Mike Sonnenberg, Author at Lost In Michigan

The Homes of Center Avenue in Bay City

Posted on March 2, 2015 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Houses, Michigan Historical Markers .

Diving down Center avenue in Bay city I feel like I am traveling back in time as I go past the old historic mansions. At either end of the historic district is a Michigan Historical Marker that reads:

Center Avenue presents one of the most spectacular displays of late nineteenth and early twentieth century residential architecture in Michigan. Between 1870 and 1940 Bay City’s prominent citizens favored Center Avenue as “the” place to live. Early in this period lumbermen built lavish residences. After 1900 lumbering declined and the city’s economy diversified. Leaders in the sugar beet, coal, shipbuilding, and other industries built stylish homes that reflected their substantial fortunes. Local architects such as Pratt and Koeppe, Clark and Munger, and Philip Floeter designed many of the buildings. Monumental churches and other public structures, like the Masonic Temple, compliment the residences. Center Avenue is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

here are some of my favorite homes in the district

Henry & Luella Clements House 1890

The sign in front of the home reads:

Henry worked with his father James and brother William at Industrial Works, designers of a rail-mounted shovel and cranes employed at the Chicago Columbian Exposition and the Panama Canal. His house is unusual in Bay City because it is one of the few Queen Anne Style homes built of brick. Instead of ornamental trim, bricks are placed in decorative patterns to accentuate the structure’s shape and composition. The first floor plate window is framed with a distinctive Romanesque arch of rusticated stone, displaying the Victorian tendency to mix styles. In 1913 Hector McKinnon, president of McKinnon Boiler and Machine Co., purchased the house, followed in 1920 by Judge Samuel Houghton, who prepared the charter that united Bay City and West Bay City

James Shearer house 1876

James Shearer was a builder in Bay City and besides building this beautiful home, he built several buildings in Michigan, including the building Mill End which was recently raised to build new condominiums. He also was chosen by the Governor of Michigan in 1871 to supervise the construction of the state capital.

Louis & Nettie Goeschel House 1875

The sign in front of the home reads:

Little is known of John Jones, the original owner of the house. It was sold to the Goeschels in 1887. Louis was a well-known businessman, starting out as grocer and venturing into insurance and foreign travel. He hired Pratt & Koeppe to do major remodeling of the house in 1888. The house remained in the Goeschel family for three generations, passing to daughters and husbands, until 1964: fi rst to Nova G. & Russell S. Eddy (1929), and then to Marion E. & Paul E. Wendland (1947). This beautiful Queen Anne style house was modernized in the 1950s by removing most of the porch and covering the house with aluminum siding. The porch was reconstructed and the siding removed to reveal and restore architectural details in 2006-2008

Fremont Chesbrough House 1889

The construction of the house started in 1889 and took three years to build. The 8975 Sq foot home has 5 stories and a Tiffany Stain glass window which is visible on the first and second floors. Each room has a different wood, White golden mahogany in the front parlor, Cherry and walnut in the second parlor. Fremont and Matilda lived in the house from 1891 to 1916. The lot for the house sold for $3,500 and the total cost of building the home was close to $30,000 and at the time the most expensive home on Center Avenue. Fremont’s brother Francis lived in a wood Victorian home jut one block from Fremont’s home.

Victorian Era Home

I could not find any information on this grand old Victorian Queen Ann home but not knowing its history does not detract from its grandeur. if you know anything about it I would love to know.

If you live near Bay City or Midland Lost In Michigan books are available at Coyer Candle. You can find out more about their locations on their website HERE

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2015 Michigan State Park March Madness Poll

Posted on February 28, 2015 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Michigan State Parks, SP March Madness .

this round is closed see the next round HERE

What’s your favorite State Park, Forest or Scenic Site maybe The Porkies, Belle Isle or Rifle River Recreation Area? There are about a 150 places in Michigan you can camp or visit with your Recreation Passport and I had fun doing this last year, so here we go again for this March. Ludington State park won the tournament in 2014, which park will it be this year? you can see the polls from last year HERE

I broke up the list into 16 random groups. Pick your favorite from each group and we will work it down tournament bracket style to determine the final champion and Michigan’s favorite Park.

Each round will end on Sundays and the winners will be paired up in the next round starting Sunday evening.

Pick one favorite park from each group, the winners will go onto next weeks polls you will view the Current results after you vote.

This round will end Sunday March 8th
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The Haunted Ghost Town of Shelldrake Michigan

Posted on February 15, 2015 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Forgotten Places, Michigan Historical Markers, upper peninsula .

The town of Shelldrake, named after a duck common in the area, is a ghost town about 8 miles south of Whitefish Point, at the mouth of the Shelldrake River (also known as the Betsy River) on Whitefish Bay. In the 1890s and early 1900s, it was a thriving sawmill town during peak logging years on the Tahquamenon River watershed. By the 1920s repeated fires and the decline of lumbering led to its demise. Today it is a privately owned ghost town with only a few weathered, original buildings.

I found stories of the area being haunted by an old sea captain who stands on the dock. He has a pipe and a cape and he is usually seen from the lake, as boats approach the shore, he fades away and disappears. While researching the history of Sheldrake, I found out about the Tugboat Grace which was towing a scow in October of 1879 through whitefish bay headed for Goulais Bay in Canada. During a storm in the early morning, the tugboat broke down and drifted onto a sand bar about 200 feet offshore from Sheldrake. The tug filled with water and broke into pieces. The crew made it to shore, and after climbing the bank to safety the captain proclaimed “Thank God, we are all safe” and then suddenly dropped dead of a heart attack. I wonder if that is the captain that has been seen on the docks.

The Penoyer brothers from Bay City, Michigan began the first lumbering operations on the mouth of the Shelldrake River in 1895 with the construction of a sawmill, long docks, and a tramway into Whitefish Bay for loading lumber onto ships. They owned a large block of pinelands in the Tahquamenon River watershed. The Calumet and Hecla copper mining company bought the sawmill and uncut timber in 1899 for their mines. Calumet and Hecla sold out to a Canadian firm, the Bartlett Brothers, in 1910. Lumber milling continued at Shelldrake until 1925 when a fire burned down the sawmill plant for the second time.

By the late 1890s, Shelldrake had a sawmill, houses for workers that were equipped with bathrooms, a hospital, a schoolhouse, a post office, and an icehouse that could store enough meat to feed a population of 1,000 through the winter months. All of the buildings were plastered and had hot water piped from the sawdust burner. There was a stagecoach between Eckerman, Michigan and Shelldrake daily in the summer and three times a week during the winter. At one time there was also a passenger ship sailing between Shelldrake and Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan.

Shelldrake was listed on Michigan’s Historic Register in 1979 with the period of historical significance designated as 1600–1825. However, Shelldrake did not become settled as a lumber town until the late 1890s. The state marker text reads:
Shelldrake legend has it that Lewis Cass, governor of the Territory of Michigan, and his party of nearly 100 camped here in their search for the source of the Mississippi River in 1820. This area, once a bustling lumbering community, was first settled in the mid-nineteenth century. Shelldrake is now a sleepy resort and hunting place. Few of the weatherbeaten buildings that once faced the long boardwalk remain. This settlement is a reminder of the area’s lumbering era.
Although Shelldrake was sold to private owners during the 1930s,it never developed into a resort or hunting place despite what is recorded on the Michigan historic marker. It is now a privately owned ghost town with only a few weathered, original buildings at the site.

You can kinda see it from the road when your traveling from Paradise to Whitefish Point, but since it’s privately owned be respectful of the owners and don’t go exploring around it. There is a road leading up to it, but I am not sure it was a private road since I was there in the winter time, if it was, I apologize for trespassing. I wanted to get a pic for my Michigan Historical Marker Series, I just snapped a quick pic and left.

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Great Plains Burger Co. Some of the Best Burgers in Michigan

Posted on February 12, 2015 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Bars and Restaurants, Restaurants .

Great Plains Burger Co.
1771 Plymouth Rd.
Ann Arbor, MI 48105
www.greatplainsburger.com

One of my favorite places to get a hamburger is Great Plains Burger Co. in Ann Arbor. It’s one of those places that specializes in making hamburgers and does it extremely well. You place your order at the counter, and they cook patties as you order, so they are fast, fresh and hot when you get them. You have a choice between beef, turkey and black bean. I have had both the beef and the turkey, and either one is grilled to juicy perfection. I like that they give me the healthy options, since I need to be eating healthy, or at least healthier. The buns come from a local Detroit bakery, and are the perfect top and bottom to the patty of your choice. They also have a plethora of toppings to choose from, and you can build your perfect burger.

I think my absolute favorite thing about Great Plains Burger Co, are the unique sauces in the pump thingy over by the fountain pop machine. They have Kentucky bourbon, white BBQ, G. P. Bistro sauce and Caribbean jerk. I wish they would bottle them and sell them but I guess I will just have to keep going back to enjoy them.

They also make some delicious French fries too. Cut from fresh real potatoes and even sweet potatoes. They are the perfect sidekick for the awesome Burger, and they give you plenty of them. My family of four splits a basket of fries. Oh and did I mention the unique Great Plains special sauces, they are great for dipping you fresh made fries into.

For the trifecta of flavor to go along with your burger and fries, they make hand dipped shakes with the milk and ice cream coming from a local dairy. It’s nice to go somewhere and watch someone make a shake and not just stick a cup under a machine and pull a handle to have some brown stuff ooze out of it.

It’s a little ways out of downtown A2, but it’s not to far from us23 and you can take the Plymouth road exit and head west a few miles to get to it quickly so I like to stop there when I am headed along 23 near Ann Arbor.

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Spike’s Keg O Nails in Grayling

Posted on February 5, 2015 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Bars and Restaurants, Restaurants .

Spike’s Keg O’ Nails
on the business loop in Grayling
website www.spikes-grayling.com/

When choosing a place to eat while traveling, sometimes I go by the name of the restaurant to make my decision, and when there is a place called Spikes Keg Of Nails that sounds like a place I have to try. I have been to Grayling several times and for some strange reason I have never eaten there but since a lot of my facebook friends recommended it and it has a cool sounding name I had to try it. You will find them Right in the middle of town on the main drag near the jet (yeah you know what jet I am talking about if you have been to Grayling) and the Au Sable River.

I got a burger and chips, which was way better than your average fast food, but about the same price. I think you can tell a lot about a resturant by the burgers they serve, if they use fresh meat and serve them hot on a good bun then there care about the other items on the menu. This was my first time to Spikes and can only eat so much, but I will have to stop in again and try some more items on the menu, next time I am heading up north There were a plethora of customers when I was there and the service was still fast.

I will definitely take the left handed exit into Grayling and drive past all the chain places on go to Spikes Keg O Nails.

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Dog Central in Mt Pleasant

Posted on January 29, 2015 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Restaurants .

Dog Central

111 East Michigan Mt Pleasant

http://www.dogcentralmp.com/

Since I travel around the state to places I have never been to, or not familiar with, I ask my facebook followers where to eat, and one of the places that was recommended is Dog Central. Located in downtown Mt Pleasant at 111 East Michigan, I first ate there about a year ago and have been back several times since then, it’s my son’s favorite place to eat at when we are in Mt Pleasant.

The menu seems a little overwhelming when you first look at it with all the combinations you can get on a hot dog, they go way beyond your typical catsup and mustard. My favorite is the “Dirty Dog” which is chili cheese and Fritos, another favorite is the “Cowboy Dog” topped with BBQ sauce and onion rings. Then there is the “Mac Daddy Dog” with bacon and macaroni and cheese. To go along with the hot dogs they have some awesome fries and onion rings.

Besides the amazingly good hot dogs, they have some insane eating challenges too. Lets face it, if your gonna have a college town eatery, you need to have something for the students to dare each other into eating, so if you want to become famous for you ability to devour more food than anyone else, then this is the place to do it, even if you fail to eat 3 foot longs a mound of fries and a stack of onion rings at least you had some delicious food to eat.

if you’re in Mt Plesant and you are looking for something good fast and inexpensive for about the same price as many fast food chains then check out Dog Central,

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Brighton Old Town Hall – Michigan Historical Marker

Posted on November 6, 2014 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Library, Michigan Historical Markers .

Settled in 1832 by Maynard Maltby, this community was originally called Ore Creek for the stream that flows through it. In 1838 its name was changed to Brighton. It was incorporated as a village in 1867 and as a city in 1928. In 1878 the village council voted to build this hall. Local contractor James Collett completed it in 1879. The hall originally housed village council offices, a voting room, a jail and a firehouse. Its one-room weekend library grew into the public library that it housed for all but nine years from 1927 to 1981.

Sand Point Sunset at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore

Posted on October 27, 2014 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in upper peninsula .

Lake Superior is slowly taking this old boat at the former Coast Guard Station at Sand Point northeast of Munising, I think the inside was painted red and you can see it’s turning the sand red as it dissolves away from the boat, almost like its blood gushing from a wounded soldier.

Sand point is a beautiful place to watch the sunset, and in the distance is Grand Island, you can see the Grand Island light house from here too. I used a long telephoto lens to get a pic of it, but that’s a photo for different day.

Detroit’s Castle

Posted on October 26, 2014 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Detroit .

This castle that sits near downtown Detroit was the former Eighth Precinct Police Station building located on Grand River Avenue in the Woodbridge Historic District of Detroit, Michigan. It was designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1973 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.

The Eighth Precinct Police Station is the second-oldest police building in Detroit. It was designed by Louis Kamper and built between 1900 and 1901, for a cost of $46,000. The station was originally built as part of the Second Precinct, but in 1910 was renumbered to become part of the Eighth Precinct. Starting in 1954, the Detroit Police Youth Bureau used the station as office space; the buildings were later used by the Detroit Police Personnel Division. In 2013, the building was converted to lofts, as part of the ongoing revitalization of Woodbridge.

Kamper designed the French Renaissance Châteauesque station in two structures connected by an arcade; the main building was used as office space, while the smaller one functioned initially as a carriage house and later as a garage. The station is constructed of limestone on the first floor and brick on the second, and is topped with a side-gable roof. The façade boasts parapet walls and four corner towers with conical roofs.

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Seul Choix Point Lighthouse, is it haunted?

Posted on October 22, 2014 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Historic Places, Lighthouses .

There are Stories that claim the lighthouse is haunted by a lighthouse keeper that served the structure from 1902 until his death In 1910, it is said that he passed away while in the bedroom that is located upstairs. His name was Joseph Willie Townsend. He and his wife resided in the house and was known to enjoy smoking cigars. Unfortunately, his wife was not a huge fan of the smell and smoke associated with the cigars and informed him that he could not smoke them in the house. Since his death, many people have claimed to smell burning cigars in the house. It’s believed that Townsend purposely smokes in the house in the afterlife as his wife cannot forbid it now. People have also claimed to have seen Townsend’s Ghost and that furniture is rearranged. Another strange occurrence is when the table is set and left unattended, then seen later, the forks are turned tine side down, Townsend was known to set his forks down in that position.

Haunted or not, it’s a beautiful lighthouse, and I highly recommend visiting it near the town of Gulliver on Lake Michigan.

If you love lighthouses I hope you will take a look at my new Lighthouse book HERE

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