I saw this empty old church standing in the farmland west of Hastings. I am sure it has been a long time since this wooden chapel has had an Easter service or any services. I can only imagine all the weddings, baptisms, and funerals this old church has seen.
Please note, I only take pics from the road and do not trespass.
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What seems like the middle of nowhere near the southern border of Michigan is an ornate Queen Ann mansion. Ezra A. Beardsley was born in Monroe, Connecticut in 1839. He manufactured hats in Younkers New York. In 1870, he moved to Michigan and purchased 650 acres of land North of Bronson. In 1874 he was married to Florence A. Holmes. In 1887 he built the 15 room mansion where his wife and their two children raised race horses. Ezra died in 1916 and Florence in 1924. Their two children who never married lived in the house until their deaths in the 1960s. The house sold and over the years became weathered and dilapidated by the harsh Michigan weather. Some say the old home was haunted by the spirits of the Beardsley family. In 2010 a retired physician began restoring the old Beardsley house and five years later after countless hours of work the restored home was added to the National Register of Historic Places. The house is part of Ancestral Acres Lodge and rented out of social events and wedding receptions. You can see more photos of the house before and after the restoration at their website HERE.
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I came across this old boarded-up building in Albion. Knows as the Austin School, at the time of its construction in 1911, it was Albion’s first “modern” school. By the 1960s newer schools with better facilities were built. Because the Austin School did not have a gymnasium or an auditorium the school closed in 1968. It was used as offices for the district for a time but now sits empty.
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I like posting photos of churches around Michigan since in many places churches are central to the community, it’s where people are married, baptized, and remembered at the end of their life. When I posted a photo of St. Stephens church in Hamburg the historical Marker said it was the oldest church building still operating in Michigan. But it got me to do some research to find out what the oldest church in Michigan is. When I found Ste Anne de D’etroit and read it’s history it struck me how important this church is, not only to the local community, but to the state of Michigan.
founded July 26, 1701, Ste. Anne’s original church was the first building constructed in Fort Pontchartrain du Détroit, which later grew into the city of Detroit. Ste Anne’s is the second oldest continuously operating Roman Catholic parish in the United States with parish records dating back to 1704. From 1833 to 1844, Ste. Anne’s was the Cathedral Church for the diocese of Michigan and the Northwest. The church also has the oldest stained glass in Detroit.
In the Early 1800s Father Gabriel Richards, started a school that evolved into the University of Michigan. Started the First newspaper The Michigan Essay or Impartial Observer. From 1823 to 1825 Richard was Michigan Territory’s delegate to the United States Congress. As a delegate, he was instrumental in gaining support for the Territorial Road, which linked Detroit and Chicago
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This steam powered locomotive sits in Sportsmans Park in East Jordan. It was relocated by truck to the park from downtown in 2017. The locomotive pulled train cars for the East Jordan & Southern Railroad. It was started in 1901 to haul logs to sawmills in Bellaire. After the timber was gone it hauled material for the East Jordan Ironworks. By 1962 the foundry no longer used the railroad and the rail line ended. The old locomotive is spending its retirement in Sportsmans Park.
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A few miles south of L’Anse is Powerhouse Falls. Aptly named for the old abandoned powerhouse that is next to the falls. If you turn on west onto Dam Road and go down it about a mile it winds around to a parking lot for the falls. I have visited it before and always tried to get pics of the falls without the building but then I realized it’s the old building that makes these falls unique. It’s worth a stop if you are in the area since it’s not far out of the way if you are traveling down U.S.-41.
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I saw this nice looking red barn next to the road somewhere near Morely. I don’t have a story or any history to go with it for this post. I just thought it was a nice barn and made for a pretty picture.
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It is that time of year when the snow is gone and it will be a while until the trees have green leaves. March and April is always a challenging time of year for me. Nature is dormant and it makes it difficult to take nice looking happy photographs. My favorite time of year is when Autumn leaves are at their peak color. Early spring is my least favorite. At least in the winter fresh white snow hides the leaves that have died and fallen to the ground. I still like to travel and explore but I tend to post pics that are black and white since nature is mostly devoid of color.
This pic is from the old Port Crescent Cemetery hidden in the woods not far from the state park near Port Austin. I am looking forward to spring flowers but we gotta get through the April Showers first. Thank you for taking the time to read my posts and I hope you enjoy them even if the next few weeks are gonna be a little drab and dreary.
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Traveling around the Great Lakes State I visit a lot of historic and iconic places and landmarks. On occasion, I come across these round disks about 4 inches in diameter. They are survey markers placed by government agencies such as USGS, the Coast Guard, or NOAA. The markers, also called benchmarks, have the name of the location, a number, and some other information engraved into them. I have found them near lighthouses like this one at the Marquette Lighthouse. I am no expert in them but I believe they are used by surveyors as a reference point. It is one of those things that after you find a few of them you start noticing them more and more. Like the one in the Sacred Rock ( click HERE ) I also found a marker at the summit of Bundy Hill. ( you can see my post HERE)
I enjoy finding these survey markers by happenstance, but if you want to go out and look for survey markers you can find their location on this website HERE
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The scenic drive of M-22 passes through the little town of Onekema. About a mile off M-22 down Portage Point road is a stone structure with water flowing out of it. This artesian well flows all year long. The natural spring stands next to the road and has a little parking spot next to it. The spring is a great place for travelers to stop for a drink of refreshing natural water and the pipe makes it easy to fill up a water jug or two.
Not far from this spring is another natural spring called Old Faceful, you can see my post about it HERE
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