction of the Bath Consolidated School shared the front page of national newspapers with Charles Lindbergh’s transatlantic flight. “Maniac Blows Up School …Had Protested High Taxes” screamed the headlines of the May 19, 1927, New York Times. Michigan Governor Fred Green created the Bath Relief Fund, and people from across the country expressed their sympathies and offered financial support. Michigan U.S. Senator James Couzens gave generously to the fund and donated money to rebuild the school. On August 18, 1928, Bath looked to the future and dedicated the James Couzens Agricultural School to its “living youth.” A statue entitled, Girl with a Cat, sculpted by University of Michigan artist Carleton W. Angell and purchased with pennies donated by the children of Michigan was also dedicated that day.

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The Hecker Castle on Woodward in Detroit

Posted on May 13, 2015 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Houses, Uncategorized .

This beautiful french renaissance castle on Woodward Ave designed by Louis Kamper was the home of railroad and ship-building baron Col. Frank J. Hecker.In 1888, Hecker hired architect Louis Kamper and began construction on the mansion at Woodward Avenue at the corner of Ferry. The Col. Frank J. Hecker House, with 21,000 square feet, is an imposing example of French Châteauesque style based on the Château de Chenonceaux near Tours, France.Hecker used his home to host elaborate parties where he entertained luminaries such as presidents William McKinley and Rutherford B. Hayes.

The exterior of the home has large turrets at the corners, and Flemish dormers in the steep hip roof. Several bays project from the main body of the home, and wrapped around the whole is a balustraded, colonnaded loggia. A carriage house in the rear is clearly visible from Woodward. At one point this structure was converted into a concert hall capable of seating 200.

The interior has 49 rooms, including a large oak-paneled hall designed for large parties, an oval dining room done in mahogany, a lobby done in English oak, and a white and gold music room.The fireplaces were constructed of Egyptian Nubian marble and onyx and Italian Siena marble were used in the vestibules.

Hecker was friends with lumber baron David Whitney, who built another Woodward Avenue mansion.

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