September 2019 - Lost In Michigan

Book Giveaway

Posted on September 29, 2019 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Giveaways, Uncategorized .

Thank you all so much for taking time from your busy day to read my posts. It’s been a while since I have given a book away, so here is your chance to win a Lost In Michigan Volume 2. To Enter, simply write a comment on this post (Scroll down to the bottom). I will pick a winner at random and announce them in a post on Wednesday, October 2nd. Good luck and may the odds be in your favor and the force be with you.

If you haven’t already, be sure to subscribe to email notifications so you wont miss the announmet of the winner

The Haunted Hall in Ypsi

Posted on September 27, 2019 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Haunted Places, Schools .

Mary Ann Starkweather donated money to build this beautiful stone building in 1897 on the campus of Eastern Michigan. She requested the building be used for religious purposes. Her building became the home of the Students’ Christian Association. In 1928 the Christian association ended and in 1976 the Office of Religious Affairs was discontinued. After that, the building was used for campus offices.

Students and faculty believed Starkweather was upset her building was no longer being used as she intended and she began haunting the building. They say strange things happen in the hallways and in the basement of the old building. Most notably a janitor claimed someone or something touched him while he was working all alone in the basement. If you as any EMU student which building is haunted. they will most definitely say Starkweather. For myself, I am not sure about the hauntings, but it is a beautiful old building and a kind gift from a generous woman.

Want to read more interesting stories about Michigan? Lost In Michigan books are ON SALE this weekend. you can order them from my website HERE https://lostinmichigan.net/shop/

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The Hidden Ghost Town Cemetery

Posted on September 26, 2019 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Cemetery, Ghost towns .

The town of Hamlin was a sawmill town founded by Charles Mears that was destroyed in a tragic event. The town began in 1852 with Mears Building a wooden dam on the Big Sable River which is in the present-day Ludington State Park. Over the years Hamling grew to have a school, church, saloons and several houses. In 1888 the wooden dam broke and the force of the rushing water pushed the building of Hamlin off their foundations and downstream. You can see some of the foundations and a few artifacts on the path along the river.

Most people that visit the park are unaware of the cemetery that is hidden in the woods. It’s up on a hill not far from the parking lot for Hamlin Beach. The cemetery only has a few headstones and is surrounded by an old wooden fence.

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The Shunned Lighthouse

Posted on September 24, 2019 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Lighthouses .

I looked all around the internets and through the books that I have. I found little information on this unique looking lighthouse. It stands at the city beach in New Buffalo at the mouth of the Galien River. The town did have an official lighthouse built way back in the 1830s and it was demolished in the 1850s.

Strangely I could not find when the current light was built. I fould a reference that said it was a replica of the original light. I am not sure about that since the original was built with stone and not cinder blocks and vinyl siding.

The current light does not show up on the Coast Guard’s official list of aid to navigation. It also does not appear on Terry Pepper’s website or Lighthouse Friends website. It as if this cute little light on the beach was shunned and forgotten about.

Just to let you know, I am doing a CALENDAR GIVEAWAY on my facebook page HERE You can order calendars before the sale ends HERE

Thank you for Subscribing to Lost In Michigan, If you have not subscribed yet, It would mean a lot to me if you did.

7 Tips for Capturing Autumn Colors in Michigan

Posted on September 23, 2019 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in autumn, Photography Tips .

Once again, that magical time of year is here, yes I am talking about Autumn in Michigan. From pics of Tahquamenon Falls or the Lake of the Clouds surrounded by the glorious reds and yellows of autumn trees, to farm fields in Central Michigan or historic downtown areas, I have learned that you can get beautiful pics anywhere in Michigan. Here are some of the tips I have learned over the years.

an old barn in the sunshine near Vanderbilt

Take photos any time of day

I know you’re supposed to go out in the morning and evening in the “golden hour” but the leaves are at peak for only a short time, so don’t be afraid to take photos all day long, I found its best to have the sun behind you when you take photos, don’t shoot into the sun or the trees and barns will be in shadow.

Seven Bridges recreation area Kalkaska

Go out in all kinds of Weather

You know what they say” if you don’t like the weather in Michigan wait 15 minutes, it will change”. If it’s sunny and we have a nice sky then I will have a lot of sky in the photo such as farm fields or lakes. If it’s raining, then I find a location in a forest or a park with a canopy of leaves to cover the gray sky. Rainy days are also a good day to get photos of waterfalls in Michigan.

Downtown Stockbridge

You don’t have to travel far.

I have finally learned to just go with the flow and take photos of fall colors whenever and wherever I see them. I don’t care if I am near my house or in downtown, or halfway across the state, I am going to take the photo that presents itself, To get the most time to photograph foliage, I start north and work my way to the south following the flow of the color as it canvases the state.

Don’t force a photo that isn’t there
maybe you have your favorite spot in Michigan, and you want a photo of it, but the color is not right, the sun is at the wrong angle and you take a photo and it just looks blah, then don’t spend a lot of time trying to make it happen and go down the road and try somewhere else, and come back to your favorite spot later, remember the sun rises in the east and sets in the west, maybe a different time of day will work better or even a cloudy day.

Take a tripod, but you don’t have to use it

I always have my tripod with me but I don’t always have to use it, if it’s bright and sunny then click away, if it’s gray and dark out, then yes it’s best if you drag out that annoying thing out and use it. At least take it with you and you will have it if you need it. And remember sometimes you can set your camera on a stump or railing and that may work to stabilize your camera for a few shots so you don’t have to spend time setting up a tripod.

Keep your camera with you at all times.
you should have a camera with you so when you do see a scene you like you can capture it, and it should not be that hard to have a camera with you, most cell phones have a pretty good camera in them and I have gotten some good shots with mine, you never know you might see something you like on the way to work in the morning, stop and get a pic.

Mount Hope Church

Take lots of Photos
you have a digital camera right? Take lots of photos, yeah some will be better than others but only show and share your best, and learn from the ones you don’t like, is the sun behind you, was it raining, or cloudy, I found by taking lots of pics that I like the ones I got on rainy days and how to take them.

You may have noticed from my list, you don’t need lots of fancy gear and know all your camera settings, you just need to go out and take lots of photos with whatever camera you have. Go out and just enjoy your time getting Lost In Michigan.

Lost In Michigan Books are a great way to find interesting places to see and photograph on an Autumn trip. I hope you will take a look at them HERE

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The Little Wooden Church

Posted on September 22, 2019 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Churches .

I saw this little wooden church in Palmer southeast of Ishpeming in the Upper Peninsula. The town of Palmer was established in 1872 and is named after mining executive L.C. Palmer. Which makes sense because there is an enormous mine just outside of town.

Just to let you know, I am doing a CALENDAR GIVEAWAY on my facebook page HERE You can order calendars before the sale ends HERE

Thank you for Subscribing to Lost In Michigan, If you have not subscribed yet, It would mean a lot to me if you did.

The Secret Michigan Ghost Town You Need To Visit

Posted on September 20, 2019 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Ghost towns, upper peninsula .

Michigan has a few historic towns you can visit, but there is one that few people know about. It is located way up in the Keweenaw Peninsula between Calumet and Copper Harbor on US-41. A small brown and white sign that simply reads ” Central Mine Visitors Center” points to the old town. Most tourists just think it is a simple little visitors center for one of the many former mines in the area, but they are mistaken.

Central Mine is the name of a company town that was built by the copper mining company of the same name. The mine was open in the 1850s and closed in the 1890s after the copper ore was depleted. The town at one time had a population of 900 residents. The miners who were mostly immigrants from Cornwall England moved away after The Central Mine turned off the pumps and sealed the shafts. In the 1950s, the last permanent resident in the town of Central Mine left.

The Keweenaw County Historical Society owns 38 acres of the old Central Mine site and town. It operates the visitors center located in a former house. The society has also restored several houses and buildings in the old town. Some are open to visitors and decorated with antiques from the period they were built.

When I visited, the small town was strangely quiet. I could walk through the open houses and explore the area. It was like stepping back in time going into a house over a century old and the items inside from back in the day. If you visit be sure to stop by the visitors center first and look at the map since some of the property is still private and closed to tourists.

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

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The Chapin House in Niles

Posted on September 18, 2019 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Houses .

It’s hard to miss this grand old house standing in downtown Niles. Henry A. Chapin and his wife built this beautiful queen ann home in 1882. Henry lived in it until his death in 1933 and then donated it to the city of Niles which used it as their City Hall for several years.

Chapin built one of the first general stores in the area. He did well as a merchant but it was his property in the Upper Peninsula that he gained his fortune from. In 1865 he purchased a large tract of land near Iron Mountain. A vast deposit of iron ore was discovered and the Chapin Mine was opened. “Mr. H.A.” as he was known, received up to $300,000 yearly in royalties from the mine. The house is now used as a historical museum.

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The Ghosts of Detroit’s Haunted Ft Wayne

Posted on September 17, 2019 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Detroit, Haunted Places .

Fort Wayne in Detroit has a long history that spans several decades since it was built in the 1840s Many of the buildings have been abandoned by the army and left to decay. A non-profit group has been working on saving the old fort and its many structures from the ravages of time.

During my visit, a tour guide told me of some of the hauntings on the historic property. He pointed to a tunnel that leads to a gun and cannon location and said ” That is one of the most haunted places in the fort” He said a few years ago some workers were taking a lunch break. They decided to get out of the summer heat and sat in the old tunnel to eat their lunch. The men went running out of the tunnel and have never been back to the old fort. When they were asked what happened they said while sitting down and eating their lunch a civil war soldier in full uniform came out of the stone wall. He slowly walked passed them and down the tunnel without saying a word before disappearing into thin air.

The fort has never seen a battle or fired any guns or cannons at an enemy. Many soldiers trained at the fort during the Civil War. A few died and were buried on the fort grounds. Eventually to make room for expansion of the fort the headstones and bodies were moved to a nearby cemetery down the road.

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

The old fort hosts ghost tours in the fall. They are extremely popular and you need to reserve your spot in advance. you can find out more about them HERE

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The Mill Turned Into a House

Posted on September 16, 2019 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Mills .

I saw this old mill in Bellevue. I stopped and went down by the river to get this stunning view of the stonework and the river. I did not know at the time it was a house until I read the historical marker.

Horatio Hall built this mill for Manlius Mann in 1854. Powered by water from the Battle Creek, a three-ton overshot waterwheel in the basement turned three pairs of millstones that ground grain from local farmers into flour. Before vertical grain elevators came into use, a rope hoist in the western roof peak lifted grain to the appropriate level. It was manually pulled through the corresponding vertical door to be processed. Grain products produced here included corn meal, bran, white whole wheat and biscuit flour. In 1873 Mann sold the mill to Hiram Ovenshire and Danial D. Gardiner. Ovenshire became the sole owner in 1881. Around 1888, to increase replaced the millstones with steel roller mills and the waterwheel with two forty-three-horsepower turbines.

The Bellevue Gothic Mill produced many flour products and brands, including Blue Bird flour, marketed by Abraham Butler, a former dry goods store owner. By 1929 the mill yielded up to sixty barrels of Blue Bird flour per day. In 1949 this was the only mill within a fifty-mile radius that still produced flour. Hiram Overshire’s descendants, whose surnames included Ovenshire, Hollenbeck and Butler, owned the mill until it closed in 1975. In 1977 the Stockhausen family purchased the property. They restored the exterior and renovated the interior for an adaptive reuse as a private residence. In 1982 they installed two hydroelectric generators in the basement, allowing them to supply renewable power to the community.

I found this video on Youtube about the renovation of the old mill. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tnDWibKuH2E

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

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