Mike Sonnenberg, Author at Lost In Michigan

Lost In Michigan Presentation in Burt

Posted on April 19, 2018 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in presentations .

I will be at the Burt Opera House on April 26th at 7:00pm giving a presentation sharing some of my stories from southern Saginaw County and also from my travels around the state. The event is hosted by the Taymouth Township Historical Society and if you are wondering Burt is about 5 miles west of Birch Run between I-75 and M-13 If you purchased a book and you would like me to autograph it for you please bring it with you and I would be happy to sign it. I will also have books available for purchase if you would like to buy one. If you are in the area I hope you will come out and listen to my presentation. If you have been to one of my other presentations I will be showing different photos than I have in the past so it will be different than the other ones.

When: Thursday Night April 26th at 7:00 pm

Where: Burt Opera House
12888 Nichols Rd
Burt, Michigan 48417

Admission is $5 with all the money going to the Toymouth Township Historical society to help with restoration efforts.

The Little Old Farmhouse

Posted on April 18, 2018 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Houses .

I was traveling around the east side of the state and I came across this little old farmhouse somewhere between Twining and Au Gres. I gave a presentation to Mrs. Bayn’s photography classes at Tawas High School and I took the long way home to see what I could find. I saw this old house and thought it was interesting enough to take a photo of it.

P.S. I was looking forward to going up to Tawas in April figuring spring would have sprung, but I was wrong, it was more like winter.

I hope you will subscribe to email updates. Since Facebook prioritizes your friends a family they will not show you many of my posts, I promise I won’t email you a bunch of junk email, it’s only to notify you of a new post which will be two or three times a week.

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Michigan Towns to Visit On Your Next Road Trip

Posted on April 15, 2018 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in small towns .

If you have lived in Michigan for a while you have probably been to some of the most popular tourist towns like Mackinaw City, Frankenmuth, and Petoskey. Traveling around the state I have found many wonderful little towns that you will enjoy visiting if you are looking for someplace different.

Newaygo

Nestled at the south end of the Huron Manistee National Forest Newaygo is a historic little town with quaint little shops and a variety of restaurants. Be sure to visit the Newaygo Brewing Co. in the heart of Downtown.

Manchester

West of Ann Arbor next to the River Raisin sits the historic town of Manchester. The town is busy throughout the summer with its many festivals, a canoe race in May and a Chicken Broil serving over 14,000 chicken dinners in one day. You can also visit the historic Sharon Mills which is not far away.

Owosso

Located near the Center of the Lower Peninsula Owosso is a perfect location for a day trip from many large cities in southern Michigan. There is a plethora of shopping and restaurants in downtown. You can also walk across a suspension bridge over the Shiawassee River and see the magnificent Curwood Castle which is now a museum open on the weekend.

Rockford

North of Grand Rapids, Rockford is the perfect place to get away from the big city. You can go for a walk on the boardwalk along the Rouge River which runs next to the downtown area. Or you can stroll along the blocks of stores and restaurants in Downtown. Whenever I am near Rockford I have to stop and get a coney dog from the Corner Bar.I am looking forward to it being re-opened this summer after the devistating fire.

Lexington

Lexington is located on the shoreline of Lake Huron north of Port Huron and is a little-known gem on the east side of the state. It’s an Idyllic little town and a great place to get away from the hustle and bustle of the big city. You can enjoy listening to music in the park on Friday nights in the summer or at many of the local bars and pubs. You can stay down the street at the Lexington State Park or in many of the local Bed and Breakfasts in the area.

Alden

Next to the beautiful crystal clear waters of Torch Lake is the town of Alden. It’s a wonderful place to go if you want to get away from the busy streets of Traverse City. The biggest attraction is the Alden Mill House full of specialty blends of spices and seasonings. If you are looking for a quiet little town in Northern Michigan for a place to relax and get a bite to eat you need to visit Alden.

Frankfort

Frankfort is one of the bigger towns on my list but I think it gets overshadowed by Traverse City and Ludington. Located on Lake Michigan, Frankfort is the perfect place to go shopping for the day and relax at one if it’s fine dining establishments and at the end of the day you can take in a sunset over the lighthouse while sitting on a beautiful sandy beach.

Mason

Mason is located south of Lansing and is your classic Midwestern town with a town square and a beautiful courthouse in the middle of it. Surrounding the courthouse is a variety of antique and gift shops and you can satisfy your hunger at one of the local restaurants.

If you have never visited one of the towns on this list I hope you will adventure out and explore someplace new. You will be surprised at what you will find and may find a new favorite place to visit.

If you are looking for interesting places in Michigan to visit check out my Lost In Michigan book full of locations from around the Mitten State. Books are ON SALE on Amazon HERE

The Haunted Eagle Harbor Lighthouse

Posted on April 14, 2018 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Lighthouses .

I love visiting the Eagle Harbor Lighthouse in the Keweenaw Peninsula standing tall along the rocky shoreline. I was visiting it with my family and the volunteers are wonderful people. They told my kids stories of the lighthouse being haunted and my kids were mesmerized. They told a story about a Coast Guard lighthouse keeper in the 1970s reporting many strange happenings at Eagle Harbor. He saw a faceless man in a plaid flannel shirt, the sounds of moving furniture and heavy footsteps on the second floor and lights turning on and off. If you are ever in the Keweenaw Peninsula this is a must not miss location.

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

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Lost In Michigan Books Are ON SALE

Posted on April 12, 2018 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Uncategorized .

Lost In Michigan books are ON SALE until Monday, April 15th. I have a limited supply in stock so if you want one before they are gone now is a great time to get one. you can order your book from my website HERE

They are also available on Amazon HERE

Thank you so much to everyone for your support of Lost In Michigan. I have received several wonderful comments on my book. I have also been asked when the next one will be available. I am working on it now and hopefully I will have it finished in time for publishing sometime this summer.

Aitkin Memorial Library

Posted on April 8, 2018 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Library .

“A library is like an island in the middle of a vast sea of ignorance, particularly if the library is very tall and the surrounding area has been flooded.” Lemony Snicket

This week is Library week and I am grateful to the libraries in Michigan as a vast source of knowledge and information. I use my local library a lot and the Michigan Library Melcat system to get books from around the state. When I was in Croswell I thought the William H. Aitkin Memorial Library is a beautiful brick library and I got a pic of it. I found out later that William H. Aitkin was a prominent banker and state senator representing Sanilac County in 1909.

P.S. I am giving away a Lost In Michigan book on my Camp Michigan Facebook page Here https://www.facebook.com/CampMichigan.org/?ref=bookmarks

I hope you will subscribe to email updates since facebook prioritizes your friends a family they will not show you many of my posts, I promise I won’t email you a bunch of junk email, it’s only to notify you of a new post which will be two or three times a week.

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The Haunted Page House

Posted on March 15, 2018 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Haunted Places, Houses .

Narcissa Page (or Paige since I have seen it spelled both ways), owner of the Page House hotel in St. Louis, built this mansion in 1884. Her contractor, Mr. Leach, built Col. Elwell’s “castle” down Delaware Street at the same time. you can see my post about it HERE I read somewhere that the tower on the house was built so Narcissa could see her hotel from it. Mrs. Page’s daughter Lillian lived with her and she married George Charles who owned a drug store downtown and built the Charles Building. Sadly George passed away at an early age of 44 and soon after Lillian’s mother died at the age of 80 years old leaving Lillian to live in the house alone for almost 50 years.

People think there is a tombstone in front of the house, but it is actually a carriage stone with the name Page on it. A carriage stone served as a stepping stone to help passengers as they climbed in and out of carriages and were popular back in the horse and buggy days of the 19th century.

There are stories of the house being haunted and Susan Wood who lived in the house with her family was kind enough to message me about living there. She told that she never felt the house was “haunted” but she felt that Lillian’s spirit was still present in the house. “Locked doors opened and closed on their own, things would come up missing only to found in a totally random place a few days later, you could hear her moving up and down the massive staircase as the steps would creak.” The house has been vacant for years and the neighbors have said they have seen a woman in the window and have heard piano music come from inside the house.

as far as I know, the house is still privately owned, so please do not trespass and be respectful, I know I should not have to say it, but a few people out there don’t think very well and do stupid things.

You can read about other Interesting locations in the Mitten State with a Lost In Michigan book Available HERE or on Amazon HERE

The Historic St Mary Stone Church

Posted on March 11, 2018 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Churches, Michigan Historical Markers .

I love buildings and houses built with fieldstones. I think they are a reflection of the area since many of the stones are collected from the area and this beautiful old church in Manchester is no exception. A historic marker giving its history stands in front of it and reads:

The first Catholic church in the Manchester area was built by German settlers in Freedom Township in 1839 and dedicated to Saint Francis de Borgia. In 1863 Father Edward Van Lauwe was appointed pastor of Saint Dominic in Clinton, and Manchester was one of his missions. In 1870 thirty-five Irish families built the Church of the Assumption on Macomb Street in Manchester. Father Edwin Fisher, pastor of Clinton and its missions, became the resident pastor in Manchester if 1909. In 1911 local craftsmen built this Neo-Gothic inspired church from fieldstones collected by farmers and salvaged from the foundation of the hotel that had stood on the site. It was dedicated in January 1912. Father Fisher designed the church and erected similar fieldstone churches at his missions in Blissfield, Tecumseh, and Brooklyn.

Lost In Michigan books are currently on sale at Amazon HERE

I hope you will subscribe to email updates since facebook prioritizes your friends a family they will not show you many of my posts, I promise I won’t email you a bunch of junk email, it’s only an email to notify you of a new post which will be two or three times a week.

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The Dam Road

Posted on March 7, 2018 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Dam .

I was out exploring the southern part of the Huron-Manistee National Forest for my www.campmichigan.org website on a dreary and foggy day when I came upon the Hardy Dam. If you have followed me for a while you know that I like taking dam photos but I did not realize you can drive across the Hardy Dam. It was a long narrow road with a concrete wall on one side and a guardrail on the other. I was thankful there wasn’t a large truck coming the other way. I need to go back on a nice day and get some more dam photos. I have driven down a lot of different roads in Michigan in this was one of the most interesting ones I have driven on. If you are wondering, no one was behind me so I stopped the jeep for a second and took this pic.

P.S. if you want to know more about my Camp Michigan website Click HERE or follow my Camp Michigan facebook page HERE

I hope you will subscribe to email updates since facebook prioritizes your friends a family they will not show you many of my posts, I promise I won’t email you a bunch of junk email, it’s only an email to notify you of a new post which will be two or three times a week.

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The New Two Story Outhouse

Posted on March 1, 2018 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Historic Places, Iconic Buildings .

If you have followed my website or read my book you probably know about the two-story outhouse in Cedar Lake. I was traveling near it recently so I decided to drive by and see how the old privy was doing. I was shocked as I came upon the location to see a new two-story outhouse standing tall and proud on the lot where the original one once stood. If you look to the left of the outhouse you can see a small structure behind a tree and that is all that remains of the original historic two-story outhouse. Last time I was there the house that stood in front of the old privy was destroyed by fire and was a burned pile of rubble. I learned from the Vestaburg Historical Society facebook page that someone recently purchased the lot and built the new outhouse in honor of its historic past.

Lost In Michigan books are ON SALE this week you can order your copy HERE

Want to win a Lost In Michigan Book? to find out how CLICK HERE

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