November 2018 - Page 2 of 3 - Lost In Michigan

The Cobbs House In Cadillac

Posted on November 15, 2018 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Houses .

This colonial revival home with a gambrel roof was built by Frank J. Cobbs in Cadillac for his family. He was the adopted son of Johnathan W. Cobbs who along with William Mitchell Cobbs and Mitchell lumbering co which was one of the largest lumbering firms in the state. Johnathan died at a relatively young age in 1898 leaving his only son Frank to run the company at the age of 26. The company thrived under his leadership and he hired George D Mason to design this house in Cadillac. Mason helped in the design of the Grand Hotel and the Detroit Masonic Temple. In the early 1900s, Frank J. Cobbs moved to Portland Oregon to oversee the company’s west coast operations. The house he and his family once lived in is privately owned and still stands in a quiet neighborhood not far from downtown Cadillac.

P.S. The house reminds me of the George Nason house in Chesaning HERE

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Alpena’s Autumn Barn

Posted on November 14, 2018 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in autumn, Barns and Farms .

I have always been a city boy, but you gotta love an old wooden barn. Don’t ask me exactly where this barn is located, all I know is it was somewhere near Alpena. I was not paying attention to what road I was on while out roaming the backroads when I saw this barn with the bright red trees that Bob Ross would call “Sparklers.” I was trying to think of a nice story or some history to go with this photo. I have been busy working on a new book and my brain is a little worn out with all the thinking I have been doing. I am just gonna leave you with a Thank You until my next post.

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Houghton’s Courthouse

Posted on November 13, 2018 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in courthouses .

I love the grand old courthouse in Houghton. The historical marker next to it reads:

The opulent High Victorian design of the Houghton County Courthouse testifies to the prosperity that the copper boom brought to the area in the late nineteenth century. The building’s irregular form and polychromatic exterior make it one of Michigan’s most distinctive nineteenth century courthouses. The red sandstone trim and copper roof were products of the Upper Peninsula. The architect, J. B. Sweatt, was from Marquette. Originally from Chicago, Sweatt typified the many architects who worked in Houghton and participated in the building rush that occurred during the copper boom. Dedicated on July 28, 1887, the courthouse replaced a frame structure constructed in 1862.

If you have read the posts on my website for a long time, you probably noticed I take a lot of photos of county courthouses. My hometown of Saginaw had a magnificent Victorian-era courthouse that was torn down about five years before I was born. The city was trying to compete with the urban sprawl and the construction of shopping malls and big chain stores. Like many cities at that time, Saginaw was trying to modernize and demolish its old buildings. I wished the old courthouse would have been saved. It’s just an empty field now. I think it was one of the most beautiful courthouses in Michigan. You can see a pic of it on my other website HERE. I hope the citizens in counties with old historic courthouses cherish them, and that is why I take a lot of courthouse photos.

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The Air Force Base in the Thumb

Posted on November 11, 2018 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Thumb .

During the Cold War, the vital task of watching the skies for enemy airplanes was done by the Air Force. At the start of the Korean War, the Air Force built 28 radar installations around the country to watch the skies over North America. The 754th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron were initially activated on 27 November 1950 at a temporary site at Oscoda AFB. After construction was completed on a new base a few miles south of Port Austin it was assigned to the new base in July 1951 and joined the military’s permanent radar network. The station functioned as a Ground-Control Intercept (GCI) and warning station. As a GCI station, the squadron’s role was to guide interceptor aircraft toward unidentified intruders picked up on the unit’s radar scopes. Over the years the radar units were updated until the mid-1980s when the main bearing failed on the current radar dish. The duties of watching the sky went to the FAA long-range radar site at Canton near Detroit. The radar was eventually fixed and the base was used until 1988. It was determined that the FAA site in Canton would serve the needs of the country and the base in Port Austin officially closed. The base was sold into private ownership and the former Air Force buildings are now used as a bible camp and an RV park among other things. The road leading into the old complex is privately owned and closed to the public. I took a pic of the old radar stands from the road.

Thank you to all the men and women who have served and continue to serve in the military. It’s because of your commitment and sacrifices that give me the freedom to roam this beautiful state and country.

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The Michigan Ghost Town of Fern

Posted on November 10, 2018 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Ghost towns, Schools .

The ruins of this two-story schoolhouse stand along the road in rural Mason County watching the farmers work the fields. Above the entrance is a carved stone that reads: FERN SCHOOL DIST. 3 1906. It’s all that remains of the town of Fern. The town was built around a sawmill owned by J.S. Adams in Eden Township. A station was built on the Mason and Oceana railroad in 1886 and in 1888 It was given a post office. I am not sure why it was named Fern, but the town must have prospered to build a two-story brick schoolhouse, considering most of the school houses I see left standing are simple single-story wooden structures. A year after the school was built the town’s post office closed. Probably because the Post Office switched to its rural free delivery system. After the timber was gone, the mill must have closed along with the train depot, since there is no longer any tracks running near the old forgotten school. The school closed in 1959 and it stands eerily empty remembering the days when the children of Fern came to visit.

Please note. I enjoy seeing these old forgotten places from the road, Please be respectful and do not trespass.

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The Remarkable Story of War Nurse Ellen May Tower

Posted on November 9, 2018 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in people .

This monument stands in an old cemetery in the small town of Byron near the southeast corner of Shiawassee County. The historical marker at the cemetery tells her remarkable story.

The daughter of Civil War Captain Samuel and Sarah Tower, Ellen May Tower was born May 8, 1868, in Bryon. She attended Chaffee School, the Byron Village School and a nurse’s training program at Detroit’s Grace Hospital. She worked for several years at the Michigan School for the Blind. On April 21, 1898, Tower volunteered for service as an army nurse “in the event of war between the United States and Spain.” War was declared by Spain three days later. She took her oath in September 1, 1898, and was sent to Camp Wikoff, located at Montauk Point, New York. Known as one of the “Camp Wikoff Angels,” she cared for soldiers who had been returned to the United States to recover from injuries or disease. In late September 1898, she volunteered for duty in Puerto Rico where she died less than three months later.

During the Spanish – American War, approximately ninety percent of American casualties resulted from disease. On December 9, 1898, Ellen May Tower, an army nurse from Byron died of typhoid fever in a hospital tent after only ten weeks abroad. Her remains arrived in Detroit on January 15, 1899, and her funeral took place in Byron two days later. The Owosso Evening Argus hailed the event as the first military funeral in Michigan for a woman. Thousands of servicemen, villagers and visitors attended. Dr. Sterling, who had awarded Tower’s nursing diploma five years before to the day, delivered her eulogy. The Tower family had moved to Onaway in the 1880s. Nearby, the village of Tower was named for the nurse when it was founded in 1899.

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The Strange Story of Michigan’s Grizzly Adams

Posted on November 8, 2018 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Forgotten Places, people .

Near the intersection of old 127 and M-61 not far from Harrison is an old wooden fence with stone pillars. It may not look like much now, but back in the day tourists from miles around would stop for what was behind the fence. John E. Meyers moved to the area in the 1920’s and known by his nickname Spikehorn he built the Spikehorn Bear Den behind the old fence. The sign read “where you could shake hands with a bear” I am not sure why you would want to but tourists flocked to the site to see the bears and meet the strange man known as Spikehorn. He must have been a character with his leather mountain man clothes and his long white hair and beard. He was fond of telling tall tales of lumberjacks and trapping in Michigan’s forests.

Spikehorn traveled with his bears, and was happy to show off his big furry friends during interviews with the media. He took some of his bears to Detroit for a radio interview, and one of his bears got loose, as they usually do. Needless to say, the workers in the radio station were not too fond of a bear roaming the office. When he was 87 years old a devastating fire destroyed his bear den and park. He was too old to rebuild it and a few years later at the age of 89, he passed away at a nursing home in Gladwin. All that remains is this old wooden fence and some stone pillars.

You can read more about Spikehorn and other weird Michigan places in the Lost In Michigan books available on Amazon by clicking HERE

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Enter the Calendar Giveaway Here

Posted on November 8, 2018 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Giveaways .

I will send one lucky winner a Lost In Michigan wall calendar. Post a comment below on what your favorite city is in Michigan and I will pick a winner at random from the comments. I will post the name of the winner Sunday, November 11th in my post. I am not sure what the post will be about yet so be sure to look for it. If you want to make sure you don’t miss it, or any new posts, be sure to subscribe to email updates to get notifications.

Calendars are going fast. I sold out of them last year in December. They are ON SALE this weekend you can order yours HERE

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The Octagon House in Almont

Posted on November 7, 2018 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Houses .

Frederick and Mary Currier built this house in Almont around 1854, inspired by Orson Fowler’s A Home for All, which promoted the octagon form as a healthy place to live. The tall windows, which admit light and air and the five octagonal rooms reflect Fowler’s philosophy. The Curriers came to Almont from New England in 1847. A Machinist by trade, Currier (1812 -1900) at one time owned farms and factories, and invested in banking and lumbering. The house is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

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The Shack Near Twining

Posted on November 6, 2018 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in autumn, Forgotten Places .

I saw this old shack somewhere near Twining. I don’t have a story to go with it so I will take a moment to say thank you for taking the time from your busy day to read my posts. I hope you enjoy getting my emails, and I do my best to post stuff you will like to see. Thank you so much to everyone who got a calendar or book from me. I don’t get any funding from any organizations like a visitors bureau or chamber of commerce. I do what I do out of my love for Michigan, and it’s your support that helps me continue my journey around the state.

“Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap, but by the seeds that you plant” Robert Louis Stevenson

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