Author Archives: Mike Sonnenberg

A little Bit of Hawaii in Michigan

Posted on by Posted in Houses .

This unique looking house sits near the center of Marshall. It was built by Abner Pratt, a former chief justice of the Michigan Supreme Court. Under President James Buchanan he served as United States Consul to Hawaii. After returning from the Hawaiian Islands in 1860 he built this palace-like home in Marshall to look like the homes on the islands of Hawaii. The home is now a museum maintained by the Marshall Historical Society.

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Columbia Crossroads

Posted on by Posted in Schools, Thumb .

A few miles south of Unionville is an old schoolhouse. Above the door is the lettering 1909 Columbia Dist. No. 2. Most of the old schools I find have the date when they were constructed, but I have never seen the date when they closed. I am not sure when this old schoolhouse last taught children inside its brick walls. However, I did find out that the school was part of a small town called Columbia Corners.  The community started in 1854 and it had a post office from 1879 until 1903. Not much of the town exists today, but I wonder how many kids learned to read and write in the little schoolhouse.

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The Paige House

Posted on by Posted in Houses .

This beautiful old brick house sits in St Louis. It was built in 1884 by Narcissa Paige the owner of the Paige House hotel in St. Louis.  Narcissa could see her hotel from the windows in the tower. Her daughter daughter Lillian lived with her, and she married George Charles who owned a drug store downtown. Sadly George passed away at an early age of 44, and soon after Narcissa died at the age of 80 years old, leaving Lillian to live in the house alone for almost 50 years. They say their spirits still reside in the home that they loved. I am not sure about that but it is a beautiful old house and is currently being renovated.

One more thing. Happy Valentine’s Day. Thank you for taking the time to read my posts. I do my best to post things that you will enjoy seeing in your e-mail.

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The Forgotten Town and the Church

Posted on by Posted in Churches, Ghost towns .

St John Lutheran church bay city

This old brick church stands among the farm fields between Freeland and Bay City. A few modern houses and this old church are all that stand in the area of the old town of Amelith. Frederick Koch purchased two thousand acres of the former Saginaw Bay Chippewa Reserve at $1.25 an acre. In 1851 the first settlers arrived from the Bavarian town of Tosstel. In 1894 the town was given a post office and at one time the town included a coal mine, and a cheese factory, along with stores, mills, and saloons. By 1900 the mine had closed and immigration had ceased and the post office closed in 1904.

A historical mark proudly was proudly erected in front of the historic church and reads:

German missionary Pastor Ferdinand Sievers organized St. John Church in June 1852 to serve a colony of German migrants, some fleeing the turmoil that followed the European revolutions of 1848. Initially, the church met in a log cabin that once housed recent arrivals to the colony of Amelith. In 1870 a wood-frame Gothic style church was built. The present structure was completed in 1912. Schools run by the church began in 1853 with instruction in German surviving until World War I. Some church services continued in German until 1979. During World War II, German prisoners housed at Freeland Camp were ministered to by St. John Lutheran. An addition to the church was completed in 1997.

 

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The Lighthouse in Winter

Posted on by Posted in Lighthouses .

When the lakes freeze over and the ships no longer sail the waters of the Great Lakes, the lighthouses still stand vigilant along the shoreline.  For the lighthouse keepers and their families, it must have been a lonely winter, especially at the lighthouses that are miles away from any town.  This is the new Presque Isle lighthouse, It’s called new because the old  Presque Isle lighthouse stands a few miles away. The old one was not tall enough and the one that replaced it is one of the tallest on the Great Lakes. It is the tallest Lighthouse tower in Michigan open to the public.

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

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Michigan Books 3 For The Price of 2

Posted on by Posted in Uncategorized .

Unfortunately, this promotion has ended, but you can find Volume 1 ON SALE HERE

 

I know this is not my usual post but I wanted to let you know Lost In Michigan Volume 1, volume 4 and Volume 5 are ON SALE at Amazon and part of their Buy 3 for the price of 2 special. You can find volume 5 HERE and Volume 1 HERE and Volume 4 HERE

There are lots of other great Michigan books included with the special promotion like these:

Under The Radar Michigan: The First 50

Michigan Day Trips by Theme

It Happened in Michigan: Stories of Events and People that Shaped Great Lakes State History

Cold Case Michigan

The History of Tiger Stadium: A Love Letter to Baseball at Michigan & Trumbull

Oddball Michigan: A Guide to 450 Really Strange Places

Weird Michigan: Your Travel Guide to Michigan’s Local Legends and Best Kept Secrets

The Legend of Michigan (Myths, Legends, Fairy and Folktales)

True Crime: Michigan: The State’s Most Notorious Criminal Cases

You can see all the items available for the Buy 3 for the Price of 2 HERE

Thank you so much to all of you that have purchased my books and T-shirts over the years. It is with your support that I am able to continue posting on my website.

Glen Haven

Posted on by Posted in Ghost towns, Sleeping Bear Dunes, small towns .

The village of Glen Haven is a few miles west of Glen Arbor in the Sleeping Bear Dunes. The town started out as a place for steamships to stock up on firewood to fuel the steam boilers. Over time the town became more of a resort community. By the mid 1970s it had pretty much declined to nothing. The National Park Service has taken over the little town and restored the blacksmith shop and general store. The old cannery is now used as a maritime museum. During the winter months it is rather quiet but in the summer it is bustling with tourists exploring and learning about days gone by.

Lost In Michigan Books are  ON SALE at Amazon. You can see more by clicking HERE

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The Stone Home in the Heart of Michigan

Posted on by Posted in Forgotten Places, Houses .

This old stone house sits near downtown Alma. It has a long and interesting history. It was built in 1888 by lumber baron Ammi Wright. After his death the Wright family sold the house to become Smith Memorial Hospital in 1934 and then Northwood Institute in 1959. Another interesting fact about Ammi Wright is that he donated the land and money to start Alma College. It is sad to see this historic house sitting forgotten and slowly decaying.

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Michigan’s Most Famous Barn

Posted on by Posted in Barns and Farms .

The D H day Barn has to be Michigan’s most famous barn. If not the most famous the most photographed. It is across from the dune climb in Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. The barn was built in the 1880s and its arched roof with coned shaped silo roofs make it unique a photogenic. The property is privately owned and as far as I know there are no tours given to the public.

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Amous Gould House

Posted on by Posted in Houses .

 

This Italianate cream brick house on Oliver Street in Owosso was built by Amos Gould in 1860. When Owosso was incorporated as a city Gould became the city’s first mayor. He also organized the first bank in Owosso operating it out of this house. He owned large amounts of property around Michigan and lumbering interest in the Upper Peninsula around the Gould City area,  and if you’re wondering, yes the town was named after him.

Besides the Gould house, there are several beautiful old ornate houses in Owosso, I love driving around the area looking at them.

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