Author Archives: Mike Sonnenberg

Good Hart General Store

Posted on by Posted in General Store .

A journey through the M-119 Tunnel of Trees wouldn’t be truly complete without visiting the Good Hart General Store. Open year-round, it’s the perfect spot to enjoy their renowned pot pies or indulge in some freshly baked cookies during the winter months. Established in 1934, this delightful store maintains its historic charm, making you feel as though you’ve stepped back in time as soon as you walk through the front door.

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Brick Walker Tavern

Posted on by Posted in Historic Places .

Built in 1853, the Brick Walker Tavern stands as a testament to the era of stagecoach travel. Located south of Brooklyn at the junction of US-12 and M-50, it once offered respite to those journeying between Detroit and Chicago. Today, this historic structure has been repurposed as a wedding venue, facing the original Walker Tavern, which is also a preserved as a historic site.

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The Ghost Fleet of Bay City

Posted on by Posted in Ships and Boats .

A stroll along the Vets Park riverwalk in Bay City offers a glimpse into the past, with metal and timber remnants visible in the water. These are the vestiges of ships from the once-thriving Davidson Shipyard, which occupied the park’s southern section. James Davidson founded the company in 1873, overseeing its operations until his passing in 1929. The shipyard succumbed to the economic pressures of the Great Depression, closing its doors a few years later. Abandoned wooden vessels were left moored in the Saginaw River.

In the 1940s and 50s, these ships met a fiery end, burning down to the waterline. The timbers now protruding from the water, when the river level is low, are the remnants of their hulls. From an aerial view, the visible metal components are identifiable as boilers, specifically those of the SHENANDOAH, a ship constructed by Davidson Shipyard in 1894.

Some of the hulls can still be seen on Google maps

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Downtown Michigamme

Posted on by Posted in upper peninsula .

Down town Michigamme. It’s a nifty little town on the shores of Lake Michigamme. M-28 runs next to it and if you don’t turn off the main road you would never know its there. Its a nice stopping point between L’Anse and Marquette.

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The Grice House

Posted on by Posted in Houses, Thumb .

Situated on M-25, just north of Harbor Beach and facing the marina, sits a picturesque fieldstone house constructed by James Grice, an English settler arriving in the 1860s. This historic home, which survived the infamous 1881 fire, now serves as a museum, allowing visitors to step back in time and experience the daily life of past generations.

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Central Mine Ghost Town

Posted on by Posted in Ghost towns, upper peninsula .

located way up in the Keweenaw Peninsula between Calumet and Copper Harbor off US-41 is the former mining town of Central Mine. It was also the name of the company that built the town. The mine was open in the 1850s and closed in the 1890s after the copper ore was depleted. The town at one time had a population of 900 residents. The miners who were mostly immigrants from Cornwall England moved away after The Central Mine turned off the pumps and sealed the shafts. In the 1950s, the last permanent resident in the town of Central Mine abandoned the once booming little town.

The Keweenaw County Historical Society owns 38 acres of the old Central Mine site and town. It operates the visitors center located in a former house. The society has also restored several houses and buildings in the old town. In the summer months, some buildings are open to visitors and decorated with antiques from the period they were built. Its closed up in the winter but it was fun to drive through it and imagine what it must have been like before four wheel drive trucks and snowmobiles.

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The Old Lighthouse and the Big Green Bridge

Posted on by Posted in Lighthouses .

The Mackinaw Point Lighthouse stands along the shore looking at the Big Green Bridge that connects Michgian’s two peninsulas. It rememds me of the childrens book The Little Red Lighthouse and the Great Gray Bridge. Ships may use the bridge for navigation but the old brick lighthouse still stands as a loyal friend watching over the mighty bridge.

If you love lighthouses I hope you will take a look at my book Light From The Birdcage available on Amazon HERE 

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The Flushing Depot

Posted on by Posted in Train Depots .

From its 1888 origins as a passenger depot, serving the community until 1971, the Flushing Depot underwent a dramatic transformation. A short-lived restaurant venture ended abruptly in 1980 when fire ravaged the building. Rescued from ruin in 1984 by the Flushing Area Historical Society, who received it as a donation, the depot was meticulously restored and reborn as the Flushing Area Museum and Cultural Center.

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The Mashek Building

Posted on by Posted in Forgotten Places, upper peninsula .

Along County Road 426 in Marquette County, in the center of the Upper Peninsula, stands an old, dilapidated building that is slowly falling down. It looks as if it was once a general store. According to the map, the location is the town of Mashek. The town was named for George Mashek, the owner of the Mashek Chemical and Iron Company in Escanaba. The company operated in the area and had a general store. I wonder if this old, abandoned building was the company store.

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The Barn Church

Posted on by Posted in Barns and Farms, Churches .

Traveling around Michigan, I have seen a lot of barns and churches but this is the first barn church I have seen. Standing in Troy it was built by William Lakie as a dairy barn in 1912 At one time the electric interurban railway ran past this barn and picked up milk cans gathered from surrounding farms. After the Presbyterian Church purchased the building in 1928, they removed the silo and added a steeple and an appropriate entranceway. Thus the barn was adapted as a church with the hay loft becoming the chancel. The massive yet graceful lines of the former barn, now a Unitarian church is still being used for worship by the Beacon Unitarian Universalist Congregation.

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