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Monthly Archives: February 2018

West Branch Presentation March 13th

Posted on February 28, 2018 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in presentations .

West Branch District Library
119 N 4th St, West Branch, MI 48661
www.westbranchlibrary.org

Tuesday, March 13th, 2018

7:00 pm

Free Admission

I will be giving a presentation at the West Branch District Library on Tuesday, March 13th at 7:00.

I am telling stories about some of my photos of what I have learned about them. Most of the photos will be from around Ogemaw County and Central Michigan. I try to do different photos for each of my presentations so if you have attended one before feel free to come out since it will not be exactly the same as my other presentations.  I hope you will be able to come out and see me. If you have already purchased a book and you would like it signed please bring it with you. If you don’t have a book I will have some available for purchase.

I hope you can make it to West Branch, its always fun doing a presentation and I have met a lot of wonderful people.

If you would like me to come to your local library or historical society let them know you are interested in having me come to do a presentation. They can contact me at Mike@huronphoto.com and we can figure something out.

Lost In Michigan Books  are on sale this weekend and you can order them from my website HERE

 

P.S. I also have a presentation coming up in April at the Burt Opera House. I will post more info as it gets closer.

The Haunted White River Lighthouse

Posted on February 27, 2018 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Haunted Places, Lighthouses .

William Robinson was appointed as the first keeper of the White River Lighthouse at the mouth of the White River North of Muskegon. After it was built in 1871 keeper Robinson and his wife Sarah moved into the little brick house where they raised their 13 children. William Robinson was the head keeper for 47 years and the Lighthouse board decided since he was 87 years old that the assistant keeper take over the duties of maintaining the lighthouse. Before Assitant keeper, William Bush, who was Robinson’s grandson officially became the head keeper, William peacefully died in the lighthouse that he loved and worked at for so many years. It is said that he and his wife’s spirit still remain at the lighthouse watching over it.  Now I am not sure if it’s haunted but while I was there walking around taking photos of the tan brick lighthouse It sounded like footsteps in the snow. I kept turning around expecting to see someone but no one was there. I think it was just the chunks of ice in the river bumping into each other from the waves but I have to admit it was a strange experience. The lighthouse was deactivated in the 60s and is now a museum. I am looking forward to going back in the summer to tour the museum.

If you thought this story was fascinating you will love the Lost In Michigan books available on Amazon HERE

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The Sanitarium

Posted on February 21, 2018 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Iconic Buildings, Michigan Historical Markers .

I remember back in the 90s watching a trailer for a movie called The Road To Wellville with Anthony Hopkins and Matthew Broderick or as I call him Ferris Bueller. I thought sure seems like a strange looking move and plot. Later I found out it was based on John Harvey Kellogg and his “unique” way of treating patients. I figured since I was in Battle Creek I had to stop and see the old Sanitarium. There is a historical marker in front of it that reads.

The Battle Creek Sanitarium opened in 1866 as the Western Health Reform Institute. The institute was founded on the health principles advocated by the Seventh-Day Adventist Church. In 1876, Dr. John Harvey Kellogg became the medical superintendent at the sanitarium. Kellogg’s many innovations included the use of radiation therapy for cancer patients and the invention of flaked cereal. The sanitarium burned in 1902; the following year a six-story Italian Renaissance Revival-style building, designed by Dayton, Ohio, architect Frank M. Andrews, was constructed. Kellogg’s brother W. K. Kellogg worked at the sanitarium for twenty-six years before leaving to establish the Battle Creek Toasted Corn Flakes Company. The Battle Creek Sanitarium is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

In 1928 the Battle Creek Sanitarium was enlarged with a fourteen-story “towers” addition and dining room annex designed by M. J. Morehouse of Chicago. After the stock market crashed in 1929, business declined; the facility went into receivership in 1933. The sanitarium continued to occupy the site until 1942 when the U. S. Army purchased the buildings and established the Percy Jones General Hospital, named for an army surgeon whose thirty-year career included commanding ambulance units during World War I. The hospital specialized in neurosurgery, plastic surgery and the fitting of artificial limbs. Approximately 100,000 military patients were treated at the hospital before it closed permanently in 1953. In 1954 the building became the Battle Creek Federal Center.

In 2003, the building was re-dedicated as the Hart-Dole-Inouye Federal Center in honor of three U.S. Senators who had met as wounded servicemen while they were being treated at the hospital during WWII: Philip Hart of Michigan, who had been wounded during the Normandy Landings at Utah Beach on D-Day, Bob Dole of Kansas, who was wounded in combat over Italy, and Daniel Inouye of Hawaii, who had been wounded while engaged in combat in Italy.

P.S. I still have not watched The Road To Wellville since it looked strange but maybe I should. I am sure I can find it on VHS somewhere.

Lost In Michigan books are ON SALE this week you can order your copy HERE

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The Most Beautiful House In Michigan

Posted on February 16, 2018 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Houses, Michigan Historical Markers .

About 20 years ago I drove past this ornate house near downtown Muskegon and I thought to myself, this is the most beautiful house I have ever seen. In the years since I have seen many other breathtaking houses in Michigan but the Hackley house is still at the top of my list. I am not sure why it’s taken me so long to go back and see it but I finally did and it still is an amazing home.

Charles Hackley moved to Michigan with his father and began working as a laborer in the sawmills. He worked his way up to become bookkeeper at the mill and then he partnered with Thomas Hume to create a successful lumbering company. In 1887 he built this stunning Queen Anne style home in Muskegon. To keep his family warm in the winter the house has seven fireplaces. It’s really hard to capture the detail of the woodwork along with its ornate 13 color paint scheme. This is one of those places that you have to see for yourself. You can learn more about the house and find out when it’s open for tours HERE

P.S. There is a rumor that Charles Hackley has ties to the Confederate gold moved after the end of the Civil War. The myth is that it was loaded on a train car and then pushed into Lake Michigan off a car ferry in a storm. I am not sure how true the story is but the History Channel is doing a show about it in March of 2018.

Find Interesting locations throughout the Mitten State with a Lost In Michigan book Available on Amazon by clicking HERE

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Reward Road Number 1

Posted on February 13, 2018 by Mike Sonnenberg 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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The Haunted Stimson Hospital Gets A New Life

Posted on February 11, 2018 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Haunted Places .

A few years back I was traveling through the beautiful town of Eaton Rapids south of Lansing when I spotted a massive second empire mansion in the center of town. I did not know anything about the old building but there was something about it that resonated with me and I had to take a photo of it. It wasn’t until later I found out that it was a home that was converted into a hospital that served the community for over 40 years before it was converted into apartments.  I also found out it has a tumultuous past with a history of people reporting strange paranormal events like objects moving and strange unexplained sounds. Some of the rumors of ghosts go back to a tragic day in 1919 when Dr. Blanchard mistakenly stepped into an open elevator shaft and fell to his death.

I found out that the old hospital was recently purchased by a couple working on renovating the old building with plans on converting it to a bed and breakfast. you can learn more about the old hospital and follow their journey on the Stimson Hospital facebook page HERE

LAST CHANCE to get your Lost In Michigan Book before the sale ends on Monday, you can order your copy HERE

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Shiawassee County Courthouse – Michigan Historical Marker

Posted on February 9, 2018 by Mike Sonnenberg 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.

Head on over to my Camp Michigan website for your chance to win a T-shirt HERE

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Cass City Presentation Feb. 19th

Posted on February 7, 2018 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in presentations .

Rawson Memorial Library
6495 Pine St, Cass City, MI 48726

Monday, February 19, 2018

2:00 pm

I will be in Cass City giving a presentation and telling stories about my travels at the Rawson Memorial Library on Monday, February 19th at 2:00 pm.  I will be sharing some of my photos and sharing the things I have learned about them. Most of the photos will be places locating in the thumb area. I hope you will be able to come out and see me, if you have already purchased a book and you would like it signed please bring it with you. If you don’t have a book I will have some available for purchase.

Its always fun doing a presentation and I have met a lot of wonderful people I hope you can make it to Cass City.

Lost In Michigan Books  are on sale this weekend and you can order them from my website HERE

 

P.S. I also have a presentation coming up in March in West Branch and April in Burt. I will post more info as they get closer.

The Historic Saint Bernard in Alpena

Posted on February 5, 2018 by Mike Sonnenberg 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.

Lost In Michigan Books are ON SALE, you can order your copy HERE

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The Little Red Schoolhouse

Posted on February 1, 2018 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Schools .

The West Dayton District No. 2 schoolhouse located at the Mayville History Museum on M24.  I find a lot of old schoolhouses located all around the state. As far as I know, none are being used for daily school but I have found some that have been moved and saved by historical societies. Although the school kids don’t show up every day to this school with their lunch buckets, it’s nice to see they it was saved so school kids can go on a field trip to little old school house. It’s still teaching kids and sharing knowledge by telling stories of the past.

Lost In Michigan Books  are on sale this weekend and you can order them from my website HERE

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