October 2020 - Page 2 of 3 - Lost In Michigan

Dewey’s House

Posted on October 20, 2020 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Houses .

This beautiful average looking wooden two-story house, in a quiet neighborhood of Owosso, is where Thomas Dewey was raised. Most people probably would have never remembered the name Dewey if it was not for the Chicago Daily Tribune boldly printing the headline DEWEY DEFEATS TRUMAN.

Thomas Dewey who was born in 1902 and raised in Owosso graduated from law school and went on to prosocute many netorious mobsters in New York. He was eventually elected as govoner of New York. In 1948 Dewey ran aginst Harry S. Truman and was ahead in the poles by a wide margin when the polls opend on election day in November. The Chicago Daily Tribune had to go to print earlier than they would have liked do to a printer strike. They dicided to pring that Dewey had won the election before the election results were final. The now famous photo of Truman holding the newspaper is what most people remember of Dewey and a reminder that elections are not over until every vote has been counted.

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Salem Walker Cemetery

Posted on October 19, 2020 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in autumn, Cemetery .

The Salem Walker Cemetery is a historic cemetery west of Northville. The first burial in the Salem Walker Cemetery took place in 1834 after the land was donated by Ira Ham and early settler. I don’t have any spooky stories to tell about it, I just thought it looked beautiful blanketed in the freshly fallen autumn leaves.

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The Grand Ledge in Autumn

Posted on October 18, 2020 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in autumn, Nature, Parks, Uncategorized .

Along the Grand River in Fitzgerald Park are these magnificent rock outcroppings and cliffs. They truly are grand ledges and give the town they are located in its name. I find it strange that I have lived in Michigan for a half-century and have explored many places and I just now visited this wonderful place. I felt like I was hiking in the northwestern Upper Peninsula instead of the Central Lower Peninsula. If you are looking for someplace to explore, you need to check out the Grand Ledges for yourself, because you can’t capture its breathtaking beauty in a photograph.

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Orchard Beach

Posted on October 17, 2020 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in State Parks .

In the late 1880s, George Hart cleared the land north of Manistee where Orchard Beach State Park now stands and planted an apple orchard, which gave the park its name. The orchard sat on a high bluff overlooking Lake Michigan. By 1892 Hart had built a boardwalk and theater to attract more tourists. With its growing popularity, A trolley line ran from Manistee for people to visit enjoying the view and sunsets over Lake Michigan.

As Michiganders fell in love with the automobile few people were using the trolly and passenger trains. Trolley service to the park eventually stopped and the site was purchased by the Manistee Board of Commerce which deeded it to the state to become part of the Michigan state park system in 1921. The state built a campground among the apple trees and purchased the dairy farm across the street which is now a natural area and used for hiking trails.

The limestone buildings in the park were designed by architect Ernest F. Hartwick and built in the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps as part of Franklin D. Roosevelt’s “New Deal”. The apple trees are gone and large oak and maple trees have taken their place. The park was listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 2009, cited as “one of the most intact examples of a Michigan state park developed in the 1930s and 1940s

Because of the erosion of the Lake Michigan shoreline, the historic pavilion will be moved back 200 feet in order to save it for future generations.

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The Stone Wooden Schoolhouse

Posted on October 16, 2020 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Schools .

In southern Michigan near Onsted is an old stone schoolhouse. It is built with fieldstone but it is known as the Wooden schoolhouse because it was built in 1850 by Reverend Robert Wooden. The school was used for over a century until it closed in 1955. By 1979 it was in such bad condition the township condemned it and it was slated for demolition. A group of citizens convinced the township to deed the historic stone schoolhouse to the newly formed Wooden Old Stone School Association. The group restored the schoolhouse in 1989 and it remains standing today as one of the oldest schoolhouses in Michigan.

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Michigan’s Singing Bridge

Posted on October 15, 2020 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Bridges .

On US-23 between Au Gres and Tawas is a bridge that crosses the east branch of the Au Gres River and has been given the nickname “The Singing Bridge.” When I was younger most people knew it as the place to party while smelt dipping. If you ask someone who grew up in the Saginaw Valley region in the ’70s and went smelt dipping, they will probably tell you all sorts of stories of massive parties at the Singing Bridge. I am not sure how true they are, but the smelt used to run heavily in the area years ago and would draw crowds to dip for smelt when they were running.

Legend has it the bridge got its moniker from the wood or metal decking that it had decades ago. As cars drove across it the tires would hum from the texture of the road. I think MDOT should add grooves to the bridge and make it sing once again like in this video HERE. The big question would be what song would it play. I say the U of M fight song, but I think Spartan fans would disagree. Maybe U of M one way and MSU the other.

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Hackley’s Gift to Muskegon

Posted on October 14, 2020 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Library .

Muskegon has many beautiful old historic buildings and one of my favorites is the Hackley Public Library. The Historical marker in fron of the magnificent stone building reads:

On May 25, 1888, Muskegon lumber baron Charles H. Hackley announced that he would donate a library to the city. Hackley stipulated that the facility be “forever maintained as a library.” Patton and Fisher of Chicago, one of the six firms invited to submit a plan for the library designed a Richardsonian Romanesque – style building. The library was constructed of Maine granite and trimmed with Marquette sandstone. The reading room windows depict Shakespeare, Goethe, Longfellow and Prescott.

Muskegon citizens celebrated the laying of the Hackley Public Library cornerstone on May 25, 1889, the anniversary of Charles Hackley’s donation of the library. It was the first annual celebration held in recognition of Hackley. The previous year the board of education had resolved that classes would be suspended annually on May 25 on Hackley’s honor. On October 15, 1890, the completed library was dedicated. The lot, building and furnishings amounted to a $175,000 gift.

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The Tower on Tower Road

Posted on October 13, 2020 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in upper peninsula .

When I was in the Keweenaw Peninsula leaving the Henka homestead historical site I saw this tower. It was on a road called Tower Road so I can only assume the tower has been there a while and they named the road after it. I figure it is or was a fire tower. I am not sure about the enclosed tower next to it. I assume it is an elevator but I am not sure. I thought it was interesting so I stopped and took a pic of it. I am sure the view from the tower must be spectacular. especially in Autumn. I would love to see the view if I can take an elevator ride but there is no way I am climbing the ladder on the outside of the skeletal tower.

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Pere Cheney Cemetery

Posted on October 12, 2020 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Cemetery, Haunted Places .

I visited the Pere Cheney cemetery several years ago when I started Lost In Michigan. I happened to be in the area so I figured I should stop by and see how it looks since I visited last. I was happy to see a stone monument near the entrance with a little bit of history of the town that is now gone. I also saw a lot of coins and trinkets left by visitors so the old remote and secluded graveyard must receive a lot of visitors.

The town of Pere Cheney was started in 1873 by George Chaney about 15 miles southeast of Grayling. The town’s population grew to about 1500 people but two epidemics of Diptheria in 1893 and 1897 killed most of its citizens.

Most of the headstones in the cemetery are gone and of the few remaining some have toppled over or been vandalized. The tallest monument in the old graveyard is for Frank and Frances Barber’s children.

Hattie, Ray, and Roy all died in December of 1893. That must have been a terrible Christmas for Frank and Frances and the entire town of Pere Chaney as death swept through the northern Michigan town.

If you want to know more about Pere Chaney you can see my post about the infamous town HERE or in Volume 1 of my Lost In Michigan book series where I give detailed information on how to find the Cemetery. You can order them from Amazon HERE

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Autumn Barn

Posted on October 11, 2020 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in autumn, Barns and Farms .

A saw this old barn somewhere between Elk Rapids and Charlevoix. I don’t know any history or stories about it, I just liked it and stopped for a photo on a nice Autumn day. I have learned that when Mother Nature gives you a nice day in October to take advantage of it because there are not a lot of them and nice weather is in short supply until spring.

Thank you all for taking the time to read my posts I hope you enjoy seeing someplace random from around Michigan every day.

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