I saw this old building near Ashland. I think it was a schoolhouse at one time. It looks as if a meteorite struck it like the truck in Men In Black. Most likely it was the unforgiving Michigan snow that has broken the back of this old structure.
“Education is what remains after one has forgotten what one has learned in school.” Albert Einstein
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The small town of Butternut, or what remains of it, stands in central Michigan west of Carson City. It was founded in 1888 and believed to be named after a butternut cheese factory. It was once a prosperous town with a population of over 200 people. The town’s prosperity came from its location on the Toledo, Saginaw & Muskegon Railroad, which allowed for the easy transport of lumber and minerals. However, the town’s fortunes declined in the early 1900s when the railroad was abandoned. By the 1930s, Butternut was a ghost town and today only a few buildings and a couple houses still stand in the area.
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I saw this old house somewhere near Plainwell. I am not sure what its story is, but it looks like it has been a long time since anyone has celebrated Christmas in this old home.
I don’t have any story to go along with this old house so I will just say thank you for taking the time to read my posts.
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Behind the old jail in Cheboygan is an old log cabin. At one time it stood near Burt Lake in the town of Indianville. It was relocated to it’s current spot in the 1970s and stands as a reminder of a tragic day in Michigan history.
On October 15th, 1900 the sheriff came from Cheboygan to Indian Village located on Indian Point on Burt Lake. John Walter McGinn purchased the land for back taxes of which the Native Americans did not owe because the land was given to them in a treaty with the government. When the men in the village were out of town working, the women and children were forcibly removed from their homes and then their houses burned to the ground by the sheriff and his men. The former residents of the burned town moved to other Indian villages including Cross Village and the town of Indianville where this old log cabin once stood. Sadly, few people know the story of the Burt Lake Burnout.
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The small town of Mansfield sits near the center of the Upper Peninsula. Not much remains of the town today after a devastating mine collapse killed several miners. An old log cabin style church still stands and has been restored by local historians. Behind the church are the ruins of some old cabins. I can only assume they were abandoned shortly after the mine collapse. You can see my post about the church HERE
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Fort Wayne sits near Detroit along the Detroit River and was built to defend and invasion by Canada. The invasion never happened but the fort served the military for a long time. The building in the photo was the enlisted men’s barracks. I believe that is where they stayed before and after being sworn into service in the United States Military. It was built in the 1890s and I can only imagine how many men stayed in the old barracks going to war from the first World War all the way to Vietnam.
Some say the old fort is haunted, you can see my post about that HERE
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This massive crumbling building stands along M-26 north of Hancock. It is the remains of the Quincy Stamping Mill No. 1. Built in 1890 it was used to pulverize ore to extract the copper from it. The mills production peaked during World War I. After the war the demand for copper diminished and the mine’s production slowed. The mine closed in the 30s when the Great Depression hit. The mine reopened for a short time during World War II but closed for a final time shortly after the war ended. The ruins stand along the road as a reminder of the booming copper industry in the Keweenaw.
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I saw this old house or maybe an old schoolhouse hiding among some trees and I had to stop and take a photo. I was out roaming the backroads somewhere between Richmond and Marine City when I came upon it. I was not able to find out any history and walls don’t talk so I continued on my way left to wonder what the story is of this old forgotten house.
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This old building that looks like a stone motel was the old Echo Valley Resort. It overlooks Johannesburg Lake and is now part of the Louis M. Groen Nature Preserve. I am not sure when it closed, but it must have been really special to stay in it back in the day.
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The remnants of the old Halliwell mine can be found in the Porcupine Mountains. South of the visitor’s center on S. Boundry Road is where the mine once stood after it was constructed in 1895. The mine sunk two vertical shafts but it never made a profit and closed in 1908.
After the mine closed is when it gets a little interesting. Two brothers, George and Gus Biggie live at the mine. They were born in the Porkies in the 1890s. They attended school at the nearby ghost town of Nonesuch where their father ran a general store. They lived in the old office of the mine and raised chickens, grew a garden and guided hunters and tourists to make a living. When the Michigan took over the land to create the state park they were given special permission to live at the old mine. After they had both passed away in the 1970s the mine structures were removed. Only a few remnants of the mine remain along with a fenced off hole where the shaft was sunk into the earth.
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