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Monthly Archives: November 2020

Big Old Farmhouse

Posted on November 20, 2020 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Forgotten Places, Houses .

I saw this big old farmhouse on the backroads somewhere southwest of Cadillac. Don’t ask me where it is because I could not tell you. I was zig-zagging around the area and I have no idea of exactly where this house is. It looks like it has been a while since someone lived in it, but somebody is cutting the grass so it is being cared for. If walls could talk.

Note: I only take photos from the road and do not trespass.

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The Old Hospital in Lapeer

Posted on November 19, 2020 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in autumn, Houses .

In 1873 Peter Van Dyke built this Beautiful second empire-style home in Lapeer. In 1924 the grand old house was converted into a nine bedroom hospital with surgeries taking place on the upper floor. Back in the day, it was common for large houses to be used as a hospital. Doctors did not have the array of sophisticated equipment that is available today. By 1953 the old house was no longer practical as a hospital and was converted into apartments and remains as an apartment complex today.

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An Octagon Barn

Posted on November 18, 2020 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in autumn, Barns and Farms .

Somewhere between Ovid and Elsie I came upon this massive octagon barn. I am not exactly sure of the purpose of an octagon-shaped barn. The most well-known one in Michigan is in Gagetown. In the late 1800s, octagon-shaped houses were popular and I guess a few barns were built in that configuration also. I was told they were popular in the great plains states because the shape could withstand the strong winds better. I am not sure the story or history of this particular barn but it is a beautiful looking barn.

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Belrockton Dormitory in Belding

Posted on November 17, 2020 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Historic Places .

This massive brick building in Belding sits near downtown across from the library. Built in 1906, Belrockton is the last remaining boardinghouse of the three provided by the Belding Brothers and Company for its single female workers. A major silk manufacturer in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the company employed hundreds of young women and earned Belding the title of “Silk City of the World.” Providing accommodations for one hundred residents and staff, the Belrockton Dormitory, a Classical-Revival-inspired building, was erected at a cost of thirty thousand dollars. Following the closing of the company’s silk mills in 1935, the “Bel” served as a residential training center for the National Youth Administration. In 1943 the building became a recreation center. The city of Belding purchased the structure in 1950 to serve as a community center. In 1987 it became the home of the Belding Museum.

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The Calumet Red Jacket Fire House

Posted on November 16, 2020 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Fire Houses, upper peninsula .

calumet michigan fire station

 

The Calumet Fire Station (also known as the Red Jacket Fire Station) is  located on 6th Street in Calumet, Michigan, and was designed by Charles K. Strand, a local Architect in the Richardson Romanesque design. In the rear of the Fire Hall, was the stable for the six horses used to pull the fire wagons. The horses were used into the 1930’s even though the first mechanized fire truck arrived for the Village of Calumet in 1919, a La France pumper made in France and shipped to Calumet over the ocean and then by rail. That fire truck is on display in the museum as is its twin that came at the same time for the Calumet and Hecla Mining Company. Snow removal equipment was not used on the Village streets until the 1930s therefore in the winter with the 200+ inches of snow the snow was “panked” using large rollers pulled by horses and the fire trucks would have their wheels removed and sleigh runners attached and the fire trucks would be pulled to the fire location by horses.

In 1964, the fire department moved to the town hall building. The building was used in various ways, including rooms for summer repertory performers at the nearby Calumet Theatre.  The building was designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1971 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974, and is part of the Calumet Historic District and the Keweenaw National Historical Park. The building now houses the Copper Country Firefighters History Museum.

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The Old Church in Berville

Posted on November 15, 2020 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Churches, small towns .

This old church stands in the small town of Berville at the base of the Thumb. I don’t have a story to go with it but I thought it was a pretty little church on an Autumn day. Thank you for taking the time to look at my posts and I hope you have a wonderful week.

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Beautiful Downtown Hesperia

Posted on November 14, 2020 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in small towns .

Roaming around Michigan, I visit a lot of towns and cities. Hesperia is located along M-20 on the west side of the state at the southern part of the Manistee National Forest. The town was platted in 1866 and there are two stories of how Hesperia got its name. The first was that it was an Indian name for “beautiful gardens” since the area was once home to Indian tribes in the area. The second was that it was named from Hesperides in Greek Mythology, meaning “blissful garden”, located in the western part of Greece.

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The Ruins in Onaway

Posted on November 12, 2020 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Forgotten Places, Parks .

Awakon Park in Onaway Michigan was the site of the American Wood Rim Company. While most of the factory is gone a few structures and remnants remain. Started in 1901 to build wood bicycle rims the company began building wooden automobile steering wheels in 1904. With the success of their steering wheels and the booming auto industry, the company had 1200 employees. It was in 1926 that a fire started by a spark that killed 4 workers and destroyed much of the factory. It was decided to move the factory to Alma instead of rebuilding it in Onaway. The park has a trail that is about a half-mile long the winds through the property where the old factory once stood. You can still see some of the concrete structures and signage gives a little history of the forgotten plant.

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The Old Cannon

Posted on November 11, 2020 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Historic Places .

This old cannon stands next to a VFW post along the Red Arrow Highway near Watervliet in southwest Michigan. I pass by a lot of VFW posts that have decommissioned military equipment such as tanks and canons, but this particular cannon is unique and rare. It dates back to World War I. The wooden chassis and wheels were built by Studebaker. The gun portion was made by the Northwest Ordnance Company in Watervliet, New York where the United States created an arsenal in 1893 along the Hudson River. It is the oldest continuously active arsenal in the United States, and today produces much of the artillery for the army, as well as gun tubes for cannons, mortars, and tanks

Watervliet Michigan was named after Watervliet New York, where the first settlers to the area in Michigan came from in the 1830s. I can only assume that is how this historic cannon came to stand in the southwestern Michigan town is its connection to the town in New York.

Armistice Day is the day that marked the end of World War I. The armistice was signed between the Allies of World War I and Germany and fighting would stop on the 11th hour, of the 11th day, of the 11th month” in 1918. It is why we celebrate Veteran’s Day on November 11th. Thank you to all the men and women who have served or continue to serve and defend this country and its Constitution. It is your sacrifices and commitment that allow me to continue my pursuit of happiness.

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Sturgeon Point lighthouse and the Legend of the Native American Spirit

Posted on November 10, 2020 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Haunted Places, Lighthouses .


The cape cod style Sturgeon Point lighthouse was built in 1869 after it was determined there needed to be a lighthouse between Tawas and Alpena’s Thunder Bay. The brick tower stands 70 feet tall and has a 3.5 order Fresnel lens that was originally installed at Oswego New York. Sturgeon Point is one of a few lighthouses left on the great lakes still using a Fresnel Lens.

Legend has it if you press your ear to the lighthouse’s tower, you may hear the echoes of a Native American man that fell inside the tower. The story goes that he was ascending the tower when he caught his foot on the cast iron circular staircase, hanging himself upside down. When he died, his soul entered the staircase’s suspension pole. Sometimes visitors can still hear his cries for help.

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