Detroit Archives - Lost In Michigan

Police Radio Broadcast

Posted on October 12, 2019 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Detroit, Historic Places .

This castle-like stone building in the center of Belle Isle State Park seems like an ordinary building. Thousands of visitors pass by it, but I wonder how many realize how much it affected society. This was the first police radio dispatch station in the United States. In 1928 the Detroit Police broadcasted from this building on their own frequency to patrol cars around the city. They chose Belle Isle to avoid interference with other radio stations.

Before the station was constructed the department did not have a dedicated frequency band to broadcast on. In 1921 the station experimented with broadcasting to officers between songs on station KOP. Between songs, they would read a list of stolen cars or alert them to missing children.

A modern patrol car today if filled with electronics and the officer is surrounded by a computer, radar guns, and communication equipment. It’s hard to imagine a day when the police did not have a basic radio in their car.

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The Ghosts of Detroit’s Haunted Ft Wayne

Posted on September 17, 2019 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Detroit, Haunted Places .

Fort Wayne in Detroit has a long history that spans several decades since it was built in the 1840s Many of the buildings have been abandoned by the army and left to decay. A non-profit group has been working on saving the old fort and its many structures from the ravages of time.

During my visit, a tour guide told me of some of the hauntings on the historic property. He pointed to a tunnel that leads to a gun and cannon location and said ” That is one of the most haunted places in the fort” He said a few years ago some workers were taking a lunch break. They decided to get out of the summer heat and sat in the old tunnel to eat their lunch. The men went running out of the tunnel and have never been back to the old fort. When they were asked what happened they said while sitting down and eating their lunch a civil war soldier in full uniform came out of the stone wall. He slowly walked passed them and down the tunnel without saying a word before disappearing into thin air.

The fort has never seen a battle or fired any guns or cannons at an enemy. Many soldiers trained at the fort during the Civil War. A few died and were buried on the fort grounds. Eventually to make room for expansion of the fort the headstones and bodies were moved to a nearby cemetery down the road.

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The old fort hosts ghost tours in the fall. They are extremely popular and you need to reserve your spot in advance. you can find out more about them HERE

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Detroit’s Mostly Forgotten Fort Wayne

Posted on September 2, 2019 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Detroit, Historic Places .

Most people are unaware of the old historic Civil War-era fort next to the Detroit River near downtown Detroit. When I tell people about Fort Wayne they think of Indiana, but it is the name of the fort in Detroit. It was built in the 1840s and used by the army all the way up to the 1970s. Civil War soldiers mustered at the fort and learn how to fight. Truck parts made in detroit was shipped trough the fort during WWII. During the Korean War and Vietnam War Thousands of enlistees and draftees were sworn in at the fort. It is open for tours on the weekend during the summer for a $5 donation.

I have a lot more photos and stories to share about the old fort, It would be too much for me to do in one post so I will share them over the next few months.

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A Miracle at Peterboro and Park

Posted on August 7, 2019 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in castles, Detroit .

In Midtown Detroit on the corner of Peterboro And Park is the old James Scott mansion. The transformation that has occurred is nothing short of miraculous. It was not divine intervention that restored this historic old building, but good old fashioned hard work and money. If you want to see what it looked like before check out my post about it a couple of years ago HERE

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Good News and Bad News

Posted on July 7, 2018 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Detroit .

You have probably been asked the question before ” do you want the good news or the bad news first?” I am gonna give you the bad news first. The old Boblo Island boat the SS Ste Claire caught fire yesterday where it was docked and was destroyed. you can find out more at the Free Press HERE I have fond memories of riding this boat in 7th grade on a field trip to Boblo Island. I took this pic a few years ago when it was on the river near Dearborn. I was hoping to get a photo of it at its new location but not after the flames took away this grand old ship. I am thankful I got a photo of it when I did. It’s sister ship the SS Columbia is being restored in New York and hope she will sail into Detroit someday. you can check out the website HERE

In good news, the James Scott Castle’s restoration project is progressing along well. It’s hard to believe that a build in such a dilapidated state could be brought back from the dead. The mansion sits on the corner of Peterboro and Park near Wayne State University. I have not seen it yet since the exterior was restored but I am looking forward to it. you can read more about the restoration HERE

They say the only constant is change, sadly some of the places I have photographed are gone but it’s also nice to see some of them have been restored. If it’s gonna change I prefer change for the better.

P.S. if you got a 2018 Lost In Michigan calendar my photo of the SS Ste Claire is the photo for the month of July.

P.P.S. I have not been posting a lot since I have been out taking more photos and spending some quality time with my family on summer vacation at some of Michigan’s state parks, you can see more about that on my Camp Michigan website HERE and facebook page HERE I have lots of great photos and interesting stories to share and I can’t wait to share them with you.

I hope you will subscribe to email updates since facebook prioritizes your friends a family they will not show you many of my posts, I promise I won’t email you a bunch of junk email, it’s only to notify you of a new post which will be two or three times a week.

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New Life For An Old Train Station

Posted on June 24, 2018 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Detroit, Train Depots .

I just saw that the Ford Motor Company purchased the historic Michigan Central Station in Corktown. They have plans on renovating it and using it for the headquarters of there automated vehicle division. I am exited to see what they do with this grand historic building. I hope the bottom floor will be open for visitors after the renovations. I wish I was able to tour it when it was open to visitors this past weekend.

you can read more about Ford’s plans on restoring the station in the Detroit Free Press HERE

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The Story of the Marble Light Tower on Belle Isle

Posted on January 18, 2017 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Detroit, Lighthouses .

There are several lighthouses in Michigan, about a 150 of them if you really wanna know, and the Livingston memorial light is one of the most unique, not only in Michigan but in the United states. It’s one of only 3 lights erected as a memorial in Michigan and the only navigational light constructed of marble in the country.

William Livingston was a prominent businessman in Detroit and served as president of the Lake Carriers Association. He was instrumental in having the government expanding the Soo locks and deepening and widening the channel in the St Mary’s river. He also worked on the project building a waterway for downbound ships in the lower Detroit River, which opened in 1908, and named the Livingstone Channel in his honor. During the early 1900’s, more ships and more tonnage passed by Detroit than through either the Suez or Panama canals.

After his death in 1925, as a tribute to Livingston, the city of Detroit donated the property on Belle Isle and funds were raised by the Lakes Carriers Association to build the $100,000 tower designed by famed Detroit architect Albert Kahn. The flouted art deco tower is made of white georgian marble, and has a light that can be seen for 16 miles on Lake St Clair.

Belle Isle Lighthouse built in 1881. Photo from the Coast Guard archives

The was another lighthouse on the island before the memorial light was built. The Belle Isle lighthouse was constructed in 1881 in the location where the coast guard station is now. Keeper Louis Fetes lived at the lighthouse for nearly 40 years and he and his wife raised their six children on the island, in 1930 the light was automated and by the 40’s the old forgotten lighthouse began to decay and the coast guard demolished it. I found a photo of the old lighthouse on the coast guards website and it was a beautiful victorian looking lighthouse, it’s sad the house is no longer standing, I think it would be one of the most beautiful lighthouses in Michigan.

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Pearl Harbor and the USS Detroit

Posted on December 7, 2016 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Detroit .

USS Detroit CL8: Navy Archives

On that tragic and infamous day when the Japanese attacked pearl harbor, destroying the battle ships of the Pacific fleet, The USS Detroit was also moored next to her sister ship the Raleigh in the harbor that day.

After the attack on Pearl Harbor, the Detroit was able to get underway safely and set up an anti-aircraft fire. Only one of Detroit’s crew members were injured during the Japanese attack, Lester Silva, who received a Purple Heart. Once clear of Pearl Harbor she was ordered to sail at once to join up with the light cruisers Phoenix and St. Louis and two destroyers to investigate the west coast of Oahu for any indications of a landing by the Japanese, then to join the search for the retiring Japanese force.

The 555 foot long and 55 foot wide Omaha Class Light Cruser was launched in June 1922 by the Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corp. in Quincy, Mass., and sponsored by Detroit Mayor James Couzens’ daughter. She spent her first eight years as part of the Scouting Fleet either in the Atlantic or Mediterranean. Her first duty was to assist in the USAAS’s first aerial circumnavigation of the world in 1924 and transported the United States Secretary of State Frank B. Kellogg, in 1927, from Ireland to France for the negotiations that led to the signing of the Kellogg-Briand Pact.

During WWII she was sent to Alaska to aid in fighting the Japanese that had invaded the Aleutian Islands. after retaking the island she remained in the Alaskan waters to defend the chain of islands and the Alaskan coastline.

The USS Detroit was decommissioned in 1946 and sold for scrap.

Thank you to all the men and women who served then and continue to serve now.

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The Old Firehouse On the Northeast Side

Posted on November 22, 2016 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Detroit, Fire Houses .

The old firehouse on Mount Elliott was the oldest operating firehouse in Detroit when it closed in 2012 and the city put it up for sale. It’s a beautiful old two story firehouse built in 1893, and designed by famed architect Gorge Mason, who designed the Masonic Temple, and the Ransom Gillis House in Detroit. I can only imagine all the emergency runs the firefighters went on over the years, from horses to the massive fire engines they have today.

P.S. Thank you to all the first responders working over the holidays and every day.

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The Hauntingly Beautiful Masonic Temple in Detroit

Posted on October 5, 2016 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Detroit, Haunted Places .

The Detroit Masonic Temple was designed by famed architect George Mason, who also designed the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island and the Ransom Gillis House ( you can see my post about the house HERE), with his partner Zachariah Rice. The cornerstone of the temple was placed on September 19, 1922, using the same trowel that George Washington had used to set the cornerstone of the United States Capitol in Washington D.C.. The building was dedicated on Thanksgiving Day, 1926.

There is a myth that architect George Mason went broke funding the construction and his wife left him so he climbed to the top of the building and jumped off, but that is not true. He lived to be 92 years old and died in 1948. The building has over 1,000 rooms, and several secret staircases, concealed passages, and hidden compartments in the floors and strange things are said to happen, but I just think the old temple has a hunting beauty to it.

The Detroit Masonic Temple has been the largest Masonic Temple in the world since 1939, when the Chicago Masonic Temple was demolished. The stage of the auditorium is the second largest in the United States. The building houses two ballrooms: the Crystal Ballroom and the Fountain Ballroom which measures 17,264 square feet and accommodates up to 1,000 people. There is also an unfinished theater located in the top floor of the tower, that would have seated about 700. Several movies have been filmed on location at the temple including Batman vs Superman ( there’s 3 hours of my life I will never get back) A 17,500-square-foot drill hall has a floating floor, where the entire floor is laid on felt cushions. This type of construction, also known as a sprung floor, provides ‘give’ to the floor which tends to relieve the marchers.

In April 2013, the building was reported to be in foreclosure over $152,000 in back taxes owed to Wayne County. The debt was paid off by singer-songwriter Jack White, a Detroit native known for his work with The White Stripes. He wanted to help the temple in its time of need as they had helped his mother in a time of need. The temple gave her a job as an usher in the theater when she was struggling to find work. In response, the Detroit Masonic Temple Association renamed its Scottish Rite cathedral the Jack White Theater.

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