Mike Sonnenberg, Author at Lost In Michigan

The Upper Peninsula Pickle Barrel House

Posted on August 11, 2019 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Houses, upper peninsula .

Eccentric people have built interesting looking houses around the county and this Upper Peninsula house is one of the most unique. In downtown Grand Marais is a giant barrel with a long and fascinating history. The Pioneer Cooperage Company of Chicago designed this small vacation cottage, which stood on the shores of nearby Sable Lake from 1926 until about 1937. It was built for William Donahey, creator of the Chicago Tribune cartoon story The Teenie Weenies. The house was constructed as a typical barrel would have been, only on a much larger scale. The main barrel contained a living area on the first floor and a bedroom on the second. A pantry connected this barrel to a smaller single-story one, which housed a kitchen. Donahey spent ten summers at the cottage with his wife, Mary, herself a noted author of children’s books. The structure was then moved to its current site and used as a tourist information center.

Find Interesting locations throughout the Mitten State with a Lost In Michigan book Available on Amazon by clicking HERE

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Onaway Barn and Book Winner

Posted on August 8, 2019 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Barns and Farms .

I like this old barn I saw somewhere near Onaway. I figure it’s an old barn since it has a stone foundation. I wish I had a story to go with it but I don’t, so I figure now is a good time to announce the winner of the Lost In Michigan Vol 2 book giveaway. Congratulations to Jason Smith he was chosen at random from the comments. Please email me at mike@huronphoto.com with your address and I will send out your book.

Thank you to everyone who commented. I wish I could send you all a book but If you want to purchase one they are ON SALE for a few more days on my website HERE or from Amazon HERE

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A Miracle at Peterboro and Park

Posted on August 7, 2019 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in castles, Detroit .

In Midtown Detroit on the corner of Peterboro And Park is the old James Scott mansion. The transformation that has occurred is nothing short of miraculous. It was not divine intervention that restored this historic old building, but good old fashioned hard work and money. If you want to see what it looked like before check out my post about it a couple of years ago HERE

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

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The Old Mill School

Posted on August 5, 2019 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Schools .

Between Romeo and New Haven is this old white schoolhouse in Ray Township. In 1863 Ray area farmers built what became known popularly as Mill School. Kindergarten through eighth grade students attended here until 1953. That year the school district consolidated with Romeo School District and it transferred the property to the township. Elections and community meetings were held in the building for many years. In 1983 the simple Greek Revival-style School became the Ray Township Library.

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The Old Chruch in Frankfort

Posted on August 4, 2019 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Churches .

Standing among the historic homes in Frankfort is this beautiful old historic white church. In 1871 the members of First Congregational Church of Frankfort built this church with its eighty-seven-foot-high steeple on land donated by the Frankfort Land Company. The company’s manager, Eugene B. Frost, was a charter member of the church. Donations from Frankfort residents and a loan from the Congregational Church Building Society financed the $5,000 building cost. The church completed the rear addition, built to house offices and Sunday school classrooms, in 1960.

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The Whaley House

Posted on August 3, 2019 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Houses .

Not far from downtown Flint is the ornate brick house. The historical marker standing in front of it gives some of its history.

The central portion of this handsome Victorian home was built in the late 1850s. Several prominent Flint families lived in it before Robert J. Whaley purchased it in 1884. Whaley a local lumberman and banker, remodeled the house extensively. Three bays, the library alcove and a west-end addition were among the exterior changes. The interior was enhanced by adding ornate woodwork and colorful tiled fireplaces. In 1925, Whaley’s wife endowed the house, making it a home for elderly women. In 1975 it became a public museum.

Robert J. Whaley was born in Castile, New York, in 1840. He moved to Wisconsin with his family in the 1840s, then returned to New York. There he met and married Mary McFarlan of Flint. Whaley and his bride moved to Flint in 1867. Here, he joined his father-in-law in lumbering and later banking. He purchased this gracious structure in 1884. Serving as president of Flint’s Citizens Bank for forty-one years, Whaley was also a trustee for the Michigan Charitable Schools, a Mason, an Elk and a 1912 Democratic candidate for state treasurer. He died in 1922.

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The Timber’s Armour Barn

Posted on August 2, 2019 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.

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The Haunted Wedding Cake House

Posted on August 1, 2019 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Haunted Places, Houses .

One of the first posts I did when I started Lost In Michigan was the Richard C. Burtis house in Watrouseville. It is affectionately called the “Wedding Cake House” by the locals. I never knew this house existed I was just out roaming the back roads in the thumb and came upon it. My discovery has inspired me to keep traveling the back roads looking for other interesting places.

The house was built in1879 for Richard C. Burtis, a shoemaker and one of the area’s most prominent landowners. He built the house as a gift for his wife. The current owners have been working to restore the old house. They have said strange things have been happening in the home since they have lived in it. The house will be featured on an upcoming episode of a Travel Channel show called the Ghost Brothers. You can find out more about the house on their facebook page HERE

Please note the house is not abandoned so please do not trespass

Find Interesting locations throughout the Mitten State with a Lost In Michigan book Available on Amazon by clicking 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.

Lost In Michigan Book Giveaway

Posted on July 31, 2019 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Giveaways .

Here is your chance to win a Lost In Michigan Volume 2 paperback book. It is full of interesting places and their stories. If you are looking for somewhere in the Mitten State to visit that are a little off the beaten path, then I am sure you will love this book. Follow the steps below to enter the contest.

If you want to purchase a book or see a preview they are available on my website HERE or at Amazon HERE

To enter the giveaway complete all three of these tasks

You have to be a subscriber to Lost In Michigan. If you have not subscribed to email notifications you can do it HERE.

Share this post on Facebook by clicking on the Facebook button at the top of this post where it says “Spread The Love” or by cutting and pasting the URL to your Facebook profile.

Comment on this post down below on what your favorite beach in Michigan is. (Note that I use Facebook for comments If you are not able to comment be sure you have a facebook account and are logged in on the device you are using to post comments. )

I will choose a winner from the comments at random, and they will be announced in my post on August 8th. Good Luck and may the odds be in your favor.

P.S. Thank you all so much for taking the time to read my posts and especially to those of you that got a book or two from me. Your support really means a lot to me since it’s my book sales that help me with expenses to do this website.

I hope you subscribe to email updates so you won’t miss any new posts or giveaways,

Finlandia’s Old Main

Posted on July 30, 2019 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Schools, upper peninsula .

When thinking of colleges in the Upper Peninsula many people think of Michigan Tech in Houghton. Across the river is the city of Hancock and Finlandia University. It started out as Soumi College and this building was the first one on campus. The historical marker in front reads:

Suomi College was founded in 1896 by the Finnish Evangelical Church of America. The cornerstone of Old Main, the first building erected at Suomi College, was laid on May 30, 1898. Jacobsville sandstone, quarried at the Portage Entry of the Keweenaw waterway, was brought here by barge, cut and used to construct Old Main. Dedicated on January 21, 1900, It contained a dormitory, kitchen, laundry, classrooms, offices, library, chapel and lounge. The burgeoning college quickly outgrew this building, and in 1901 a frame structure, housing a gym, meeting hall and music center was erected on an adjacent lot. The frame building was demolished when Nikander Hall, named for Suomi’s founder, J. K. Nikander, was constructed in 1939. The hall was designed by the architectural firm of Saarinen and Swanson.

Lost In Michigan books are ON SALE this week, you can order your copy from my website HERE

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