December 2017 - Lost In Michigan

The Old Hamburg Fire Station

Posted on December 27, 2017 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Fire Houses, Historic Places .

Traveling around the backroads north of Ann Arbor I went through the town of Hamburg and I could not miss the bright red fire station in the center of town.

In 1837 The Town of Hamburg Michigan southwest of Brighton was named after Hamburg Germany and a Township hall was constructed. The building stood for over 100 years and on a cold December day in 1954 John Moore who took care of the hall lit the oil burning stove to warm it up and it exploded. John Moore was fatally burned and died from the explosion. A fire truck was sent from Brighton and broke down on the way to Hamburg. The townspeople were able to get the fire under control but decided they needed their own fire department instead of relying on surrounding cities for help.

P.S. Thank you to all the firefighters, policemen and first responders who work over the holiday season.

I only have 5 Lighthouse Calendars and 4 Lost In Michigan calendars left, it would be nice to see them go to a good home. if you want one you can order them HERE

If you like what I post it would really mean a lot to me if you will subscribe to email updates so you won’t miss any new posts,

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The Dryden Depot

Posted on December 20, 2017 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Train Depots .

I love this little red depot in the middle of downtown Dryden. It seems a little out of place but then after reading the Historical Marker in front of it, I know why.

here is what the sign reads:
This area now known as Dryden was settled in 1834. By 1880 it was a hamlet of about 300 people. A marketing center surrounded by rich farm land, it turned to the railroad to increase its prosperity. Its citizens, spurred by the Local Ladies Library Association, contributed $11,000 to help defer construction costs in order to bring the railroad to Dryden. On October 3, 1883, the Pontiac, Oxford, and Port Austin Railroad passenger train rolled into town. Over 500 spectators, the Thornville cornet band and a cannon were on hand to salute the train.

This modest board-and-batten structure was erected in 1883 as a depot on the Pontiac, Oxford and Port Austin Railroad (known as the Pollyann and later named Pontiac Oxford and Northern). As with most small-town depots, it soon became the center of community activity. In 1884 it was the setting of a gala “leap year” party. Purchased by the Grand Trunk in 1909, the station continued to be used for passenger service in 1955 and as a freight agency until October 9, 1973. It was moved here in 1970 and opened as a museum in 1981.

This Saturday I will be at Charlin’s Book Nook in Frankenmuth selling and signing books. If you’re in the neighborhood stop by and say hello.

Books are available from my website HERE or from Amazon HERE

If you like what I post it would really mean a lot to me if you will subscribe to email updates so you won’t miss any new posts,

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Church In The Storm

Posted on December 19, 2017 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Churches .

In 1848, James G. Birney and his wife led Bay City’s earliest Presbyterian services in a schoolhouse. Birney twice ran unsuccessfully for president of the U.S. on the antislavery ticket. The Reverend Lucius Root organized the First Presbyterian Church of Lower Saginaw on September 5, 1856. Services continued to be held in the schoolhouse and other public buildings until the first church was built in 1863 on Center Ave in Bay City. In 1886 church elder Alexander Folsom donated $50,000 for the founding of a college in “northern” Michigan. His donation funded the organization of Alma College. In 1906 the college established the J. Ambrose Wight Memorial scholarship fund in honor of First Presbyterian’s minister.

In 1884 the Reverend J. Ambrose Wight challenged the members of the First Presbyterian Church to “go forward and build a church that will be a lasting gift to the future.” The Reverend Wight (1811 – 1889) feared that Bay City’s prosperity, gained through the lumber and salt industries, would not last. When the church was dedicated on June 4, 1893, the Bay City Times-Press declared it a “Magnificent Temple.” Like the City Hall, which was built four years later, the Ionia sandstone church was designed in the Richardsonian style by local architects Pratt and Koeppe, and reflects Bay City’s wealth at that time. The bell, cast in 1866, served as a public timepiece and tolled three times daily.

Lost In Michigan books are available from Amazon HERE

If you like what I post it would really mean a lot to me if you will subscribe to email updates so you won’t miss any new posts,

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The Old Pullman Car In Da U.P.

Posted on December 17, 2017 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in upper peninsula .

This old Pullman car is at a place called Dollar Settlement near lake superior west of Brimley. Some people have said the car was supposed to be converted into a diner but it never happened and it just sits there miles away from any railroad track. I have never been able to find out what the purpose of Dollar Settlement was for. The town of Dollarville was near Newberry and was named for Robert Dollar who owned a lumber company. I wonder if Dollar Settlement is where they loaded the ships with lumber for transport around the Great Lakes. I have never been able to confirm that.

Go out and explore the Mitten State with a Lost In Michigan book, you can order them HERE

If you like what I post it would really mean a lot to me if you will subscribe to email updates so you won’t miss any new posts,

Frankenmuth Book Signing

Posted on December 16, 2017 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Uncategorized .

I will be at Charlin’s Book Nook on Saturday, December 23rd in Frankenmuth at the River Place Shops selling and signing copies of my Lost In Michigan book from 10am-2pm. I hope you will stop by and see me especially if you’re in Frankenmuth. I can’t think of a better city in Michigan to visit at Christmas time.

If you have never been to the River Place Shops here is a link to their website and a list of shops http://frankenmuthriverplace.com/store-directory-2/#sectiond

if you can’t make it to Charlin’s Book Nook you can order books from my website HERE or from Amazon HERE

The One Dollar Railroad Station

Posted on December 14, 2017 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Train Depots .

I took this photo from the other side of the tracks on a freezing cold Michigan evening, but I love the way the Durand Union station looks all decorated for the Holidays.

Built in 1903 by the Detroit firm of Spier and Rohns it had a high volume of rail traffic as the Grand Trunk Western and Ann Arbor railroads crossed in Durand. It was almost destroyed by fire in 1905, but quickly rebuilt. At its peak, 42 passenger, 22 mail, and 78 freight trains passed through Durand on a daily basis and it serviced almost 3,000 passengers a day.

In 1974, Grand Trunk Western decided to close the station due to declining traffic. The historic building was going to be torn down, however, the city of Durand filed for an injunction to stop the demolition and eventually purchased the station in 1979 for $1.00 and I think it was the best one dollar investment in the state of Michigan. It’s still used as an Amtrak Station, I would love to get a ride on the Polar Express from this station. Maybe someday it will stop there.

Tell your family where to go this Christmas or maybe you can get away from them. Go out an explore the Mitten State with the Lost In Michigan book, you can order them HERE

If you like what I post it would really mean a lot to me if you will subscribe to email updates so you won’t miss any new posts,

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I Can’t Get There From Here

Posted on December 12, 2017 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Forgotten Places .

James Vernors II, son of the ginger ale magnate, built a magnificent lodge on Long Lake north of Lapeer in the 1930s. Unfortunately, it burned down in 1943 and all that remains is the foundation and a small pump house for the well. Where the old estate is located is now the Lapeer State Game Area. I wanted to see the remains and stopped by the office. The dude working that day said that part of the refuge was off limits to the public. Sadly I was not able to get to where I wanted to go but it was not a wasted trip. I did find Millville HERE on the way there. Like that saying goes. “It’s the journey and not the destination.”

P. S. I still want to tell the story of the Vernors cabin. Maybe I can get permission sometime or a photo from the local historical society

I have less than 10 of each Lost In Michigan wall calendars. if you want one before they are gone you can order them HERE

If you like what I post it would really mean a lot to me if you will subscribe to email updates so you won’t miss any new posts,

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The Heritage House

Posted on December 9, 2017 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Houses .

George M. Nason (1859-1929) built this house in 1907-1908. The Nason family had emigrated from Northampton, England to Buffalo, New York, in 1832. George’s father, Robert (1831-1907), came to Chesaning in 1852 and engaged in farming and lumbering. In 1861 he purchased fifteen hundred acres of land about five miles from Chesaning and erected a sawmill. For over a decade, he also engaged in prosperous land speculative activities and by 1881, he was considered to be one of Chesaning’s wealthiest men.

He built this Georgian Revival style house near downtown Chesaning as a monument to his family’s success in the lumbering business. Its exterior features stately Ionic columns. A grand circular opening between the first and second floor dominates the interior. Nason family members lived in the house until 1945. The building remained a private residence until 1980 when it was opened to the public as an elegant dining establishment called the Chesaning Heritage House. Sadly the resturant closed about 10 years ago and the house sits empty.

Wall Calendars are almost gone. I only have a few left now is a good time to get one if you want one. you can order them HERE

If you like what I post it would really mean a lot to me if you will subscribe to email updates so you won’t miss any new posts,

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Last Chance for Lost In Michigan Calendars

Posted on December 7, 2017 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Uncategorized .

I am almost out of Lost In Michigan wall calendars I only have a few of them left so if you want one or two you need to order it soon. They will probably be gone by the end of the weekend. You can order them from HERE

THANK YOU so much to everyone that ordered a calendar from me, they help me with expenses to do this website and it really means a lot to me that you care enough to order a calendar. I am kinda looking forward to the calendar sales ending for the season so I can get on with other projects and stories this winter.