March 2016 - Lost In Michigan

The James Scott Castle in Detroit

Posted on March 31, 2016 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Detroit, Forgotten Places .

This is the James Scott residence on the corner of Peterboro and Park in the Midtown District in Detroit. James Scott’s father also named James Scott was a prominent business man in Detroit and when he died in the 1870’s he gave a large fortune to his son. He built this house in 1887, but from what I read Mr Scott was not the most well respected person in Detroit. When he built his house he wanted to purchase the property south of his, when the owner would not sell it to him he built a giant wall to block the sun from reaching his neighbors house, that is supposedly why the south wall has no windows.

when he died in 1910 he left the city $200,000. to build a fountain and stipulated that there needs to be a statue of him. Many of the citizens did not want to build the fountain because of the stipulation and felt he was not worthy of a statue. Some pointed out that he apparently never worked a day in his life and was best known for the time he spent in downtown bars. eventually it was decided to spend his money and expand Belle Isle and build a fountain.

the home eventually was converted into apartments then suffered from a fire in the 70’s and was left abandoned, A developer is in the process of converting it into condominiums. you can read about it HERE. I am looking forward to getting an “after” photo of the restoration to go with this “before” pic from a few years ago.

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The Man on The Cross In The Woods by Marshal M Fredericks

Posted on March 27, 2016 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Churches .

“The Man on the Cross” by the renowned Michigan sculptor Marshall Fredericks. It is made of bronze 3/8″ to 1/2″ thick. It weighs seven tons, is twenty-eight feet tall from head to toe, and the outstretched arms span twenty-one feet. The figure of Christ is attached by thirteen bolts 30″ long and 2″ thick that were made when the figure was cast in Norway.

Fredericks wanted to portray Christ in a peaceful way. It was his dream to “give the face an expression of great peace and strength and offer encouragement to everyone who viewed the Cross”. Christ is symbolized just at the moment when He commends Himself to His Father. The sculptor received special permission from the Vatican to omit the crown of thorns and the wound on Jesus’ side.

Fredericks was commissioned to sculpt a 6-foot-tall crucifix, but instead designed this 28-foot, full-scale model, for a bronze to be placed at the Indian River Catholic Shrine in Indian River, Michigan. The bronze Corpus is mounted on a 55-foot-tall redwood cross. When erected in 1959, it was believed to be the largest crucifix in the world. Since then, a 65-foot crucifix was erected in the cemetery of St. Thomas Catholic Church near Bardstown, Kentucky however the Corpus on this work is only 14 feet in height.

The Indian River figure required only three years to complete, however the plaster model on which it was based required seven-years of restoration before being put on permanent display at the Fredricks Sculpture Museum at Saginaw Valley State University. It suffered from neglect during the two-decades it was in storage at the foundry in Scandinavia after the bronze was cast. In his depiction Fredericks chose not to depict the pain and suffering of Jesus and omitted the crown of thorns and the wound in the figure’s side. Instead, he shows the powerful body of Jesus at peace in the moment after death.

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Final Round of the Michigan State Park March Madness Poll

Posted on March 23, 2016 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Michigan State Parks, SP March Madness .

Congratulations to Tahquamenon Falls State Park for winning the 2016 March Madness Poll. It’s one of my favorite places in Michigan. Thank you to everyone that voted. I love the state parks in Michigan they have so much to offer and affordable to visit.

After thousands of votes cast, we are down to the final round with the last two parks going head to head to determine this years champion. I had thought one of these would have won the first time I did the March Madness Poll, but that was Ludington and last year it was Tawas. I love both the Island and the T-Falls and both wonderful parks for different reasons.

I know it’s hard to pick between them, but I would love it if you voted before Sunday March 27th so we could crown this years winner.

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Our Lady Of The Woods Shrine

Posted on March 23, 2016 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Churches .

The Our Lady of the Woods Shrine at St Mary’s Catholic Church in Mio was constructed by Rev. Hubert Rakowski between 1953 and 1955 with the support of the local community. The sacred place has statues of four apparitions of Mary, They are the Lourdes, Fatima, Guadalupe, and LaSalette.

The mountainous structure made of stone includes several grottos and niches. The grounds are open year round and the landscaping in the summer is breathtaking. The shrine welcomes visitors of all faiths and if you are ever in the area I highly recommend stopping to see this beautiful place in northern Michigan.

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The Majestic Old Lapeer Hospital

Posted on March 22, 2016 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Houses .

In 1873 Peter Van Dyke built this Beautiful second empire style home on Pine street in Lapeer. Mr Van Dyke eventually sold the house to Samuel Tomlinson, editor of the Lapeer Clarion newspaper. In 1924 it was purchased by the Hunter sisters and, converted into a nine bedroom hospital with surgeries taking place on the upper floor. It was converted into apartments in 1953. According to this article, it’s supposed to be haunted, but I think it’s just a beautiful old building with a great history. it’s be

If you are looking for places in Michigan to explore I give detailed locations in my Lost In Michigan books which are available on Amazon HERE

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The Ghost Town of Podunk

Posted on March 21, 2016 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Forgotten Places, Schools .

Yes, there is a town in Michigan called Podunk. Actually, there are a couple of towns, in a few different counties called Podunk. This old schoolhouse in the forgotten town of Podunk is a few miles northwest of Gladwin. I could not find any info about the town other than the name and location, I am guessing it was on old logging camp, but it’s only a guess.

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Final Four Round of the Michigan State Parks March Madness Poll

Posted on March 20, 2016 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Michigan State Parks .

Time for the Final Four parks left in this year March Madness Polls. All four parks are beautiful and it’s really hard to pick a favorite. I love them all, but pic from each pair to see what two parks go on to the final round.

This round of polls end Wednesday night March 23rd.

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The Haunted Bruce Mansion in Burnside Twp.

Posted on March 16, 2016 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Haunted Places, Houses, Uncategorized .

Near Brown City in Burnside Township is this beautiful old Second Empire mansion built in 1876 by John G. Bruce who owned the Bruce and Webster General Merchants with his brother-in-law. Burnside township was originally Allison Township, but the name was changed in 1866 to honor Ambrose E. Burnside, a union general in the Civil War. John G Bruce was the postmaster for 16 years in Burnside. Most of the town was destroyed by a fire in 1881, but the mansion and general store was spared from the flames. in 1894 Bruce lost the general store to a fire, and rebuilt it with a brick building.

He eventually sold the home to Cynthia Smith who died in the house from a fever in 1921.Cynthia’s son sold the house and it changed owners a few times. It was eventually purchased by John Walker in 1926. Rumor has it, he was driving his automobile when he hit a pedestrian. Terrified at what he had done, he took the body back to the mansion and buried it somewhere on the estate. Some say the ghost of the victim, others say guilt, caused the man to lose his fortune and he hung himself in the old tower. It is said the be haunted, I am not sure about it but it is a beautiful old house and it’s kinda spooky with the ghostly light green paint and it seems like an odd location for an old mansion. you would expect to see something like it in one of Michigan’s large cities but not in the middle of farm country.

You can find the official website of the Mansion HERE

you can get a print of this pic or any of my images HERE

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The New Presque Isle Lighthouse

Posted on March 15, 2016 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Lighthouses, Michigan Historical Markers .

This is the “new” Presque Isle Lighthouse, even though it was built in 1870, because the old Lightouse on the other side of Presque Isle was built and 1840. Built by Orlando M. Poe, it is one of three Great Lakes towers built from the same plans. The conical brick tower rises 113 feet from a limestone foundation and one of the tallest on the great lakes. The Third Order Fresnel lens was made by Henri LePaute of Paris. Patrick Garrity, the keeper of the harbor light, lit the lamp for the first time for the opening of the 1871 navigation season. Garrity served here until 1885 when he became keeper of the Harbor Range Lights. His wife, Mary, sons Thomas, Patrick, and John, and daughter Anna all served as light keepers and his son Thomas became the head light keeper in 1891 and remained so until 1935.

Elmer C Baynes was transferred from Point Iroquois Lighthouse to take over as head light keeper in 1935. His Children decided they could use a little extra money, and without their father knowing it, they would hang out in the parking lot and would tell visitors the lighthouse was closed, but for a little money, they would let them climb the tower. Once their father found out about the money making scheme, he grounded his kids for a week. Accepting gratuities for tours was strictly forbidden, and Keeper Byrnes was afraid he could lose his job.

The Lighthouse Tower is the tallest tower accessable to the public, and if you want to visit it, you can find more info at the museum website HERE

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Michigan Landscape Photographers You Should Be Following

Posted on March 14, 2016 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Photography Tips .

There are several facebook pages and Instagram accounts that share photos from Michigan Photographers, probably the most famous is Pure Michigan. One thing I have noticed, is when a photo is featured, people never seem to click on the link to the photographers social media pages. So I am asking you a kindness. When you see a photo you like check out the photographer that took the photo and visit their galleries.

here are some of my favorite Michigan landscape Photographers, I hope you will click on the links and check out their work, I think they create truly spectacular photos, better than the photos I take. On their websites you will find links to facebook and instagram, I am sure they would love it if you followed them.

Michigan Nut Photgraphy – John McCormick

Neil Weaver Photography

Michigan Nature Photos – Greg Kretovic

22 North Photography – Brian Edward

Todd and Brad Reed

Craig Sterken Photograhy

Gary R. Ennis Photos

C & C Fritz Photogaphy – Curt Fritz

Beek Brothers Photography – Michael and Lee Beek

Daniel Frei Photography

Snap Happy Gal Photography –

Lake Superior Photo