February 2021 - Page 3 of 3 - Lost In Michigan

Benzonia Congregational Church

Posted on February 7, 2021 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Churches .

This beautiful old church which is now used as a history museum stands in the town of Benzonia. It has a rather unique looking steeple and belfry. The marker proudly mounted next to the door reads:

Early in the 1850’s Congregationalists came to this area to found the community of Benzonia and a Christian college. In 1860 the Reverend Charles E. Bailey, a prime figure behind the organization of the community and the college, helped organize the area’s first church with eighteen members. Erected in 1884/87, this Gothic Revival style building served the congregation until 1968. In 1969 the building became the Benzie Area Historic Museum.

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Captain Walker’s Branded Hand

Posted on February 6, 2021 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Cemetery, people .

Near the entrance to Muskegon’s historic Evergreen Cemetery is a monument with the words Captain Walker’s Branded Hand carved into it. It also has a hand with the letters SS carved on it. It is a rather curious stone obelisk and begs the question, Why was his hand branded and what does the SS mean?

In 1799 Jonathan Walker was born in Harwich, Massachusetts where he learned to sail fishing vessels. By the 1830s he moved to Florida and sailed ships as a railroad contractor. Disgusted with slavery in the south he aided several slaves in escaping by sailing them to the British West Indies where slavery had been abolished. On his voyage, Captain Walker became gravely ill. His crew not as adapted to sailing allowed the ship to be captured where Captain walker was taken to prison and chained to the floor in a small dark room for months. After his conviction, he was sentenced to be publicly branded and thrown in prison. Captain Walker had the letters SS branded into his right hand which indicated he was a slave stealer.

After five years in prison, he was released when northern abolitionists paid for his freedom. After his release he toured the northern states giving lectures on the evils of slavery and proudly showed people his branded hand. Eventually, he moved to the Muskegon area where he died in 1878. He was laid to rest in Evergreen Cemetery and a monument was erected in his memory still stands in the entrance proudly showing visitors Captain Walker’s branded hand.

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40 Mile Point Lighthouse

Posted on February 5, 2021 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.

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Factory One

Posted on February 4, 2021 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Historic Places .

In 1886, William Crapo “Billy” Durant and business partner Josiah Dallas Dort leased this building along the Flint River to form the Flint Road Cart Company. Eventually, it became the Durant-Dort Carriage Factory and one of the largest carriage builders in the world.

In the early 1900s, Durant would take control of the Buick Motor Co., and using the Durant-Dort resources he grew the company into one of the most successful auto manufacturers in the country. Durant used Buick’s success to build General Motors in 1908 and as they say “the rest is history”

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Platte Post Office

Posted on February 3, 2021 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Ghost towns .

South of Empire a little ways from M-22, I saw this old red building. Normally, I would not think much of it but I saw the wooden sign that read: PLATTE POST OFFICE 1868-1905. One of the residents of the town was F.B. Van Platten, Maybe that is where the name of the town came from. Today it looks like a rather lonely old building with a big pine tree protecting it. I think Platte was just another Michigan town that faded away when the timber was gone. If not for this sign and old building it would be completely forgotten.

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Beans Bunny

Posted on February 2, 2021 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Grain Elevators .

Today is Groundhog’s Day. I don’t know about a rodent predicting the weather and have never seen a groundhog. I live in Saginaw and I am familiar with a popular bunny in the Steering City. The BEANS bunny has become an unofficial symbol of the city. Along the Saginaw River, the Michigan Bean Co. elevator was the largest bean elevator in the United States. They sold Jackrabbit Beans and had an enormous neon sign mounted on top of the elevator to promote their beans. It has been a while since the old sign has illuminated the skyline in Saginaw, but maybe one day it will shine brightly in the night sky.

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The Lewis School

Posted on February 1, 2021 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Schools .

I have been going through some of my older photos lately since I have not been able to take a road trip in a while. I came across this photo of an old schoolhouse I saw near Kalkaska last winter. Doing a little research I learned that it was the Lewis School built in 1905. I also found out that a young couple is in the process of restoring the old building. You can follow along on their Instagram page here https://www.instagram.com/thelewisschool/

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