Mike Sonnenberg, Author at Lost In Michigan

The Old Cabin on Route 66

Posted on April 20, 2016 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Historic Places .

No, not that route 66, but M66 that runs north and south thru the Lower Peninsula. I saw this old cabin built in 1892 and owned by the Missaukee County Historical Society on M66 between McBain and Lake City. They must have been a hearty bunch of Michigandars to live in northern Michigan way back then. I think I could handle the outdoor plumbing, but I don’t think I would survive without the internet.

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The Old Historic Mansion in Bad Axe

Posted on April 19, 2016 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Houses .

Michigan Governor Albert E. Sleeper (Wikipedia)

So I was traveling thru Bad Axe (one of the best named cities in Michigan, but that’s a post for another day) last summer, and I saw this old mansion boarded up. I thought there has to be some history, or something significant about the house. Thanks to my followers on facebook, after I posted a pic, they told me that was former Michigan governor Albert Sleeper’s Mansion, that was turned into a funeral home that was closed, and now the house sits abandoned . It was a magnificent home, and I think that is what got my attention to photograph it. I hope someone will step up to restore it. The interesting thing is what I learned about about Governor Sleeper and why I am posting this photo today. On this date (April 19^th) in 1917 Governor Sleeper created the Michigan State Troops Permanent Force which became the Michigan State Police. Governor Sleeper also signed the State Parks Act creating the State Park system In 1944, Huron State Park in Caseville, was renamed Albert E. Sleeper State Park in his honor.

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The Bicycle Hospital in Alpena

Posted on April 14, 2016 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Ghost Murals .

I am not sure what a Bicycle Hospital is, and I did not even know Bicycles got sick, but I do love the faded old “Ghost Mural” on the side of this brick building in Alpena. With all of today’s modern technology, like digital LED signs, printed and plastic signage, and websites, I still like a good old fashioned hand painted mural. Oh and by the way, as of right now, the domain name of www.bicyclehospital.com is still available. Maybe someday I can do a Lost In Michigan mural somewhere.

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The Century Old Sanilac County Courthouse

Posted on April 13, 2016 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in courthouses .

I am never really sure which photos to post and when, but then sometimes there are outside forces at work telling me what to post. When I was traveling thru Sandusky on M46 the other day, the sun was shining on the old courthouse, and it was perfect for a photo with the green grass and blue skies. Then this morning I saw this story about the Sanilac County Courthouse turning 100 years old, and since I just took a photo of it, I think today is a good day to share that photo.

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The Castle Like Grand Trunk Depot in Lansing – Michigan Historical Marker

Posted on April 12, 2016 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Michigan Historical Markers, Train Depots .

Constructed in 1902, this castle-like building with its square tower was the Lansing station for the Grand Trunk Western Railroad until 1971. For decades passengers streamed through its doors. Here servicemen left and returned from military duty. Children and adults alike associated this depot with the excitement of travel and vacations. This city’s joys and sorrows were reflected in this rail station; greetings and good-byes were the most vital ingredients. But gradually rail travel ebbed. Renovated as a restaurant in 1972, the building’s exterior remains unchanged. Gerald R. Ford from Michigan, the thirty-eighth president of the United States, dined here during a “whistle-stop” campaign tour on May 15, 1976.

I figured I would post a photo from Lansing today to thank the Lansing State Journal for the really nice article about me, it was really flattering and humbling to read it, if you want to read it you can HERE

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Pewabic Pottery in Detroit – Michigan Historical Marker

Posted on April 9, 2016 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Michigan Historical Markers .

In 1903 Mary Chase Perry (Stratton) and Horace Caulkins founded Pewabic Pottery in a stable near downtown Detroit. Four years later, the present building was constructed a pottery works in the style of an English inn. Pewabic Pottery was part of the early twentieth-century Arts and Crafts design movement, which shunned machine-made products and championed the return of craftsmanship. Pewabics handmade ceramic wares became famous nationwide for their quality and brilliant, iridescent glazes. The companys architectural tiles were used in numerous public and private buildings including Detroits Guardian Building and the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington D.C. Pewabic Pottery is a National Historic Landmark.

Mary Chase Perry was born in 1867 in Hancock, Michigan. By age ten she had moved to Detroit. She studied china painting and sculpture at the Cincinnati Art Academy from 1888 tom 1890. In 1903 Perry co-founded a pottery in Detroit and named it Pewabic after the Upper Peninsula copper mine near Hancock. She later married architect William B. Stratton, who designed the Pewabic Pottery building. During her prolific career, Perry developed new, iridescent pottery glazes, taught and wrote widely about ceramics, and was awarded honorary degrees from the University of Michigan and Wayne State University. She died in 1961 at age ninety-four. Pewabic Pottery celebrated its centennial in 2003.

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The Michigan Bean Elevator in Henderson

Posted on April 6, 2016 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Grain Elevators .

I like this old Michigan Bean Elevator in Henderson. I especially like the old “Ghost Mural” of the Jack Rabbit Beans Logo, that’s probably because I am from Saginaw.

A few miles north of Owosso a post office with the name of Hazel Green was opened on May 14, 1868. Later in 1876 the village was renamed to Henderson and named after John Henderson who built and operated a store there in 1868.

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The Old Farmhouse In The Snow

Posted on April 5, 2016 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Forgotten Places, Houses .

I came across this old farmhouse in Presque Isle County standing silently in the snow drifted field. I wonder what it must have been like years ago to farm in northern Michigan being several miles from a large city. During the winter back in the days before four wheel drive trucks and snowmobiles a family must have depended on their house to survive the harsh Michigan winter. and while we are talking about the family that lived there, I bet they took their crops to this mill

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Aquinas Collage – Michigan Historical Marker

Posted on April 2, 2016 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Michigan Historical Markers .

Aquinas College in Grand Rapids had its beginning in 1887 as the Novitiate Normal School of the Dominican Sisters of Marywood. In 1922 it became Marywood College. When the college was moved downtown in 1931, it became the coeducational Catholic Junior College. It began operating as a four-year college in 1940 and was named in honor of the great medieval theologian and philosopher, St. Thomas Aquinas. Aquinas is primarily a liberal arts college. It was moved to its current campus, the former Lowe estate, in 1945. The campus is also home to Holmdene Hall which is rumored to be haunted, you can read about it HERE

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The James Scott Castle in Detroit

Posted on March 31, 2016 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Detroit, Forgotten Places .

This is the James Scott residence on the corner of Peterboro and Park in the Midtown District in Detroit. James Scott’s father also named James Scott was a prominent businessman in Detroit and when he died in the 1870’s he gave a large fortune to his son. He built this house in 1887, but from what I read Mr. Scott was not the most well-respected person in Detroit. When he built his house he wanted to purchase the property south of his, when the owner would not sell it to him he built a giant wall to block the sun from reaching his neighbor’s house, that is supposedly why the south wall has no windows.

when he died in 1910 he left the city $200,000. to build a fountain and stipulated that there needs to be a statue of him. Many of the citizens did not want to build the fountain because of the stipulation and felt he was not worthy of a statue. Some pointed out that he apparently never worked a day in his life and was best known for the time he spent in downtown bars. eventually, it was decided to spend his money and expand Belle Isle and build a fountain.

the home eventually was converted into apartments then suffered from a fire in the ’70s and was left abandoned, A developer is in the process of converting it into condominiums. you can read about it HERE. I am looking forward to getting an “after” photo of the restoration to go with this “before” pic from a few years ago.

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