I love driving on 31 past the houses on the bluff overlooking Grand Travers Bay in Petoskey. They are part of the Bay View Association, and I wonder what it is like sitting on the porch looking out over the water. I bet a 100 years ago there must have been a lot of schooners and sailboats that came into Petoskey. I also am sure the vehicle traffic on the road was a lot less than it is today.
If you like my posts it would really mean a lot to me if you Subscribe to Lost In Michigan
[fbcomments]
I saw this old house or school house or whatever it used to be out in the middle of nowhere. It was on a dirt road far from any town but the closest would be Port Hope miles away. I grew up in the big city and whenever I need anything it’s just a few minutes to the store. It would take some getting used to living out in a rural area where the nearest store is miles away by car. I can’t imagine the people who lived in or near this old house. They must have not traveled far from home most of their lives. I imagine it must have been a hard self-reliant life farming in a remote place.
P.S even though a place looks abandoned it is probably owned by someone and on private property. I don’t trespass and take my pics from the road.
I Have lots of good posts coming up from the Thumb area, be sure to Subscribe to Lost In Michigan
[fbcomments]
When I say witch’s ball I am not referring to Professor McGonagall’s keg party with Spud’s MacKenzie doing butter beer shots at Hogwarts. I am talking about a real life marble sphere in Michigan that mysteriously turns on its pedestal. In the back corner of the Memphis Cemetery, South of Memphis Michigan, is an enormous black marble spere that sits atop a granite pedestal. It marks the grave sites of the Miller family. The monument was placed in the cemetery after Eli Miller passed away in 1903. After the sphere mysteriously rotated it was given the moniker of Witch’s Ball by the locals.
Looking at the photo you notice a circle of rough marble on the 2800 pound sphere. That would have been the base when it was carved, and it was placed facing down. Over the years it has moved upward and no one has been able to explain it. Some say it’s from the freeze-thaw cycles but it highly unlikely. And it’s too heavy for someone to push it around by hand. It remains a mystery as to how it rotated.
Some believe the ball has mystical powers and if you look into it, along with your reflection you will see apparitions and other spirits reflecting back at you. Others have said they have heard strange noises coming from the woods behind the cemetery. When I visited I did not see anything unusual. It was a beautiful cemetery with a plethora of ornate old headstones.
If you visit it please be respectful and follow the cemetery rules.
If you like this story and are looking for interesting places in Michigan to visit, check out the Lost In Michigan books on Amazon HERE
If you like my posts it would really mean a lot to me if you Subscribe to Lost In Michigan
Readers have said they like my restaurant reviews, so here is another place I ate at and really enjoyed.
The Village Cheese Shanty located in historic Fishtown is the place to go for some awesome sandwich. If you didn’t already know Fishtown is in the town of Leland in the Leelanau Peninsula. The Village Cheese Shanty next to the Dam Candy Store is a little deceiving. The few times I have been to Fishtown I thought it was just another cheese and wine shop. My son ate there this summer and he made me go back with him because he loved it so much. Inside this little shanty is some of the best sandwiches in the state.
They offer sandwiches on pita, baguettes and pretzel buns. As I waited outside for my order to be made several people walked up to it and looked at the cheese sign and looked inside and said: ” wow, there are a lot of people buying cheese, let’s go to the next place.” What they did not see is the sign that reads ” Sandwiches all day” and that is what everyone inside was ordering. It’s a little like going to the soup nazi, but only friendlier. They do their best to keep the line moving.
They serve what they call a bag lunch which consists of a sandwich, chips or slaw, a pickle, cookie, and a drink. They open in the morning so people heading out to the Manitou Islands can pick up a bag lunch before they get on the ferry.
I got the South Shore sandwich which is: ham, dill Havarti cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion and pesto mayo on a pretzel bun. It was an amazingly delicious sandwich and of course, you would expect the cheese shanty to have superb cheese. Luckily I remembered to take a pic of it even after I had it half eaten. I have a habit of eating something as soon as I get it and forget about the photo.
If you visit Fishtown be sure to pick up a bag lunch from the Village Cheese shop. The nice thing is you can take it with you and eat it later. Someplace like the Grand Traverse Lighthouse or the Woolsey Memorial Airport.
Their website and menu can be found HERE
If you like my posts it would really mean a lot to me if you Subscribe to Lost In Michigan
[fbcomments]
An old train depot stands quietly in a park near the town of Kingston. I stopped to take a photo and that is when I read the sign telling its amazing story. The citizens were proud of their little depot, and were excited when it was completed in 1893. It put the little town on the map now that the train could stop and drop off supplies. Passengers could ride the train to the big city of Caro and beyond. Over time as cars and trucks replaced the need for trains, the little depot was dismantled and stored in a barn near Cass City. A century after it was built, it was discovered sitting in pieces in the barn in 1993. Citizens raised money and had the little depot reconstructed on this site in the park.
Lost In Michigan books are ON SALE this weekend on Amazon 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.
A large stone chimney stands tall marking the spot where the little logging town of Bell once stood. The remains of the town can be found in the Besser Natural Area north of Alpena near Presque Isle. A mile-long hiking trail loops through the area. You can see the remnants of the town along the trail. Besides the chimney, there are a few walls of an old general store and a broken safe lying nearby.
The village grew around the Presque Isle Brick and Lumber Company. The post office opened in 1884 in what I assume was the general store that you find in pieces today. The post office closed in 1911. Eventually, the townspeople moved away and local concrete magnate Jesse Besser purchased the land. He donated it to the state, and it is now the Besser Natural Area open to the public. If you visit be sure to take some bug spray. when I hiked the trail in the spring the mosquitoes were so thick they could have carried me away.
A cemetery for the former village is nearby but I could not find it. if you know where it is please post in the comments, I would greatly appreciate it so I can find it on my next visit.
If you found this story interesting be sure to take a look at the Lost In Michigan books available Amazon HERE
If you rely on Facebook for post updates, I have been using it less since they want me to pay to boost all of my posts, I hope you subscribe to email updates so you won’t miss any new posts,
I saw this old farmhouse north of Horton Bay. I had to stop and take a pic of it. I wonder what its story is. Like a lot of places I see while roaming the backroads, I am left to wondering and will probably never know “the rest of the story” as Paul Harvey would say.
P.S. I take all my photos from a public road and do not trespass
Lost In Michigan calendars are on sale this weekend. you can order them HERE
If you rely on Facebook for post updates, I have been using it less since they want me to pay to boost all of my posts, I hope you subscribe to email updates so you won’t miss any new posts,
[fbcomments]
One of my readers told me about a place hidden behind the Tyrone Memory Gardens Cemetery on White Lake Road Southwest of Fenton. Down in a small valley is the Tyrone Sunken Gardens containing rocks from all fifty states and arranged in a Stonehenge type configuration.
Some of the stones were quarried over 200 years ago and are proudly displayed protruding out of the tall grass.
The rock garden was built in 1930 by Charles Eugene Smith. On the back of the large stone that welcomes visitors he had carved:
After having traveled around the world four different times and visited parts of Europe, Asia, North America, South America, North and South Africa, Austraila and the islands of New Zealand Tasmania, St. Helena, Canary, Fiji, Ceylon, Iceland, Hawaii, Philippine, New Foundland, Faroe and many others and considering the famous rock gardens of Iceland and the sunken gardens of London, England, and Mexico City the most beautiful I contribute this memorial on my memory to this small garden.
I am sure Charles Eugene Smith wanted to inspire other explorers and wayward souls, I am not sure why he located his garden where he did but it is a joy to find. Many rocks have inspiring proverbs and sayings, some by Smith himself. You will have to visit this wonderful little spot to read them for yourself. It is on private property but the last time I visited it was open to the public. If you visit, please be respectful.
I have more info about the gardens in Volume3 of the Lost In Michigan books that are available on Amazon HERE
If you like what I post could you do me a kindness, and subscribe to email updates so you won’t miss any new posts.
Thank you to everyone who commented on my post as to what your favorite college is. I figured it would be mostly MSU and U 0f M, but you guys posted a plethora of different colleges from all around the state. A few people even posted my college, Delta where I went for 7 years. No, I am not a doctor, it took me that long to get my associate’s degree taking classes at night after work.
If you are wondering about the photo, it is of Holmdene Manor at Aquinas College. you can read about its interesting history in my Lost In Michigan book available HERE and now on Amazon HERE
Now to get to the winner, drum roll please, the winner chosen completely at random is Briana Henderson, please email me at mike@huronphoto.com with your address and I will send out your calendars.
If you missed out on this contest be sure to sign up for email updates so you won’t miss the next one.
[fbcomments]
Thank you all so much for taking the time out of your busy day to read my posts. I wish I could send everyone a gift for your kindness but I will send some to a lucky winner. Here is your chance to win a set of Lost In Michigan wall calendars. I will send the winner one of each 12-month wall calendar ( a Lighthouse, Dam and Lost). All you have to do is comment on what your favorite college or university in Michigan is. Please note, I use Facebook for my commenting so you need to have a facebook account to be able to comment. I will choose a winner at random from the comments on this post on Wednesday evening the 26th, Be sure to subscribe to email updates so you will see the post declaring the winner since I will not be able to contact you directly.
P.S. I want to especially thank those of you who purchased a book or calendar, your support really means a lot to me. It helps me do this website.
CLICK HERE to find out more about the Lost In Michigan Calendars and books.
If you have not already subscribed to email updates be sure to do so that way you will get notified of the winner and any new posts
[fbcomments]