Barns and Farms Archives - Page 9 of 11

The Lighthouse Barn in Winter

Posted on February 20, 2019 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Barns and Farms .

I like visiting the same places at different times of the year. I visit a lot of lighthouses throughout the year and on my way to the Sturgeon Point Lighthouse north of Harrisville I pass by this old barn. It looks like a Bob Ross painting with the old wooden fence in front of it. I don’t make as many road trips in the winter but it is interesting when I do. The scenery is so different in the winter than other times of the year. I took of this barn in the Autumn a few years ago you can see it by clicking on the link HERE

I wonder how many people go out on a drive to see the snow. I think winter can be beautiful, as long as the roads are clear it can be a relaxing drive.

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The Forgotten Town and the Largest Farm in Michigan

On the corner of Alicia and Bishop roads in Saginaw County was the town of Alicia. It was the largest town in the Praire Farms which at one time was the largest farm in Michigan. The Town was named after William Lewis Claus’s oldest daughter. Mr. Claus was the chairman of the board of Pittsburgh Plate Glass who owned the Prairie Farm, and the town was where most of the hired workers and their foremen lived. A generator and water plant provided electricity and water to the town that included 80 yellow framed cottages, a general store, a boarding house, dance hall, and several large barns and other buildings for machinery and wagons. A large grain elevator and mint distillery were situated on a spur track connecting the farm with the railroad six miles away. The population would grow to about 350 workers in the summer, and then about 75 in the winter. The post office opened in 1904 and closed in 1947.

When I made a trip out to where the town was, I found some modern houses and this old barn, I am not sure if it was used during the time that Prairie Farms operated, but it was the main feature in the area and I had to get a pic of it.

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Backroad Barn

Posted on February 5, 2019 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Barns and Farms .

The suburbs where I live are steadily expanding outward slowly taking over the farmland, and the old barns that once stood on them. When I am out roaming the backroads, and I see an old barn I love, I have to stop and take a photo of it. I saw this barn somewhere near North Branch. Every barn has a story but unfortunately, I don’t have a story for every barn. If a photo is worth a thousand words, I figure I will let my photo tell the story.

“Agriculture is our wisest pursuit, because it will in the end, contribute most to real wealth, good morals & happiness.” – Thomas Jefferson

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The Lonely Farmhouse

Posted on January 17, 2019 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Barns and Farms, Houses .

I saw this old farmhouse way back in a field near Posen. If you don’t know where Posen is located in Michigan, it’s between Alpena and Rogers City. I had to zoom in to get a photo of it since I don’t trespass. I find the old farmhouses mesmerizing even though I grew up in the city. I like to cook and I have a pretty good understanding of where our food comes from and how it’s processed. Especially sugar since I grew up in Carrollton in the shadow of the beet factory ( I will never forget that smell ). I remember going on field trips to a farm when I was a kid. Now I wonder how many kids even know where real food comes from. If I had to grow my own food I would starve. It seems like any plant I try to grow dies. Thank you to all the farmers out there.

P.S. Thank you to everyone that answered my question about the barn in the post HERE I learned something new.

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A City Boy and a Barn Question

Posted on January 15, 2019 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Barns and Farms .

In the town of Saranac, near Ionia, I saw this old wooden barn and had to take a photo of it. I have seen many barns like this where an earthen ramp leads to a door, with another door down below in the foundation. For those of you that have followed my posts for a while you know, I am a city boy and not an expert on barns. I do love taking photos of old barns and I see barns like this and I often wonder. Does the tractor go on the top or bottom? or is the floor not strong enough for a tractor? Or maybe tractors don’t go in this type of barn and only horses and hay. If you can enlighten me on this type of barn construction in the comments below I would appreciate it.

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The Yellow Farmhouse

Posted on December 28, 2018 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Barns and Farms .

While I was out traveling the back roads north of Lapeer I came across the small community of Millville. I saw this big yellow farmhouse on top of a hill and had to stop and photograph it.

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Sometimes an Old house is More Than Just an Old House

Posted on December 13, 2018 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Barns and Farms .

Not far from Quanicassee stands the remains of these two old brick houses along the road. I did not know anything about these old houses at the time I posted a photo of them on facebook, but thanks to the comments from the current owners I learned about their history. They are not much today, but they were part of Nathan B. Bradley’s farm. Bradley was Bay City’s first Mayor. He grew up on a farm in Ohio and moved to the St. Charles working in the lumbering Industry. In the 1850’s he purchased a sawmill in Bay City becoming one of the most prominent citizens in the community. He went on to serve in Congress and after the lumber boom, he was instrumental in starting the sugar industry in the Saginaw Vally during the end of the 1800s before he died in 1906. I could not find information about the farm, but I assume he used the farm to grow some of the first sugar beets in the region. Sometimes an old house is more than just an old house, but also a history lesson. If you like this story Lost In Michigan books are ON SALE this week with more in-depth stories from around the state. You can order them from my website HERE

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The Not So Famous Farmhouse

Posted on November 21, 2018 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Barns and Farms .

David Henry Day was chosen by the President of the Northern Transit Company, a steamship company that shipped cargo on the Great Lakes, to oversee the operations in Glen Haven. In the 1880s D.H. Day built this farm which now stands in the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. The farm, comprised of 400 acres, and was also known as “Oswegatchi” after the New York community where his father was born. Day grew hay and corn to feed his 400 hogs and prize herd of 200 Holsteins.

The barn is probably the most famous barn in Michigan and likely the most photographed barn in the state. I have not seen many photos of the house, but I think its a beautiful old farmhouse. It’s privately owned and I am not sure what the plans are for its future. I figured I would share a pic of the old house since it seems forgotten about next to the historic and restored barn.

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Alpena’s Autumn Barn

Posted on November 14, 2018 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in autumn, Barns and Farms .

I have always been a city boy, but you gotta love an old wooden barn. Don’t ask me exactly where this barn is located, all I know is it was somewhere near Alpena. I was not paying attention to what road I was on while out roaming the backroads when I saw this barn with the bright red trees that Bob Ross would call “Sparklers.” I was trying to think of a nice story or some history to go with this photo. I have been busy working on a new book and my brain is a little worn out with all the thinking I have been doing. I am just gonna leave you with a Thank You until my next post.

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The Pigeon Barn

Posted on November 5, 2018 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Barns and Farms, Thumb .

I have seen pics of the pigeon barn on the internet, but I never knew where it was located. Logic would dictate that it would be near Pigeon, but I saw it as I was leaving Port Austin. I figured I better stop and get a pic of it before the pigeon flies away. I love seeing murals on sides of barns, how about you?

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