January 2019 - Lost In Michigan

Historic Holmdene Hall, Is It Haunted?

Posted on January 31, 2019 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Haunted Places, Houses .

Holmdene Hall at Aquinas College in Grand Rapids was originally built as a family home for Edward Lowe and his family in 1903. He was such a prominent member of Grand Rapids society that President Theodore Roosevelt stayed there when he visited Grand Rapids for a speech in 1911. In 1945, the Dominican Sisters of Grand Rapids bought the estate and moved Aquinas College to the estate from its site downtown. The mansion served as the main offices and classroom building for about 10 years while new construction expanded the college.

Students and staff have reported strange events in the old mansion. Like lights mysteriously turning on and off. The elevator seems to be operating as if someone was in it when there is no one inside. Others say doors slam shut on their own. There is also a rumor that Mr. Lowe’s son, James drowned in a pond on the property, or that he fell down a dumbwaiter shaft and died, but that is not true. He moved to San Francisco and became a successful businessman and died at the age of 65.

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The Old School House in Loomis

Posted on January 29, 2019 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Schools, small towns .

I saw this old schoolhouse in the community of Loomis east of Clare near U.S.-10. The town was originally named Buchtel with A station on the Pere Marquette railroad and post office. The name changed in 1871 when Erastus G. Loomis, George W. Wise and E. F. Gould built a sawmill and general store and platted the village. Wise Township that Loomis is located in, is named after George W. Wise.

It’s another bone-chilling cold day in Michigan and my daughter is home from school. As soon as the decision is made to cancel school I get an email and a phone call on my camera phone. When I was a kid I remember having to listen to the radio waiting for the DJ to read off a list of schools. Back then they did not have computers to alphabetize the list so they would read them in the order the cancellations came in. Since I went to a school in the city it was one of the last schools to close. Most of the rural districts closed first so everytime they read the list I would have to wait until the end to see if my school was closed. ” dang it, it’s not closed yet” I guess I will have to listen to John Cougar’s Jack and Diane and then hopefully they will read the list again. I figure back in the olden days they went to school because they had no way of telling them not to.

I hope you are safe and warm wherever you are at, and thank you for taking the time to read my posts.

Don’t forget to enter my Lost In Michigan book GIVEAWAY by clicking HERE

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Big Red in Summer

Posted on January 28, 2019 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Lighthouses .

As I am writing this post most of Michigan is under a winter storm warning with temperatures expected to plummet well below zero. I was going through my photos with plans of showing a winter pic, but then I came across this photo I took on one of the hottest days last summer. It is the Holland Harbor Light affectionately known as “Big Red.” Built in 1907, the lighthouse stands at the entrance of a channel connecting Lake Michigan with Lake Macatawa. The lighthouse is not accessible because it is blocked in by private property, but you can get a good view of it from Holland State Park. I hope you are staying warm wherever you are.

P.S. if you like Michigan State Parks, be sure to check out my other website www.campmichigan.org by clicking HERE

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The Quarry Remnants In Da U.P.

Posted on January 26, 2019 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Forgotten Places, upper peninsula .

Enormous concrete buildings stand desolate and quietly in a remote part of the Upper Peninsula. They were part of the Fiborn Quarry built in the early 1900s. The Fiborn Limestone Co. at its peak had two locomotives and a small town of 75 people that worked for the quarry. It operated until the 1930s when the depression crippled the company’s ability to operate. The ruins of some of the buildings are now part of the Karst Preserve which lies between St. Ignace and Newberry about 10 miles west of Trout Lake. It’s about a half mile hike to the buildings, but if you are in the area it’s worth the trip.

If you want to know more about this place or you are looking for places in Michigan to explore I give detailed locations in my Lost In Michigan books which are available on my website HERE

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Lost In Michigan Book Giveaway

Posted on January 24, 2019 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Giveaways .

Here is your chance to win a Lost In Michigan Volume 2 paperback book. To enter the giveaway you have to be a subscriber to Lost In Michigan. If you have not subscribed to Lost In Michigan you can do it HERE . After you subscribed, or if you are already a subscriber, then comment on this post down below. (Note that I use Facebook for comments, If you are not able to comment be sure you have a facebook account and are logged in on the device you are using to post comments. )

Books are ON SALE this weekend and you can order them HERE or at Amazon HERE

I will choose a winner from the comments at random and they will be announced in my post on Sunday, February 3rd

Thank you all so much for taking the time to read my posts and especially to those of you that got a book or two from me. Your support really means a lot to me since it’s my book sales that help me with expenses to do this website.

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The Fabulous Clements House in Bay City

Posted on January 23, 2019 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Houses .

Built by Henry & Luella Clements in 1890 on Historic Center Ave in Bay City. Henry worked with his father James and brother William at Industrial Works, designers of a rail-mounted shovel and cranes employed at the Chicago Columbian Exposition and the Panama Canal. His house is unusual in Bay City because it is one of the few Queen Anne Style homes built of brick. Instead of ornamental trim, bricks are placed in decorative patterns to accentuate the structure’s shape and composition. The first floor plate window is framed with a distinctive Romanesque arch of rusticated stone, displaying the Victorian tendency to mix styles. In 1913 Hector McKinnon, president of McKinnon Boiler and Machine Co., purchased the house, followed in 1920 by Judge Samuel Houghton, who prepared the charter that united Bay City and West Bay City

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

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Have you Been to Jam Michigan?

Posted on January 21, 2019 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in small towns .

In southern Midland county near the Saginaw county border, just north of Merrill, is the Jam store in the town of Jam Michigan. It sounds like someplace you would go to get some delicious spread to put on Spatz bread, but I found out the name is actually the initials of the first postmaster of the town. J.A.M. stands for James A Murphy. The post office opened in July 1894, and because the sign on the Jam Store says “Since 1894” I am assuming that is the site of the post office. in September of 1903 the post office closed, probably because all the trees were gone, hence all the farmland.

Don’t forget to enter my Lost In Michigan book GIVEAWAY by clicking HERE

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

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Seeking Refuge in Harbor Beach

Posted on January 19, 2019 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Lighthouses, Thumb .

Ships sailing along Lake Huron between Port Huron and the tip of the Thumb in the early 1800s had few places to seek refuge from the gales of November. Or any storm that whips up for that matter. A small harbor helped in Harbor Beach, but It was decided in the mid-1800s to build a break wall to create a safe haven for ships from the fury of Mother Nature. In 1885 a lighthouse was built replacing a light on a wooden frame. It guides ships to the opening in the break wall welcoming them to safety. It about a mile of shore but you can get a good view of it from a pier at the end of Trescott Street in Harbor Springs. I took this pic with a long telephoto lens. On Saturdays, in the summer you can take a boat to the lighthouse for a guided tour. here is their website for more info https://harborbeachlighthouse.org/

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The Concrete Store

Posted on January 18, 2019 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in General Store, small towns .

On US-10 between Reed City and Baldwin is the small town of Chase. In the center of town is this old concrete store. No, I don’t mean that they sell concrete, but that it is made from poured concrete. I took this photo a while ago and did not think much about it. One day while I was doing some research, I came across an old photo of a building that looked familiar.

I thought to myself ” Hey, that’s the old antique store in Chase ” If you look at the photo it looks like there are forms for concrete, and the building is built in layers, like onions and ogres. The town is not far from the historic ghost town of Marlborough which makes sense as to why the building would have been made from concrete. You can read about Marlborough HERE Chase was a booming lumber town and was almost the county seat but it lost out to Baldwin. Now it’s just a sleepy little community that people drive through on the way to where ever it is they are going. Next time you drive past this old building maybe you will remember the people who built it a century ago, and the towns that used to be.

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

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The Lonely Farmhouse

Posted on January 17, 2019 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Barns and Farms, Houses .

I saw this old farmhouse way back in a field near Posen. If you don’t know where Posen is located in Michigan, it’s between Alpena and Rogers City. I had to zoom in to get a photo of it since I don’t trespass. I find the old farmhouses mesmerizing even though I grew up in the city. I like to cook and I have a pretty good understanding of where our food comes from and how it’s processed. Especially sugar since I grew up in Carrollton in the shadow of the beet factory ( I will never forget that smell ). I remember going on field trips to a farm when I was a kid. Now I wonder how many kids even know where real food comes from. If I had to grow my own food I would starve. It seems like any plant I try to grow dies. Thank you to all the farmers out there.

P.S. Thank you to everyone that answered my question about the barn in the post HERE I learned something new.

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