Mike Sonnenberg, Author at Lost In Michigan

I Think I Have A Serious Problem

Posted on September 12, 2016 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Houses .

I was going thru some of my old photos, and I cam across this pic of this old house, or shack, or whatever it was, but I don’t remember even taking this photo. It was in with my photos from Cross Village and Levering, so it must be somewhere around there. I take a lot of photos, and I mean a lot, I can usually remember taking all the photos I have crated, but It’s rather strange that I don’t remember this one, maybe the aliens did it.

P.S. thank you for reading my posts and following me on my journeys around Michigan, even if I am loosing my mind.

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The Continental Fire Company

Posted on September 10, 2016 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Fire Houses, upper peninsula .

The Continental Fire Company organized in 1860 in Houghton built their new fire hall in 1883 and occupied the basement, which housed horses, and the main floor, which stored fire engines. Village offices were on the second floor. The Michigan Mining School, now Michigan Technological University, held its first classes on the second floor and in the basement from 1886 through May 1889. In the early 1900s, the building was extended to the north to store more oats and hay for the horses. In 1916, an addition was built on the western side to store two more fire engines.

The city moved its offices out of the fire hall in the 1930s. On August 5, 1966, a bronze plaque was unveiled commemorating the building as the original home of the university. In 1974, the fire department moved to a new, more centrally located fire hall along Sharon Avenue in order to accommodate larger modern equipment. The fire bell was removed in October 1975 and transferred to the new location.

The fire hall was listed as a Michigan State Historic Site on August 6, 1976.In 1978, the university purchased the building from the city to use as storage.It was sold in 2010 to a private group who renovated it into an entertainment venue, called the Continental Fire Co., which opened in February 2012.

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Ingham County Courthouse – Michigan Historical Marker

Posted on September 8, 2016 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in courthouses, Michigan Historical Markers .

Named for Samuel Ingham, Secretary of the Treasury under Andrew Jackson, Ingham County was organized in 1838. In 1840 Mason became the county seat. The town’s wide public square had been designed as the county’s political and business center. The first county offices were on the sides of the square until 1858, when a courthouse was built at this location. The present building, completed in 1904, was described as a “temple of justice.” Governor Fred Warner, speaking at the dedication, called it “a meeting place for farmers, mechanics, business and professional men.” The courthouse has been the center of Ingham County’s activities throughout the twentieth century. In 1971 the building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.

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The Remarkable Thing About The Clarkston Union

Posted on September 6, 2016 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Churches, Restaurants .

I was watching Diners Drive Inns and Dives with Guy Fieri, and Bob Ritchie took him to the Clarkston Union Bar and Kitchen. The food was really good, well actually better than good, it was “off the hook” as Guy would say, but the remarkable thing about the Clarkston Union, is the fact that it’s in an old Church built in the 1840’s. Traveling around the state, I see many Churches that are empty, I would not say abandoned, but they are no longer being used, and I like it when I see a church that is re-purposed, to use a current buzzword.

The interior of the old church is enthralling with the sunlight coming thru the stained glass windows, and the old pews are converted into seating for the tables and booths. An old bingo board hangs on the wall, and where the altar was is the kitchen preparing foods that are like a religious experience to eat.

They are most well known for their mac and cheese, and the crispy toasty layer on top is to die for, I guess what better place then an old church. If you really want to kick it up to the next level, you can get the mac and cheese with ham or lobster. It will probably be busy when your there, but it’s not a problem if you have to wait for a table, since they have a general store next door to the restaurant, and you can do some shopping while you wait.

P.S. I don’t plan on doing many restaurant reviews on Lost In Michigan ( there are people way better than me that do them already) but I do like old churches and history, and I hope more entrepreneurs will consider converting old churches, schools and old buildings into beloved places in the community instead of them being left forgotten.

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10 Hours or No Sawdust

Posted on September 5, 2016 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Michigan Historical Markers .

When Bay City’s sawmills opened in 1885, mill owners notified workers that wages would be 12 to 25 percent lower than in 1884. On July 6, 1885, Bay City millhands began to walk off the job. Their slogan, “Ten Hours or No Sawdust,” represented the demand for a ten-hour day, higher wages, and semimonthly pay. On July 9, 1885, D.C. Blinn, editor of Bay City’s Labor Vindicator and a member of the Knights of Labor, held a rally at Bay City’s Madison Park. After the rally, millhands left by barge for Saginaw, where they closed the mills the next day. The demands of the millhands were rejected, and the sporadic violence that followed led the mayors of Bay City and Saginaw to seek help from the state militia and private detectives.

On July 19, 1885, Governor Russell A. Alger, a wealthy lumberman came to Bay City to attempt to resolve the strike that had closed Bay City and Saginaw mills. From the steps of the Frazer Hotel, across the street from this site, he spoke to a crowd of millhands, warning against further violence. On July 29, Terence V. Powderly, Grand Master of the Knights of Labor, came to the valley. He urged the millhands to return to work with a ten-hour day and reduced wages. Nevertheless, the strike continued for several weeks, with support from the people of Bay City. The mill owners, however, remained intransigent, and by late September the strikers were defeated. The ten-hour workday went into effect on September 15, 1885, by an act of the state legislature, but wages remained low.

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The Michigan School For the Deaf – Michigan Historical Marker

Posted on September 3, 2016 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Houses, Michigan Historical Markers .

The Superintendent’s Cottage, completed in 1890, is the oldest building on the campus of the Michigan School for the Deaf. With the exception of the masonry work, the cottage was built almost entirely by male students. In addition, students made the furniture for the house in the school’s shops. The building reflects the craftsmanship of the boys who studied under instructors Edwin Barton and James Foss. Student labor saved the state money while preparing the boys for future employment. Construction of the cottage began during an 1880s diphtheria epidemic when faculty housing was reorganized to make room hospital space. Beginning with Francis Clarke and his family, who lived in the house from 1892 to 1913, every superintendent has resided in the cottage.

In 1848 the Michigan legislature established the Michigan Asylum for Educating the Deaf and Dumb and the blind. Flint was selected as the site for the new institution. The first student arrived on February 6, 1854. After the School for the Blind opened in Lansing in 1880, the Flint facility began serving only deaf children. The curriculum, which combined academics and practical training. emphasized “market gardening and general farming.” Boys studied carpentry, printing, tailoring and farming, while girls learned the sciences of cooking, sewing, darning and patching. The schools mission was to educate deaf children so that they “may earn a living … may have culture enough to enjoy that living … (and) may be fitted for citizenship.

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The Old Forgotten Mineral Range Railroad Depot

Posted on September 1, 2016 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Forgotten Places, Train Depots, upper peninsula .

The old train station in Calumet looks rather sad and lonely, even the tracks are gone. It’s like a lighthouse with no shoreline to protect. After it was built in 1908, by the Mineral Range Railroad, I imagine many passengers and minors, ( not children, but they guys working in the copper mines, which you probably knew that) came into this once grand old station in copper country. The mines closed permanently after the strike in 1968, and it was not much longer after that the station was sold off and now it sits today wondering when a train with a load of passengers is gonna stop by.

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The Story of North Grove School

Posted on August 31, 2016 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Forgotten Places, Schools .

I got a call last week from Andrew at the Tuscola County Advertiser after seeing my photos of the old North Grove School that sits empty between Caro and Mayville. He was writing a story about it, and wanted to know what I knew about the school, and why I took a photo of it. Sadly, I did not know any of the history of the school, but I took a photo of it because it looked like something that needed some love and attention. Thanks to Andrew I do know the history of the school, and if you want to read his article you can do it HERE

P.S. I love it when I post a pic and I get ” the rest of the story” as Paul Harvey would say.

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Where Faygo Comes From

Posted on August 30, 2016 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Detroit .

I was roaming around Detroit getting pics of old fire houses when I came upon the Faygo Bottling Plant on Gratiot Ave. I took a pic of it with no intention of ever posting it but I figure since Labor Day is coming up why not post a pic of a plant in Detroit that’s not abandoned. I love buying stuff made in Michigan and I like seeing where its made, my kids always get annoyed with my when we are driving somewhere and I point out different factories like Flint Truck and Bus ” that’s where the trucks are built” or the Jiffy Mix mill in Chelsea “that’s where the cornbread comes from” I wish I could point out more places where things are made instead of ” used to be built”

What are your favorite Michigan Products? I would love to know in the comments below

P.S. In case you don’t hear from me before then, have a safe and relaxing Labor Day Weekend, and thank you for following me and reading my posts.

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The Old Farmhouse Near Holly

Posted on August 29, 2016 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Forgotten Places, Houses .

Traveling the back roads near Holly, I found this old farmhouse. It has watched that pine tree grow up over the years, and now the pine trees is still standing there, watching over the old house. Like most of the old houses I photograph, I don’t know anything about it, but I had to stop and take a photo.

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