April 2023 - Lost In Michigan

The Barn in Bridgeport

Posted on April 28, 2023 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Barns and Farms .

The Hartley Barn is a historic barn located in the Bridgeport Historical Village in Bridgeport, Michigan. It was built in Kawkawlin between 1881 and 1885 by Henry Jones on a land grant signed by President Ulysses S. Grant. The farm passed to the Hartley family in the early 1900s and was used until the 1960s when the Bridgeport Players acquired the barn from Charles Hartley to use as a community theater and dance hall . The barn was moved to its current location in 1975 and restored. It is now maintained by the Bridgeport Historical Society and open to the public for tours and special events.

FYI: I will be giving a presentation at the Bridgeport Public Library on Wednesday May 3rd, at 6pm. Admission is free and if you live in the area I hope you are able to attend.

Lakeview’s Jail Cell

Posted on April 25, 2023 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Historic Places .

The town of Lakeview stands along the shores of Tamarack Lake in central Michigan. It is there that you will find the Lakeview Area Museum. Next to the building is an old metal cage with faded red paint that was once a jail cell. It has two cots and I could only imagine what it would be like to be imprisoned in the confined cage for any length of time The museum was not open when I saw the old jail cell to learn more about it so I guess I will have to stop by some other time.

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 Siscowet

I took a recent trip through Escanaba and looked for an old friend. For years the old Chicago fireboat the Joseph Medill sat on land near downtown. I liked it so much it is on the cover of volume 2 of my book series. Sadly it was cut up for scrap a few years ago. Now a different boat sits on land. The Siscowet, sits near the location where the old fireboat sat. I am not sure what it’s fate is, but it looks lonely sitting up on dry land.

P.S. If you are wondering a siscowet is the name of a lake trout.

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

Lost in Silverwood

Posted on April 18, 2023 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in small towns, Thumb .

O.K., I wasn’t really lost in Silverwood, that would be hard to do since there are only a few streets in the town. The town sits in the Thumb between Mayville and Marlette. I found this building that looks like and old school house or a church, or probably both. There is an old store in town that I have tried to get a pic of a few times, but every time I am in Silverwood there was a truck parked in front of it, oh well, maybe on the next trip.

When the railroad was ran through the area in 1882, the residents applied for a post office. One suggested naming it something easy to remember, and the post office named “Easy” opened on April 13, 1882, with James R. Chapin as the first postmaster. The name changed to “Rollo” on March 27, 1890, and changed again on May 2, 1892 to “Silverwood”, after the nearby stands of white pine. For what it’s worth, I like the name Silverwood, it sounds like something from a Clint Eastwood western.

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 Water Tower in Elsie

Posted on April 14, 2023 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in small towns .

I am not sure why but I like water towers, especially the old ones. Almost every town has one, and they usually have the name of the town painted on them. that must be an interesting job to pain water towers, but I digress. I really like this old tower in Elsie. The name of the town was derived from the first born child in the town, which was Elsie Tillotson in 1857. Her father was the first postmaster.

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 Broken Schoolhouse

Posted on April 10, 2023 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Forgotten Places, Schools .

I saw this old building near Ashland. I think it was a schoolhouse at one time. It looks as if a meteorite struck it like the truck in Men In Black. Most likely it was the unforgiving Michigan snow that has broken the back of this old structure.

“Education is what remains after one has forgotten what one has learned in school.” Albert Einstein

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

Our Lady Of The Woods Shrine

Posted on April 7, 2023 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Churches .

The Our Lady of the Woods Shrine at St Mary’s Catholic Church in Mio was constructed by Rev. Hubert Rakowski between 1953 and 1955 with the support of the local community. The sacred place has statues of four apparitions of Mary, They are the Lourdes, Fatima, Guadalupe, and LaSalette.

The mountainous structure made of stone includes several grottos and niches. The grounds are open year round and the landscaping in the summer is breathtaking. The shrine welcomes visitors of all faiths and if you are ever in the area I highly recommend stopping to see this beautiful place in northern Michigan.

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 Whitney House

Posted on April 5, 2023 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Detroit, Houses .

Before Michigan became the automobile capitol of the world, creating wealthy men like Henry Ford and the Dodge Brothers, timber brought vast wealth to many lumber barons. Among them, David Whitney Jr. was one of the most affluent. Already successful in the lumbering business in Massachusetts, he moved to Detroit in 1857 when he was 27 years old. He expanded his operations throughout the Midwest and was popular among the social elite in Detroit. Whitney enjoyed spending time at the Detroit Athletic Club on Woodward Avenue.

In 1890, he began construction of an extravagant home near the club. He had pink jasper stone shipped from South Dakota to accent the exterior. The fifty two rooms inside were trimmed with the finest wood and hand crafted with exquisite detail. The stained glass windows were made by Tiffany’s and are priceless today. The home also contains the first elevator in a private residence in Detroit. After four years of construction, David Whitney Jr. and his wife moved into their new mansion. Six years later at the turn of the century, Mr. Whitney died. His widow, Sara, lived in the home until her death in 1917.

The Whitney family remained owners of the grand house but allowed the Wayne County Medical Society to use the home and the Visiting Nurses Association remodeled the carriage house. The home worked well as a medical center since Wayne State University was nearby which worked with doctors and nurses in training. In 1941, the Whitney family donated the house to the medical society which used it until they built a new facility in 1956. The Visiting Nurses Association used the home for their offices until 1979. Upon learning the home could possibly face demolition, entrepreneur Richard Kughn purchased the historic home.

He spent three million dollars renovating the home, and converted it into a restaurant called The Whitney. Patrons and staff at the restaurant began to witness strange occurrences. One of the most common is the elevator mysteriously moving on its own. Others have said that they have seen a well dressed man looking out the window before suddenly vanishing. Some believe the mysterious man is the spirit of David Whitney Jr. who still resides in the magnificent home. The third floor bar has been given the moniker of Ghost Bar, because of the unusual phenomena witnessed.

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 Small Town of Palms

Posted on April 3, 2023 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in small towns, Thumb .

This old concrete building stands next to the railroad tracks in Palms. I am not sure what it was orginally used for but it looks as if it has been a long time since it was utilized.

You could possibly call Palms a ghost town but a few people still live in the small town located in the Thumb between Cass City and Lake Huron. I figured a name like palms it was named after the palm tree but as any astute Michigander will tell you there are no palm trees in Michigan. The village was settled in 1850 by Canadians John Smith & Michael Dyer. It was businessman Francis Palms who owned most of the land for timber, and when he brought the railroad to the little community in 1881 they named the town in his honor.

Palms owned the most land in Michigan in the mid-1800s in both the Lower and Upper Peninsulas. After harvesting the timber he sold the land but retained the mineral rights. He made a fortune off the copper that was discovered under the property he once owned. He was the president of the Michigan Stove Company and vice president of the Detroit, Mackinac and Marquette Railroad. At the time of his death, his estate and savings were worth over ten million dollars. The largest estate in Michigan at the time.

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