This beautiful Victorian era house is now home to the Arcadia area history museum. I don’t have a story to go with it other than I think it is a beautiful old house and glad to see it is being used to tell the story of the area.
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Grindstone are scattered through out the small town of Grindstone City at the tip of the Thumb. These stones stand on the breakwater jutting out into Lake Huron,
The history of Grindstone City, Michigan, begins in 1834 when Captain Aaron Peer, forced to take refuge from a storm near Pointe Aux Barques, discovered a unique, highly abrasive gritstone along the shoreline. Recognizing its superior quality, Peer began quarrying and shaping the stone, establishing an industry that would quickly make the settlement the “Grindstone Capital of the World.” This fine-grained Marshall Sandstone was ideal for sharpening and grinding tools, leading to the production of grindstones of all sizes, from small whetstones to massive stones weighing several tons. By the late 19th century, large companies like the Cleveland Stone Company took over operations, and the thriving company town, which once boasted a population of about 1500, exported its famous product internationally via extensive docks extending into Lake Huron and later by rail.
The boom era of Grindstone City was relatively short-lived, as the industry began a sharp decline after World War I. The development of artificial abrasives, particularly carborundum, offered a more economical alternative to natural stone. This new technology, combined with the economic pressures of the Great Depression, ultimately led to the cessation of all quarrying and milling operations by the early 1930s. Today, Grindstone City is a small, unincorporated community and a historic district, with remnants of its industrial past—such as abandoned quarries, stone jetties, and scattered grindstones used as landscape features and monuments—remaining as a testament to its significant role in American commerce and industry.
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This old building stands along the Old Dixie Highway near Norwood south of Charlevoix. The recently added sign over the door reads ANTRIM CITY SCHOOL. It was privately owned but now under the control of the country. It sits on Antrim Creek Natural Area property, and hopefully someday it will be restored.
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The history of Keweenaw County and its seat, Eagle River, began with the copper rush of the 1840s. Following the 1843 purchase of land leases, the region’s economy took off with the 1845 establishment of the Cliff Mine, famously known as “the first great copper mine in the Western Hemisphere.” The promise of wealth attracted numerous German, Cornish, and Irish immigrants, sparking growth that saw Eagle River praised as a “thriving village” by 1846, and later supported industries like the Knivel Brewery (1850) and the Eagle River Fuse Company (1862), which produced twenty-five thousand feet of fuse daily.
In 1861, Keweenaw County was officially separated from Houghton County, making Eagle River the county seat. Just five years later, in 1866, the Keweenaw County Courthouse was designed and constructed by John Sweatt. This simple, rectilinear, clapboard meetinghouse was built for $\$6,578$. In 1925, renovations added a pedimented front porch and Doric columns, transforming the structure into its current Neo-Classical style. The Sheriff’s Residence and jail, also designed by Sweatt, stands on the same site.
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The Blue Slipper, a celebrated institution in Onekama, Michigan, boasts a continuous operational history spanning over 130 years, though its identity has shifted significantly since its presumed construction in the mid-1880s. While known today for its vibrant atmosphere, featuring live music, local brews, and a robust food menu, the building’s past is steeped in local lore. Initially operating as Hansen’s Saloon, it gained lasting notoriety in 1890 when a drunken dispute following the county fair escalated into a fatal shooting. Local troublemaker Seth Aiken attempted to shoot a Deputy Sheriff but instead killed farmer Charles Brown; a bullet hole from this infamous incident remains visible in the bar today, serving as a tangible link to its violent origins.
The establishment continued its colorful existence through the 20th century, rumored to have housed a brothel upstairs during the 1930s, and later transforming into the chaotic “Blue Shoe Zoo” in the 1970s—a local hangout where patrons reportedly rode motorcycles indoors and broke bottles against the walls. After a period of closure, the bar was resurrected in the early 2000s, adopting its current name and structure. Now, The Blue Slipper stands as a quintessential piece of Michigan history, preserving the unique character of its past while serving as a popular and enduring fixture in the Onekama community for both long-time residents and new visitors alike.
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This old building stands in Gould City and now serves as the Newton Township History Museum. I am not sure what the story is with the building, it looks as if it was an old store long ago. Gould City stands off of US-2 between Naubinway and Gulliver. The museum is open on Saturdays, I guess I will have to go back sometime when it is open.
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This historic old mill, now part of the Hemlock Hills On Mill Pond property, stands near Posen, northwest of Alpena.
Its story began with Michael Elowsky, a Prussian immigrant who fled unrest in Eastern Europe in 1862. After settling briefly in Detroit and being joined by his family, he migrated to Presque Isle County around 1870. Utilizing President Lincoln’s Homestead Act of 1865, Elowsky secured land at no cost on the north branch of the Thunder Bay River, near Posen.
He established the mill complex by building a log dam and relocating part of an existing structure from Trout River. Over time, he developed a significant operation encompassing flour, shingle, siding, planing, and lathe milling. This essential complex served the local communities, with residents from Metz, Posen, and Krakow townships bringing their grain and timber to be processed.
A key innovation was introduced by Michael’s son, Emil Elowsky, who, with the help of Thomas Edison, added a generator and electric lights. This allowed the mill to operate continuously, 24 hours a day.
The mill’s operational life concluded at the end of the harvest season in October of 1963. Tragically, a massive spring run-off following a winter of heavy snowfall (1963-1964) caused the original log dam to collapse. This floodwaters also destroyed the family’s sawmill located across the river on the south bank.
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This old schoolhouse stands in the thumb southwest of Columbiaville. Called the Vermilya school It was constructed in 1875. The school closed in 1941 and the students sent to Columbiaville. It looks as if this old schoolhouse has been forgotten and is slowly deteriorating.
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The history of this house near the tip of the Old Mission Peninsula begins with Peter Dougherty, a Presbyterian missionary who arrived in the Grand Traverse Bay area in 1838 to establish a mission for the Ojibwe and Odawa tribes. After initially settling in Elk Rapids, he relocated here at the request of Chief Ahgosa and proceeded to sketch some of the region’s first maps in 1839-1840. Following his marriage to Maria Higgins, Dougherty and local Native Americans constructed this residence, the Dougherty Mission House, in 1842. Beyond providing religious sermons and caring for the sick, Dougherty significantly contributed by translating biblical lessons and scripture into the Anishinaabemowin language, which he published in the mid-1840s. The structure was later renamed the “Old Mission House” in 1852 when the Dougherty family moved to establish a new mission in Omena.
The property entered its next phase in 1861 when it was purchased by Solon Rushmore, who used profits from local fruit crops to remodel parts of the building. Following Solon’s death in 1870, his cousin Duranty Rushmore acquired the estate. Capitalizing on the growing resort industry driven by improved transportation, Duranty began welcoming tourists in 1876, establishing the site as the Rushmore House, an inn that could host up to thirty guests. After Duranty passed away in 1894, his son William and daughter-in-law Minnie continued operating the inn until William’s death in 1916. The house remained in private hands until 1961 when Virginia Larson purchased it from the Rushmore family. In 2006, local citizens bought the property and gifted it to Peninsula Township, leading to its listing on the National Register of Historic Places in 2011.
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The Memphis Cemetery, situated south of Memphis, Michigan, is home to a truly puzzling monument marking the grave sites of the Miller family. At the back corner of the grounds rests an enormous, 2,800-pound black marble sphere set atop a granite pedestal. Erected following Eli Miller’s death in 1903, the monument quickly captured local attention when the massive sphere began to inexplicably turn on its base. This mysterious rotation earned it the enduring local nickname: the “Witch’s Ball.” The physical evidence of this movement is visible in a circle of rough marble on the sphere’s surface; this unpolished area was originally the base when the monument was placed, facing down. Over the years, it has moved significantly upward, demonstrating the complete, unassisted turning of the heavy stone.
The rotation of this 2,800-pound mass defies simple explanation. It is certainly too heavy to be manually pushed or rotated by individuals. While environmental factors, such as freeze-thaw cycles, are often posited for similar phenomena, experts largely discount them as the cause of such substantial and sustained movement in this specific case. Despite decades of observation, no definitive, scientific reason has been established for how the sphere manages to slowly rotate on its pedestal, cementing its status as a genuine local mystery. This persistent enigma is the foundation of the supernatural lore surrounding the monument.
The unsolved movement has naturally fostered a host of local beliefs and superstitions surrounding the Witch’s Ball. Some people claim the sphere holds mystical powers, suggesting that looking into its polished surface may reveal apparitions and spirits reflected back at the viewer. Others have reported hearing strange, unexplained noises emanating from the woods directly behind the cemetery. Though I personally found the cemetery beautiful and quiet during my own visit, filled with ornate old headstones, the enduring legend of the rotating marble sphere ensures that it remains one of the most fascinating and discussed sites in the region. Visitors are, however, always reminded to remain respectful and adhere to all cemetery regulations.
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