The Old Grain Elevator in Avoca between Imlay City and Port Huron. The town was founded in 1884 and named after the Avoca river valley in Ireland. It had a train station at one time, but it’s gone now, and the old elevator has not seen a train in some time. The town is the northern end of the Wadhams to Avoca rail trail.
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This old wooden church that stands in Muir has an interesting connection to an American President. The history marker next to it tells it unique story and reads:
In 1856 the Reverend Isaac Errett organized Disciples of Christ congregations in Montrose (present-day Muir) and Lyons. Membership grew quickly, and in 1861 this church was built to serve Muir. The board-and-batten Gothic Revival exterior masks a simple meetinghouse interior. In 1881 Errett was the principal speaker at the funeral of his friend President James A. Garfield, who visited Muir in 1862. The Muir Church of Christ is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
It is amazing the things you can learn by reading historical markers.
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The big red Lighthouse that proudly stands at the entrance to the harbor was built in 1865. It is now maintained by the Marquette Maritime Museum which also gives tours of the historic lighthouse. On different occasions, tour guides and visitors have seen a ghost of a little girl wearing a 1910s style dress. Sometimes she is seen staring out of the window over Lake Superior or on the catwalk around the Lantern. She seems to like showing her spirit to women and other children.
There was no reported death of a little girl at the lighthouse, however, there was a young daughter of a keeper who was badly injured when she fell on the rocks at the shoreline. Interestingly it happened shortly after the turn of the century. I don’t know if the lighthouse is haunted, but strangely a lot of lighthouse keepers have resigned their duties abruptly while serving at the big red lighthouse. Be sure to check it out next time you are in Marquette.
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This historic town hall sits in Tyrone Township south of Fenton. The historical marker on the front reads:
Tyrone Township was settled in 1834, and Joseph M. Becker was elected as the first township supervisor in 1838. Township meetings were held in the homes of the townsfolk until 1887, when this hall was erected on Hartland Road at a cost of $640. Locally referred to as the town house, it served as a gathering place for township business, elections, and 4H activities until a new hall was constructed in 1967. In 1975, as a bicentennial project, the town house was relocated, restored and rededicated on this site.
The township recently built a new township hall and the historical society is working on moving the historic building to a new site. You can see more on their website HERE
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This old mill sits near Saranac. It is all that remains of the old town of Waterville. In 1836 Robert Hilton from Grand Rapids purchased the large tract of land and platted a village he named Waterville. Hilton believed the town would prosper from people visiting it as they traveled along the Grand River Turnpike. To help the little town prosper he gave land to James Hoag to build a mill. In 1838 Hoag opened his mill and store and it became the post office for Waterville. Unfortunately, the turnpike never came through the little town and about a year after the post office opened it was moved to Saranac. The old mill with its whimsically painted boards covering the windows still stands as a reminder of the short lived town of Waterville. Hoag continued living in Waterville and ran his mill until a tree fell on him and killed him in 1851.
Please note: I do not give the exact location of the mill because it is privately owned. If you do know where it is please be respectful and do not trespass.
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This old courthouse stands in the middle of Bellaire, the historical marker in front of it tells a little bit of its history and reads:
The first pioneers of Antrim County settled along Grand Traverse Bay near Elk Rapids in the 1850s. Later settlers moved inland, and urged that the county seat be transferred from the bay shore closer to the geographical center of the county. After a close election in 1879, Keno, later named Bellaire, became the new county seat. Thus began a bitter controversy which was appealed to the state Supreme Court and lasted for twenty-five years. Although the courthouse square was purchased as early as 1879 the county building was not constructed until 1904-05 after another vote. Designed by Jens C. Peterson, and built by Waterman and Price, the courthouse cost $30,000.
If you are near Mancelona which is close to Bellaire, Lost In Michigan books are available at Rooted. A Michigan products gift shop next to the Iron Skillet Restaurant. You can get a good meal at the restaurant and pick up a copy of Lost In Michigan. You can find more about Rooted at their website by clicking HERE You can find the website for the Iron Skillet HERE
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This sandstone house sits just outside of downtown Ionia. It’s hard to miss when driving through town and the historical marker in front tells the story of the house and the man who built it.
John Celsus Blanchard (1822 – 1905) epitomized the American “self-made man.” He left his home in Cayuga County, New York, at the age of fourteen for the western frontier. Blanchard worked as a laborer in Detroit, Livingston and Shiawassee Counties before walking sixty miles to the U.S. Land Office at Ionia. Using $50 of the $53 he had saved, he purchased forty acres of land in 1837. Two years later he began “reading the law” as a student in the law offices of Roof and Bell in Lyons. His appointment as Ionia County prosecuting attorney in 1850 began a distinguished public career. That year Blanchard and his wife, Harriet, moved to Ionia where they devoted themselves to civic affairs and became generous benefactors to churches and schools, including Albion College.
The brick walls of this substantial Italianate House are veneered with variegated sandstone selected by John Blanchard from the Ionia Sandstone Quarry, which he co-owned. The house stands where the Blanchard’s first Ionia home was located. In 1880 they moved that house to the back of the lot and began constructing this elegant residence, completed in 1881. The house looks much as it did when Blanchard’s lived here and retains many original interior features, such as brass chandeliers, faux marble fireplaces and walnut shutters. In 1974 the Ionia County Historical Society purchased the house. The Blanchard House is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
The one thing that has intrigued me is that fact that it has two front doors. A set of double doors and a single door. I am wondering if that is the door to his office. I did a little research but could not find the answer online. If you know what the extra door is used for please post a comment below.
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This castle-like gate is at the entrance to Elm Lawn Cemetery in Bay City. It was built in the 1890s at a time when cemeteries were built to be more of a park like setting and people would come a relax while spending time visiting deceased relatives and loved ones. Several of Bay City’s early prominent residents are laid to rest at Elm Lawn including several lumber barons and a few U.S. Congressmen.
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Standing along the Lake Michigan Shoreline is a small lighthouse tower. It is located near the boat launch in Empire in memory of Robert H. Manning. He was born in 1927, and lived in Empire his entire life. He was an avid fisherman and would stay out after the sun had set. He would tell his friends and family how nice it would be for the town of Empire to have a lighthouse to guide people back to shore. After he died in 1989, his family and friends raised funds and built a lighthouse in his memory near the boat launch at Empire Village Park. The lighthouse was illuminated in Manning’s memory, and the Coast Guard recognizes it as a private aid to navigation. What could be a more wonderful way to remember a loved one, than building a lighthouse that shines a light in the darkness guiding others to safety.
If you love lighthouses I hope you will take a look at my new Lighthouse book HERE
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This large home is located in the middle of Alma. Called Saravilla, this mansion was built in 1894, originally as an enticement for Sara Wright to stay near her father, local businessman Ammi Wright, after marriage. It has been used as a Masonic Home, a retirement home and for the past few decades it has been a bed and breakfast.
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