November 2020 - Page 3 of 4 - Lost In Michigan

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.

If you love lighthouses I hope you will take a look at my new Lighthouse book HERE

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Good Harbor

Posted on November 9, 2020 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in autumn, General Store, Ghost towns .

The town of Good Harbor once stood along the shores of Lake Michigan between Glen Arbor and Leeland. In the 1860s H. D. Pheatt built a dock in Good Habor Bay to supply passing steamships with firewood. Over the next few decades, a couple of sawmills were built. The town had grown in population and had a hotel, general store, school, and some saloons. The interesting thing is Centerville and Cleveland townships boundary lines ran down the middle of Main Street in Good Harbor. Centerville did not allow saloons, so Good Harbor’s saloon was built on the Cleveland township side of the street.

In1905 the last remaining sawmill caught fire and burned down. Because most of the timber had been cut in the area the sawmill was not rebuilt. in the 1920a the old wood buildings still standing in the empty town were dismantled and the lumber used to build them was sold.

Not far away from where the town once stood, I saw this old building that looks as if it was a store at one time. I am not sure if it was standing in the time that Good Harbor was prosperous, but there is nothing left of the town. This old building is nearby and reminds me of the old sawmill town.

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Lost In Michigan Calendars and T-Shirts are ON SALE

Posted on November 8, 2020 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Uncategorized .

Lost In Michigan wall calendars and T-Shirts are ON SALE at Zazzle.com HERE

Calendars are 50% OFF and T-shirts are 40% OFF with code HOLIDAYGIFTZ at checkout.

Thank you so much to all of my friends and fans who have purchases books, calendars, and shirts over the years. They help me with expenses to do this website. I hope you enjoy reading my daily posts. I have lots more interesting places to visit in Michigan and hope to continue posting about locations for you to visit and learn about.

Safe Travels and Thank you for your support,

Mike Sonnenberg

Almont Society of the New Church

Posted on November 8, 2020 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in autumn, Churches .

This beautiful white chapel stands in a quiet part of the state east of Almont. A historical marker stands in front of it giving some history to this historic little church.

Scottish immigrants from Glascow settled in Berlin Township in 1841. Ten years later, twenty-four of them founded the Almont Society of the New Church. They followed the teachings of Emanuel Swedenborg (1688 – 1772), a Swedish mathematician, philosopher and scientist whose Christian theological writings form the basis of the New Church. In 1875 members donated labor, materials, and money to build this chapel, designed by church member William Morton.

The chapel is now part of The Almont New Church Assembly and Retreat Center.

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Ransom B. Moore House

Posted on November 7, 2020 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in autumn, Houses .

This beautiful victorian era “painted lady” stands on a hill in Romeo. It was built by Ransom B. Moore in 1871. At the time it was constructed, it was the most expensive house in Romeo.

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Morley’s Dam

Posted on November 6, 2020 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Dam .

The small town of Morley is just east of US-131 and north of Howard City. South of the town is a dam on the Littel Muskegon River creating Morley Pond. As far as dams go, it is a pretty looking little dam. The signs on the road next to it tells that it is the Frank Deyo Dam. I am not sure who Frank Deyo is or why the dam is named after him. Anyways, If you are passing through the town of Morley it is not hard to miss the dam near the town.

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Forgotten Truck

Posted on November 5, 2020 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in autumn, Forgotten Places .

This old truck sits along antique alley in the Groen Nature Preserve. It is one of the pieces of equipment left over from the old sawmill town that once stood in the preserve. It looks like it has been a long time since this old truck has hauled anything. I am sure when it was new someone was proud to own it. Looking at today’s trucks it’s hard to imagine there was a time when these old workhorses where hi-tech.

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Pioneer House

Posted on November 4, 2020 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Historic Places, Houses .

I came across the little town of Marilla about 10 miles south of Copemesh. The old school now serves as a township office and museum. Behind it are a couple of historic homes including the Pioneer House. The house was built by Aaron Pepple in the 1870s. It kept his family safe and warm from the harsh Michigan weather and was even used as a stagecoach stop.

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Goodbye Alabaster

Posted on November 3, 2020 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Forgotten Places .

I was traveling down US-23 south of Tawas recently. I got near the area of Alabaster and I looked east toward Lake Huron expecting to see the old loading dock sitting out offshore. I did not see it, but the trees have grown up along the road so I figured maybe I just missed it. I did not think much of it then, but I got to wondering if something had happened to the old historic loading dock. A quick search on the internets showed that it had been demolished over the summer. It was a shock to me. I did not know about it. I took this photo about 5 years ago in the winter and had always planned on trying to get some pics during the summer. I guess that is not going to happen now.

It’s sad that it is gone. I know it did not serve its function of loading ships anymore, but it did have a useful purpose. When people toured the sunrise side of Michigan and saw the old ghostly looking building in Lake Huron it made them wonder “what is that.” I thought the old structure did a fantastic job of piquing people’s curiosity, and making them learn more about Michigan’s history. It’s sad that it is gone and people will travel that stretch of road and not be reminded of days past.

You can read my post about the historic loading dock by clicking HERE

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A Michigan Mail Pouch Barn

Posted on November 2, 2020 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in autumn, Barns and Farms .

This old barn with Mail Pouch Tabacco advertising painted on the side is somewhere near Otter Lake. West Virginia Mail Pouch chewing tobacco company started barn advertising in 1891. Barn owners were paid between $1 and $2 a year for the advertisement or about $20–40 today. Besides money, they received a new coat of paint over the entire barn. Mail Pouch painted their message on one or two sides of the barn and painted the other sides of the barn any color the owner wished. Many of the barns were repainted every few years to maintain the sharp colors of the lettering. By the early 1960s, about 20,000 Mail Pouch barns were spread across 22 states. There are only a few Mail Pouch barns still standing in Michigan. There is a severely faded one in Saginaw County near SVSU and one near Hillsdale.

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