February 2020 - Lost In Michigan

40 Mile Point Lighthouse

Posted on February 29, 2020 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Lighthouses .

I always have to stop and get some pics of lighthouses when I am nearby. I was north of Rogers City on the coast of Lake Huron so I had to stop by and visit the 40 Mile Point Lighthouse. I will visit even in the middle of winter if it is open to the public. A Michigan historical marker proudly stands near the lighthouse with some facts and reads:

During the late 1800s, the U.S. Lighthouse Board created a system of coastal lights along Lake Huron’s Michigan shore so that mariners would always be within sight of at least one. With a light south of Forty Mile Point on the Presque Isle Peninsula and one to the north at Cheboygan, and eighteen mile stretch of shoreline remained unlighted and dangerous. In1890 the board recommended that a light be built at Forty Mile Point. The light was completed in 1896, and Xavier Rains served as the first keeper, The lighthouse was transferred to Presque Isle County in 1998, but the Coast Guard retained ownership of its Fresnal lens. The site was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1984.

If you are in the northeast lower peninsula stop by for a visit. Besides the lighthouse, they have other things on display including a pilothouse from an old freighter. You can also see the remains of an old shipwreck on the beach if it is not covered up by the high water levels.

The Mystery at Alligator Hill

Posted on February 28, 2020 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Forgotten Places .

If you have ever hiked the trails on Aligator Hill in the Sleeping Bear Dunes you have seen these odd-looking concrete structures. They were built in the 1950’s by lumberman Pierce Stocking as kilns to make charcoal. The sawmill he set up in the area produced considerable waste that was converted to charcoal in the kilns. It was packed in bags and shipped to stores around Michigan.

The kilns are concrete ovens in which limbs, slabs, and other sawmill wast were stacked as tightly as possible. The open front was closed with concrete blocks and the wood set on fire just before the last blocks were set in place. controlling the air intake was tricky, to much air and the wood was consumed by the fire, too little air, and the fire went out. If successful, the fire burned slowly for several days. Once it was out, the charcoal was removed and spread to cool, then moved to the bagging shack.

After the timber was depleted the kilns were abandoned. They are on my list of abandoned places to visit in Michigan HERE

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A Bridge to Nowhere

Posted on February 27, 2020 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Uncategorized .

This old bridge silently crosses the flint river but the road leading to it from the west is gone. It is located near Burt Road in Taymouth Township between Birch Run and Burt, on the east side was of the river was the town of Morseville. At its peak in the 1880’s and 90’s, it had a hotel, three saloons, a church, two general stores, and a mill that farmers would travel for miles to have their grain milled. The town was a popular stop for the stagecoaches traveling from Saginaw to Flushing. A bridge was built across the Flint River for access to the town from the west side of the river.

In the 1850’s Nathaniel Morse purchased the land along the Flint River from the Federal Government for $1.25 an acre after it had acquired it from a treaty signed by Lewis Cass with the Native Americans who lived along the river. Nathanel’s son James Morse plated the town of Morseville in 1886, but soon after, the Saginaw Cincinnati and Mackinaw Railroad built tracks to flushing and passed a few miles to the west of Morseville. Wellington Burt soon built the town of Burt along the tracks. James Morse did all he could to get the train to pass through his town of Morseville, but I am thinking Wellington Burt was a powerful well-connected lumber baron that had a lot more influence than James Morse did. A few years after the tracks bypast the town, another set of train tracks went from Saginaw to Birch Run, which sealed the fate of the town of Moresville. Now all that remains are some houses and that wonderful old bridge over the Flint River.

On April 5^th 1990 the bridge was added to the National Register of Historic Places. Recently a new bridge was built further down the river, and the original one was left abandoned. So when your driving over the new bridge, and you see the old steel truss bridge that looks like it goes to nowhere, hopefully you will remember the town of Morseville.

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P.S. If you live in the Saginaw area, Lost In Michigan books are available at Charlin’s Book Nook in Frankenmuth or the Antique Warehouse on Tittabawassee Rd.

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The Old Township Hall

Posted on February 26, 2020 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Forgotten Places .

I was driving through the town of Alba west of Gaylord and I came across this old wooden building. Above the front door in black letting are the words. STAR TWP. HALL. I could not find any specifics on the old building, but I like the arched roof and what people in the antique business call “patina.”

Because Amazon has pushed back shipping of books I have started selling books from my website. I have them in stock and you should have them in a few days if you live in Michigan. You can order them HERE

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The Lake House

Posted on February 24, 2020 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Houses .

I saw this beautiful old house overlooking Bear Lake near the town of Bear Lake. I was not able to find out any of its history but I love the ornate woodwork. You rarely see new houses trimmed with woodwork as they did in the victorian area.

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Stone Church In The Snow

Posted on February 23, 2020 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Churches .

I saw this old stone church north of Hubbard Lake. I don’t know anything about it other than it looks as if it has been a while since a service was held inside.

I figure this is a good time for me just to say thank you for taking the time from your busy day to read my posts. I hope you enjoy getting them in your email every day.

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The WWI Plot to Destroy A Historic Tunnel

Posted on February 22, 2020 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Historic Places .

The St. Clair tunnel was the first international underwater railway tunnel in the world when it was constructed in 1891. The tunnel runs between Port Huron and Sarnia under the St. Clair River. It was vital for the transportation of supplies and during World War 1 it was the target of a clandestine German organization to destroy several important targets in the southeastern part of Michigan. Albert Carl Kaltschmidt, A German Immigrant living in Detroit, along with some German friends planned to blow up some weapon manufacturing plants in Detroit and Canada along with the tunnel under the St. Clare River.

Support for the group came from Count Johann von Bernstorff, the German ambassador in Washington, D.C., and Captain Franz von Papen, who later became Adolf Hitler’s vice-chancellor. Kaltschmidt and his men planned to dynamite the Detroit Screw Works which produced shrapnel for the allies. His plans were deterred by the guards at the plant and his other targets where discovered. He had planned to load a railroad car with dynamite to destroy the historic tunnel. He was captured and tried and convicted in federal court where he was sentenced to four years of prison. After three years he was deported back to Germany.

Photo from Wikipedia showing the new and old tunnel.

In 1995 a larger tunnel was constructed next to the original one to handle larger rail cars. The old tunnel was decommissioned after more than a century of use.

P.S. I could not get a really good photo of the old tunnel. I did not want to poke around too much since it is an international tunnel has security around it.

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Michigan’s Haunted Train Trestle

Posted on February 21, 2020 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Haunted Places .

People have claimed many places in Michigan are haunted from cemeteries and houses to theaters, but one of the stranger places is the train bridge that crosses a dirt road in southern Michigan. South of Adrian in a rural farming area where the tracks cross over Bailey Highway is an old bridge covered in graffiti. They say at night you can hear the sound of a woman screaming. As the story goes, in the late 1800s a nearby barn caught fire in the middle of the night. The farmer ran into the barn to save his horses. His wife who was carrying their infant child ran to the railroad tracks to flag down a passing train. She tripped and fell and both were killed by the passing locomotive. Her husband was killed in the fire while trying to rescue the horses. They say you can still hear the woman screaming. Others have said they have seen the spirit of the farmer on the tracks, presumably looking for his wife.

I am not sure if there is any truth to the story but it is one of those urban legends that has grown with the advent of the internet.

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Brick Schoolhouse

Posted on February 20, 2020 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Forgotten Places, Schools .

I saw this old brick school somewhere southwest of Alpena. It looks as if school has been out forever for a while since the trees are slowly growing around it. Unfortunately, I was not able to find any history about it I can only hope that the students that learned within its walls went on to do great things.

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New Life for an Old House

Posted on February 19, 2020 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Houses .

I started this website back in 2013 and one of the earliest posts I did was for this old Victorian brick house in St. Louis. I could not get a very good photo of it back then because it was surrounded by enormous trees. The house has sat dormant for several years and was in a slow state of decay. A few years ago the trees were cut down and then most recently the house sold to new owners. They are currently renovating and restoring the home to use as a private residence. I have seen several places I have photographed over the years disappear but it is always a welcomed sight to see something saved from the wrecking ball. You can read more about the house in my post HERE You can follow the renovations for the house on Facebook HERE

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