May 2021 - Page 2 of 3 - Lost In Michigan

Michigan’s Circus Train Disaster

Posted on May 20, 2021 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Cemetery, Train Depots .

On August 6th, 1903, the Wallace Bros. Circus’s two trains traveled from Charlotte Michigan to Lapeer. The first train stopped in Durand at 8:30 in the morning and put up a red signal to alert the second train. When the engineer applied the brakes they failed and realizing a collision was inevitable, the engineer and fireman jumped from the locomotive. The train crashed into the rear of the first train with tremendous force killing 22 men sleeping in the rear railroad car. Four other men would die at the hospital. Several animals died from the collision and were buried at the site. Many of the bodies were so badly disfigured they were not recognizable and unable to be identified. Ten of the unknown corpses were buried at Lovejoy Cemetery a few miles south of Durand. A stone obelisk was erected and carved on it the words.

In Memory of the Unknown Dead. Who Lost Their Lives in the RAILROAD WRECK of the GREAT WALLACE SHOWS August 6, 1903

Lost In Michigan books are ON SALE this weekend on Amazon HERE

Thank you for Subscribing to Lost In Michigan, If you have not subscribed yet, It would mean a lot to me if you did.

St Anthony’s Rock

Posted on May 19, 2021 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in upper peninsula .

Behind the shops in downtown St. Ignace is a large rock named St. Anthony’s Rock. The massive rock was formed millions of years ago and is a now-landlocked sea stack or sea chimney, geologically similar to several features on Mackinac Island, such as Arch Rock or Sugar Loaf. As with nearby Castle Rock. Legend has it the rock was named by Father Louis Hennepin while exploring the great lakes in 1679 on La Salle’s boat the Griffon. It is believed the rock was named for Saint Anthony of Padua. In the late 1880s, the rock became a popular tourist attraction as the railroad bringing tourists to the area wound its way past the large rock.

Thank you for Subscribing to Lost In Michigan, If you have not subscribed yet, It would mean a lot to me if you did.

Mail Pouch Barn

Posted on May 18, 2021 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Barns and Farms .

This old barn with a faded Mail Pouch mural sits outside of Hillsdale. Advertising for tobacco products is taboo these days but these old barn murals are nostalgic. You can see a pic of a different mail pouch barn HERE

Thank you for Subscribing to Lost In Michigan, If you have not subscribed yet, It would mean a lot to me if you did.

The Kalamazoo House

Posted on May 17, 2021 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Houses .

Kalamazoo has a plethora of large Victorian-era homes, but this house nestled among the buildings in downtown stands out. It was slated for demolition in the 80s to make way for a parking ramp. Fortunately, it was restored by Lou and Annette Conti and converted into a bed and breakfast known as the Kalamazoo House. The home was built in 1878 for the family of David Lilienfeld, a wealthy German immigrant. He and his brother owned the D. Lilienfeld & Brothers Cigar Company. In 1932 it was converted into a funeral parlor until its date with the wrecking ball. Thankfully it was saved. I am sure I would not have stopped to take a photo of a parking ramp.

Thank you for Subscribing to Lost In Michigan, If you have not subscribed yet, It would mean a lot to me if you did.

Bethel Church

Posted on May 16, 2021 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Churches .

This beautiful stone church stands among the farmland between Manchester and Ann Arbor. The historical marker in front of it tells an amazing story and reads:

In 1840 the Reverend Friedrich Schmid of Ann Arbor organized the Evangelical German Bethel Congregation in Freedom Township. Schmid, a missionary pastor originally from Basel, Switzerland, frequently traveled to the township and held services in the Kuebler District School, one mile east of here. In 1849 Johannes and Louis Strieter deeded one acre of land to the congregation. Church members built a log church on the lot where they worshipped until 1857 when a frame building replaced it. That church stood just west of here. The church served until 1909 when the present structure was dedicated. Services were conducted only in German until 1926 when English was introduced into the Sunday school. German services officially ended in 1955. Today Bethel Church is a member of the United Church of Christ.

This Gothic Revival-style church, designed and built by Charles A. Sauer and Company of Ann Arbor, was dedicated on December 18, 1909. The Manchester Enterprise boasted that it was “one of the most complete church edifices in the state.” Earlier that year the congregation had agreed to build a new church of native granite. The church was constructed of fieldstone gathered by local farmers and then shaped, given a rock-face finish and laid by the masons in random ashlar form. The square belfry contains a two thousand-pound bell from the previous church, made by the Buckeye Bell Foundry in Cincinnati, Ohio. The stained glass windows were made by the Detroit Stained Glass Company. In 1965 the education wing was constructed.

Thank you for Subscribing to Lost In Michigan, If you have not subscribed yet, It would mean a lot to me if you did.

The Heather House

Posted on May 15, 2021 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Houses .

Michigan has some beautiful Queen Anne Victorian-style houses and the Heather House is one of the finest in the state. Located in Marine City on Main Street it looks out at the St. Clare River watching the enormous steel freighters passing by. Construction of the home was finished in 1885 by retired ship’s captain William Sauber who emigrated to Marine City from Germany. He worked in the shipyards and became general manager of the Marine Sugar Co. I can imagine him sitting on the front porch watching the freighters going by and longing for the days sailing on the Great Lakes.

Lost In Michigan books are ON SALE this weekend on Amazon HERE

Thank you for Subscribing to Lost In Michigan, If you have not subscribed yet, It would mean a lot to me if you did.

Summit School

Posted on May 14, 2021 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Schools .

This old brick schoolhouse stands alongside the road south of Ludington. The stone above the door reads: School District No. 3 1913 Summit Tp. It looks as if it has been a while since pupils were taught in this century-old building, But I am thinking it has not been abandoned since it has a new roof.

Thank you for Subscribing to Lost In Michigan, If you have not subscribed yet, It would mean a lot to me if you did.

Armour’s Barn

Posted on May 13, 2021 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Barns and Farms .

In the Timbers Recreation Area on North Long Lake Road about 10 miles west of Traverse City sits this beautiful old brown barn. The area’s approximately 240 acres are open to hikers, but it once belonged to a family that owned one of America’s iconic brands.

The Timbers was a resort on Long Lake when Lola Armour vacationed there in 1919 and fell in love with the property. She and her husband J. Ogden Armour, owner of the Armour Meat Packing Company, purchased it that summer. They removed many of the original buildings and constructed a mansion, a lodge, a dormitory, cottages for the superintendent, chauffeur and secretary, two barns, and a boathouse on the lake.

J. Ogden Armour died in 1927, but Lola kept the property until 1945 when she sold the property because she was no longer able to travel to it. Eventually, the property was sold in sections with the home being sold off and The Girl Scouts purchasing 238 acres in 1962, which became the Timbers Girl Scout Camp.

Recently the Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy and Long Lake Township purchased the property for public use. Hiking trails throughout the property meander through the forests and fields, and along the old barn and some building from the former estate. The mansion and adjacent property are still privately owned and closed to the public.

By the way, If you want to visit this historic barn Moomers Ice Cream is just down the road.

Thank you for Subscribing to Lost In Michigan, If you have not subscribed yet, It would mean a lot to me if you did.

The Bottle House

Posted on May 12, 2021 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Houses .

John J. Makinen, Sr., (1871 – 1942) built this house in the small town of Kaleva using over 60,000 pop bottles, most of which came from his business, the Northwestern Bottling Works. The bottles were laid on their sides with the bottom ends to the exterior. A native of Finland, Makinen moved to the area in 1903. He completed the house in 1941, Unfortunately, he died before his family moved into it. In 1980 the building was purchased by the Kaleva Historical Society, which renovated it to house the Kaleva Historical Museum.

Thank you for subscribing to email notifications so you won’t miss any new posts.

The Carriage House on the Underground Railroad

Posted on May 11, 2021 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Barns and Farms .

This barn-like building was a carriage house built by the Bonine family. It stands across the street from a large house they built not far from Vandalia. The Bonines were instrumental in helping slaves searching for freedom along the Underground Railroad. Underground Railroad Society of Cass County (URSCC) Purchased the home and carriage house in 2010 and have been restoring them. You can see my post about the home HERE and learn more about the URSCC HERE

Thank you for Subscribing to Lost In Michigan, If you have not subscribed yet, It would mean a lot to me if you did.

« Previous Page