Author Archives: Mike Sonnenberg

The Hull and the Lighthouse

Posted on by Posted in Lighthouses, Ships and Boats .

The decaying wooden hull of the Bernice D sits on the grounds of the Sturgeon Point Lighthouse. The 30 foot long wooden boat was built in 1915. It was a fishing boat powered by a gasoline engine. It was abandoned in 1981 and sits on display near the lighthouse. I wonder how many times the fisherman used the lighthouse as a guide while they were out on Lake Huron. Now the hull of the Bernice D sits in retirement under the watchful tower of the lighthouse.

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

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The Old Rugged Cross

Posted on by Posted in Uncategorized .

About five miles north of Reed City next to S210th Ave is an old wooden cross with the words THE OLD RUGGED CROSS attached to it.  The cross was erected in 1954 and stands on the property that was once home to Reverend George Bennard. He was a composer and preacher and is best known for composing the famous hymn, “The Old Rugged Cross”.  He wrote it in while living in Albion Michigan in 1912. Rev. Bennard retired to Reed City where he died in 1958 at the age of 85.

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The Douglas House

Posted on by Posted in Historic Places .

The Small town of Lovells sits along the North Branch of the AuSable River between Grayling and Lewiston. A stones throw away, or more like a fishing cast away, from the river is a brown lodge with yellow trim. The historic building was originally built by Thomas E. Douglas and named the Douglas House. He constructed a sawmill and general store in the logging community of Lovells around 1898. He erected a new store in 1903 after fire destroyed the first one, and in 1916 he built a hotel addition named the Douglas House. Electricity generated in his mill illuminated the twenty guest rooms and lavish common spaces. From the beginning, the hotel headquartered the North Branch Outing Club, a popular sportsmen’s club, which drew members like Henry and Edsel Ford, John and Horace Dodge, and Charles Nash. Douglas’s daughter, Margaret, ran the hotel until 1971. She continued to live in the Douglas House until 1991.

In 1996 the property reopened as a bed and breakfast, continuing to provide lodging to hunting and fishing enthusiasts. In 2001 the Douglas House was designated a state historic site by the state of Michigan, and In 2002 it was listed is on the national register of Historic Places. The North Branch Outing Club still offers world class fly fishing guides.

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The Old Van Buren Township Hall

Posted on by Posted in Historic Places, Iconic Buildings .

This brick building stands in Downtown Belleville east of Ypsilanti. Van Buren Township was organized out of Huron Township by an act of the Legislative Council of the Territory of Michigan in 1835. Township business was conducted from homes until this building was completed in 1875. The original plans called for a one-story structure; however, shortly after construction began, the local Grange offered to pay for a second story to be used for its meetings. In a special election, township voters accepted the proposal. As the Grange declined in popularity, the second floor became a community meeting hall. For a short time during the 1930s, the basement served as a jail. In 1952 the Grange relinquished its portion to the township. The building served as the township hall until 1959.

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Rosenberg School

Posted on by Posted in Schools .

This old schoolhouse sits a few miles northwest of Reed City. From what I found on the internet is that it was the Rosenberg Schoolhouse. It looks as if it ha been a long time since any students learned their three R’s in it. I wonder if that massive pine tree that stands next to it was a little sapling when the school was built. Like the schools students it is all grown up.

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Big Rock

Posted on by Posted in Ghost towns .

It is said that when an iceberg is floating in the ocean you can only see about ten percent of it sticking out of the water. That is the case for the giant boulder that is sticking out of the ground in northern Michigan. No one knows for sure how large the “big rock” is that protrudes from the ground, but it can be seen on M-32 between Gaylord and Atlanta. At on time a lumbering community was settled around it and was given the name Big Rock for obvious reasons. Nothing remains from the old sawmill town but the rock and a couple of signs describing it.

If you want to know more about Michigan ghost towns I hope you will take a look at my new book on Amazon HERE 

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Udell Fire Tower

Posted on by Posted in Forgotten Places, Nature .

At one time Michigan had several lookout towers for rangers to watch the forests for fires. The Udell Lookout Tower is the only remining lookout tower still standing in the Lower Peninsula. It reaches 100 feet into the sky and was constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in 1936. It was used until the 1960s when airplanes were used to spot forest fires. The first set of stairs has been removed and no one is allowed to climb the tower but it is nifty to look up at it and wonder what it must have been like to sit up there all day looking for signs of smoke. You can get to the tower from M-55 down Fire Tower Rd.

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The Fieldstone Sanitarium

Posted on by Posted in Iconic Buildings, small towns .

This old fieldstone building stands in the small town of Elwell west of Alma. Built by Dr. Charles H. MacLachlan it was known as the MacLachlan Sanitarium. Dr. MacLachlan was born in Canada and studied in Cincinnati and came to Elwell in the 1880s. He was an early proponent of “physiological therapeutics,” a treatment of chronic diseases without the use of medication. He built a small wooden building to treat patients in 1883 and about two decades later in 1908 he added the two story fieldstone building.

The MacLachlan Sanitarium in 1912

Dr. MacLachlan  treated chronic diseases such as tuberculosis, rheumatism, and nerve and skin diseases. The building was also used as a local hospital. After the doctor’s death in 1920 the Sanitorium Closed. After that, it was used as a boardinghouse, bar, restaurant, dancehall, and private residence. I am not sure what it is used for today but it still stands as a reminder of one doctor’s compassion to treat patients in a rural community. It was designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1981 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.

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The Odd Fellows Hall

Posted on by Posted in Uncategorized .

A while back I took a photo of this old building in Pequaming in the Upper Peninsula. I thought it might have been a general store, but I was mistaken. While doing research for my recent Lost In Michigan Ghost Town book, I came across a photo titled Pequaming Odd Fellow Hall.

I recognized the building Instantly, The front porch has changed but the arched front window on the front and the windows on the side matched the building that still stands today. The Independent Order of Odd Fellows (IOOF) is a non-political, non-sectarian international fraternal order like the Masons. At one time the town of Peqauming was owned by Ford and had several employees to operate the sawmill located there. The hall must have been a popular place to hang out and socialize in. Today it sits empty and is a reminder of a time when automobile bodies were made of wood.

I hope you will take a look at my new Michigan Ghost Town book available on Amazon HERE 

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Camp Sauble

Posted on by Posted in Forgotten Places, Haunted Places .

A few miles east of the town of Free Soil is a large building surrounded by a fence topped with barbed wire. The words CAMP SAUBLE  are above the front door. It was part of the Michigan state prison system and was a camp for troubled youth. It was constructed in 1960 and closed in 2005. It is currently being used as a haunted attraction in the fall.

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