December 2018 - Lost In Michigan

The Colonel’s Castle

Posted on December 30, 2018 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Houses .

If you have ever traveled through the central Lower Peninsula on M-46 you have probably seen the ornate Victorian mansion in St. Louis. The massive white wooden castle-like home was constructed by Colonel John Elwell. He invested in the Chicago, Saginaw, and Canada Railroad and made a fortune when he turned the company around after it had been struggling to make a profit. John Elwell rose to the rank of Colonel for his service to the civil war and he moved to St Louis in 1875. He purchased the whole block on Delaware Street in 1880 and finished construction of his elaborate home in 1884. He lived in the home until his death in 1910.

P.S. I saw this house about 5 years ago on a trip to my son’s cross country meet and it inspired me to do this website. I have been looking for old and interesting houses and places ever since.

Lost In Michigan books are ON SALE this weekend on Amazon HERE

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The Yellow Farmhouse

Posted on December 28, 2018 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Barns and Farms .

While I was out traveling the back roads north of Lapeer I came across the small community of Millville. I saw this big yellow farmhouse on top of a hill and had to stop and photograph it.

I am doing a book giveaway and if you want a chance to win a copy of Lost In Michigan CLICK HERE to learn how you can enter

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Lanphere and Pratt’s Sled House

Posted on December 19, 2018 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Houses .

South of downtown coldwater I saw this ornate brick mansion and in doing a little research I found out some history on it. The Italianate house was originally built by Alvin Lanphere. He was born in 1834, and manufactured lightning rods in Coldwater. In about 1870, he began work constructing this house. By 1875, the house was reportedly not completely finished, and Lanphere exchanged houses with Jacob Franklin Pratt who was born in 1829, and moved to Coldwater in about 1855. Pratt was part-owner in a tannery and boot manufacturer. Later, Pratt founded the Coldwater Cutter Company, which manufactured sleighs and children’s sleds.

Pratt lived in this house until his death in 1907. Pratt’s son, Allen J. Pratt, inherited the house, and also became president of the Coldwater Cutter Company. Allen Pratt lived in this house until 1933, when the firm went bankrupt during the Great Depression. After learning a little bit of the home’s history it makes me think of Rosebud. The house is still privately owned.

P.S. I wish there was some snow on the ground of the “sled house” but it’s Michigan and I gotta deal with whatever weather we get when I am out exploring. I will have to take another trip back down to the Coldwater area in the winter and summer. There are a lot of interesting and historic places to see.

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Going to the Movies with the Purple Gang

Posted on December 16, 2018 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in cities .

The violent and ruthless Purple Gang in Detroit was in control of the liquor that came in from Canada across the Detroit River into Michigan. If you wanted a good quaily bottle of spirits from the distilleries in Canada you have to deal with the Purples. Two influential members of the Purple Gang, Sam Bernstein, and Louis Fleischer lived in Albion during Prohibition. They would meet with clients that took the train from Chicago to Albion at the Bohm theater. They sat in the balcony under the projector window to discuss business. The noise from the movie and projector would cover the sound of their conversations. Prohibition has ended and the Purple Gang is gone, but the stories still linger along with the historic buildings in downtown Albion.

I have more about the Purple Gang and other interesting facts in my Lost In Michigan books on Amazon HERE

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BOOK SALE

Posted on December 15, 2018 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Uncategorized .

Lost In Michigan books are ON SALE this weekend. This is the final time they will be on sale for the year. I have a lot going on for the holidays and the beginning of the year so it will be a while until they are available at this price. I ship them out as quickly as I can. If you live in Michigan you will probably receive them before Christmas, but I don’t have control over the post office so I can’t guarantee it. you can order them from my website HERE or from Amazon HERE

Thank you all so much for your kind comments about my books. Many people told me they loved reading them and keep them in their car for places to visit on trips around the state.

Sometimes an Old house is More Than Just an Old House

Posted on December 13, 2018 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Barns and Farms .

Not far from Quanicassee stands the remains of these two old brick houses along the road. I did not know anything about these old houses at the time I posted a photo of them on facebook, but thanks to the comments from the current owners I learned about their history. They are not much today, but they were part of Nathan B. Bradley’s farm. Bradley was Bay City’s first Mayor. He grew up on a farm in Ohio and moved to the St. Charles working in the lumbering Industry. In the 1850’s he purchased a sawmill in Bay City becoming one of the most prominent citizens in the community. He went on to serve in Congress and after the lumber boom, he was instrumental in starting the sugar industry in the Saginaw Vally during the end of the 1800s before he died in 1906. I could not find information about the farm, but I assume he used the farm to grow some of the first sugar beets in the region. Sometimes an old house is more than just an old house, but also a history lesson. If you like this story Lost In Michigan books are ON SALE this week with more in-depth stories from around the state. You can order them from my website HERE

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The Haunted Mansion in New Zebedee

Posted on December 12, 2018 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Haunted Places .

If you are wondering where New Zebedee Michigan is located you are not alone because I never heard of it also. I was watching the movie The House With The Clock In Its Walls. and at the beginning of the movie, a young boy was traveling on a bus to live with his uncle in New Zebedee. I had to find out where it’s located and to my surprise, it is a fictional town in a book inspired by a real town. John Bellairs, born in 1938, grew up in Marshall Michigan. He wrote the book inspired by an old house in his hometown. The Cronin House (Pictured in this post) is located down the street from the high school. Bellairs went past this house going to and from school every day. Sadly Bellairs died in 1991, but he did inspire me to take a trip to Marshall to see this old house. There is a lot more to the story but I am thinking that may be for the next Lost In Michigan book.

Lost In Michigan books are ON SALE this week, you can order them from my website HERE

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The Old Service Station

Posted on December 11, 2018 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Forgotten Places .

I went on a road trip to southern central Michigan today and coming into Albion on the back road I saw this old service station. It was in really nice shape and it seemed out of place so I am not sure if it was new and made to look old or if it was old. I am thinking it is rather old since the post where the sign was is rusted or as they antique pickers would say, ” it has a nice patina” there are also holes for the pumps. I assume it is owned by someone in a nearby house since it seems to be well taken care of. It looks as if a guy in a white jumpsuit and a cap is ready to come out and pump some gas. I took a quick pic from the road so unfortunately, I don’t know anything about this place other than I like it.

Lost In Michigan books are ON SALE this weekend at Amazon to learn more click HERE

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The Lighthouse Without a House

Posted on December 10, 2018 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Lighthouses, upper peninsula .

Besides the Lower and Upper Peninsulas that make up the state of Michigan, there are several other smaller peninsulas that stretch out into the Great Lakes. The Stonington Peninsula juts into Lake Michigan from the southern coast of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula separating Big and Little Bay De Noc. The lighthouse at the tip is known as Peninsula Point Lighthouse. It was constructed in 1865 after the Civil War.

Peninsula Point Lighthouse from the Coast Guard Archives

The lighthouse was decommissioned in 1936 and tragically the keeper’s house that was attached to the tower burned in 1959. The tower was saved and is maintained by the National Forest Service. It’s a little bit of a trip to the tower from US-2 and the last few miles are a winding two-track road through the dense forest, but it is well worth the trip to climb the tower for an amazing view of Lake Michigan.

If you love lighthouses you can win one of the few remaining lighthouse calendars I have from my Facebook page HERE

To read more in-depth stories and their locations, be sure to check out the Lost In Michigan books HERE

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Michigan’s Concrete Ghost Town

Posted on December 9, 2018 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Ghost towns .

A few miles southeast of Baldwin, in the center of the Lower Peninsula, the Great Northern Portland Cement Company constructed a cement plant In the 1890s to produce cement from marl harvested from a nearby lake. Hence the town of Marlborough was created for the workers. Production boomed, and by 1905, Marlborough had 400 citizens. However, problems quickly arose, as the produced cement was inferior, production was costly, and the enormous energy demands of the plant required the construction of the largest power plant in the Lower Peninsula at the time. The Great Northern Portland Cement Company entered receivership in 1906, and the village houses were sold for salvage. The plant was dynamited for scrap iron, and by 1910 only the ruins of the plant remained. An enormous concrete building still stands near the road along with a labyrinth of concrete walls that are slowly being consumed by the forest. It was designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1971.

Lost In Michigan books are ON SALE this weekend on Amazon HERE

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