May 2020 - Page 3 of 4 - Lost In Michigan

The Heather House

Posted on May 11, 2020 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Uncategorized .

Michigan has some beautiful Queen Anne Victorian-style houses and the Heather House is one of the finest in the state. Located in Marine City on Main Street it looks out at the St. Clare River watching the enormous steel freighters passing by. Construction of the home was finished in 1885 by retired ship’s captain William Sauber who emigrated to Marine City from Germany. He worked in the shipyards and became general manager of the Marine Sugar Co., but I can imagine him sitting on the front porch watching the old wooden steamers going by and longing for the days sailing on the Great Lakes. You can find out more about the grand old house on their website HERE

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The Jacobsville Sandstone Church

Posted on May 10, 2020 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Uncategorized .

St. Joseph Roman Catholic Church was established in 1889 by Slovenian immigrants who came to the area to work in the mines of the Copper Country. The wood frame church in Calumet erected by the parish in 1890 was destroyed by fire in 1902. The following year this elegant Romanesque church, designed by Erhard Brielmater of Milwaukee, was begun. It was completed at a cost of $100,000 in 1908. Built of locally-quarried Jacobsville sandstone, the structure displays Cathedral-type stained glass windows from the Ford Brothers Glass Studio of Minneapolis. Its interior features a beautifully painted sixty-five foot nave. In 1966 four parishes consolidated, making this building their church and changing its name to St. Paul the Apostle.

Happy Mother’s Day to all the mom’s out there who work so hard to protect and care for their children no matter how old they are. (the kids, not the moms) In case you missed it be sure to check out my post on the history of Mother’s Day and how Albion Michigan was one of the inspirations for it. you can see my post HERE

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The Haunted Allegan Jail

Posted on May 9, 2020 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Haunted Places .

This old brick building in downtown Allegan was used as the Sheriff’s residence and jail from 1906 until the new jail was constructed in 1968. The front is the sheriff’s home where he lived with his family and the rear is the jail cells with solitary confinement in the basement. The old jail has been converted into a museum for visitors to experience what it was like for the sheriff and people arrested in the early 1900s.

People have claimed to see and hear strange things in the old jail. Most notably the basement where the most hardened of criminals were kept. A strange presence is felt and a streak of light has been seen floating in the air around the solitary confinement cell. In the sheriff’s residence an apparition of a woman has been seen. Some believe it is the ghost of one of the former sheriff’s wife. Maybe she is still cooking and cleaning for the inmates in the afterlife like she did when she lived in the residence.

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The Barn In the Woods

Posted on May 8, 2020 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Barns and Farms .

I saw this old barn in the woods near Sharon Hollow northwest of Manchester. I figure it must be an old barn since it has a stone foundation. It seems odd to see this barn surrounded by trees and not farmland. Maybe it was farmland at one time and the trees grew up around the barn after the farmer left. I am not sure what the story is but I thought it was a beautiful old barn so I stopped and took a pic of it.

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Michigan’s Fireman’s Memorial

Posted on May 7, 2020 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Fire Houses .

I have only visited the Fireman’s Memorial near Roscommon a few times, I am not sure why, since it’s right of I75, and the memorial is a quiet peaceful place to visit. Detroit born sculptor Edward Chesney created the sculpture of the firefighter rescuing a young child. Next time you are headed up north on I-75 stop by the memorial if you have never seen it. it’s not far from Exit 239 on Robinson Lake Rd about a half-mile east of M-18

Thank you to all the firefighters, law enforcement, and all first responders for your dedication and sacrifices to protecting and saving human life.

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Michigan’s Longest Covered Bridge

Posted on May 6, 2020 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Bridges .

Michigan has a few historic wooden covered bridges but this one about twenty miles from the Indiana border is almost the length of a football field. Spaning across the St Joeseph River the Langley Bridge 282 feet long. It was built in 1887 by Pierce Bodmer of Parkville, using the best quality white pine for the frame timbers. The bridge was named after a family in the nearby town of Centreville. When the Sturgis Dam was built in 1910, the Langley Bridge had to be raised eight feet. In 1950-51 extensive repairs and replacement of parts on the bridge were done to preserve this historic bridge which is still a vital river crossing.

The bridge is a one-lane bridge and is interesting to drive through. You have to be sure a car is not entering from the other direction before you enter otherwise someone is backing up a long distance. If you are in the area be sure to take a trip across this historic bridge. It would make for an excellent drive in the Fall when the leaves are at their peak along the St Joseph River.

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Cabin Fever

Posted on May 5, 2020 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Forgotten Places, Houses .

I saw this old cabin in the woods in the northwestern Lower Peninsula. It looks as if it has been abandoned for a long time as the trees are growing around and through it. It’s not a big deal for me to hop into my Jeep and drive a few hundred miles exploring one of the state’s peninsulas.

I imagine back when this cabin was built and before the automobile, it was rare for a Michigander to travel a few miles from their home. Being isolated is something strange to us but for people in northern Michigan over a century ago it was just life as they knew it. There was no such thing as cabin fever back then. They were probably happy to have a cabin to go home to.

P.S. There are times I would like to just live in the middle of the woods with nobody around, but I could not go for long without access to the internet.
P.P.S I took this pic from the road, I do not trespass. Even though it looks abandoned, it is still on someone’s property.

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Zig Zagging in Snay

Posted on May 4, 2020 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Forgotten Places, Thumb .

I was zig-zagging the gridwork of rural roads surrounding the farm fields in the Thumb. I came across this old brick building with a cobblestone foundation. I am not sure if it was a school or some other government building but it was interesting looking. Not far down the road was the Snay cemetery. Michigan had a post office for the town of Snay in a general store operated by Charles Snay. It was opened in 1889 and closed in 1901. It looks like the cemetery and possibly this building is all the remains of the little town.

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Moving a Small Town Church

Posted on May 3, 2020 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Uncategorized .

I love the look of this former church in Ovid with its decorative woodwork and its unique one of a kind steeple. It is also amazing that they moved this church to its current location from a different part of town. It is surprising the facts you can learn from historical markers like the one that stands next to this church and reads:

On February 13, 1871, twenty-two persons began Ovid’s First Congregational Church. The next year this structure was erected. George Fox served as master carpenter. Its first minister was the Reverend William Mulder. Originally located at High and Park Street, the church was pulled here by oxen in 1899 and turned to face Main Street. It was enlarged for a growing congregation, which came to be “one of the most powerful social forces in the county.”In 1943, Ovid’s Congregational and Methodist societies merged, using both their buildings until 1972. In 1979, the church became a private residence. This Ovid landmark, whose octagonal belfry tower holds a melodious 1876 bell, is listed on the Historic American Buildings Survey and the National Register of Historic Places.

P.S. I wish the powerlines were not crossing in front of it. There many beautiful buildings I have photographed on my travels around the state and the powerlines are crossing in front. I have photoshopped them out in some photos but it would be a lot for me to do it in this one and I have other pics of this church but I wanted to share this one from my archive since I have not been traveling.

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Davenport’s House

Posted on May 2, 2020 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Houses .

If you have ever driven through Saline along US-12 you have probably seen this big Victorian house not far from downtown Saline. The historical marker next to it reads:

This handsome two-and-a-half story residence, constructed in 1875, was the home of William H. Davenport (1826 – 1909), prominent Saline citizen. In 1851, Davenport entered into a partnership with H. J. Miller in a general store. He bought out Miller’s interest in 1853 and became a leading city merchant. Later, Davenport started a private bank in 1885. Since 1902 this bank has been known as the Citizens’ Bank of Saline. Well-known Detroit architect William Scott designed Davenport’s elegant Second Empire home, built at a cost of $8,500.

They don’t build houses like this anymore.

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