Ghost towns Archives - Lost In Michigan

The Herron Explosion

Posted on March 9, 2020 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Forgotten Places, Ghost towns .

It’s amazing the stories I find just by wondering about a couple of old buildings. I saw these two derelict structures that look like old general stores southwest of Alpena. Along with a few houses and a church they are what remains of the town of Herron. It was founded by Fred Herron in 1920 and given a post office named after him. Like most little towns I figured that was all I would find abut its history until I saw a snippet about a mine explosion.

On October 30th, 1952 five men were killed when a mine near Herron exploded. Six men were searching the long-abandoned gold mine for uranium. According to the only survivor John Pastuszka, two of the men went down the 180-foot deep shaft to check on water pumps being used to drain the shaft. The other three men were standing around the opening to the shaft when it suddenly exploded. Pastuszka was spared because he was standing next to a tool shed when the explosion occurred. It is believed methane gas and a spark from the pumps was the cause of the violent blast.

Find Interesting locations throughout the Mitten State with a Lost In Michigan book Available on Amazon by clicking HERE

Thank you for Subscribing to Lost In Michigan, If you have not subscribed yet, It would mean a lot to me if you did.

The Forgotten Town and the Church

Posted on February 16, 2020 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Churches, Ghost towns .

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.

Thank you for Subscribing to Lost In Michigan, If you have not subscribed yet, It would mean a lot to me if you did.

Going to Hollywood

Posted on February 13, 2020 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Forgotten Places, Ghost towns .

When I say the name Hollywood most people think of the giant sign on the side of the mountain in California. But did you know there was a town called Hollywood in Michigan? The town was a few miles south of St Joeseph and given a post office in 1888. I could not find out how the name was chosen or it’s origins but the post office closed in 1902. I saw this old house not far from where the town once was. I am not sure if it was standing in the time that Hollywood was in existence in Michigan. I think everything from the town is gone. Today a school and some newer houses are in the area where the town once stood.

Lost In Michigan books are ON SALE and available with free shipping HERE

Thank you for Subscribing to Lost In Michigan, If you have not subscribed yet, It would mean a lot to me if you did.

Lost in Holloway

Posted on February 10, 2020 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Ghost towns .

I was traveling down the backroads from Dundee to Adrian when I came across this old building. It looks like it was a store, saloon, hotel or something. It was on Holloway road so I can only assume it is or was the town of Holloway. The town sprang up along the railroad tracks that were laid down in 1881. The town was originally named Butler after Butler Holloway who sold the lots in 1881 for the first homes in the town. Since there was already a town named Butler in Michigan the town was named Holloway and given a post office. The post office closed in 1962. Some houses and this old building along with memories are what make up the little town of Holloway in Southeast Michigan.

Find Interesting locations throughout the Mitten State with a Lost In Michigan book Available on Amazon by clicking HERE

Thank you for Subscribing to Lost In Michigan, If you have not subscribed yet, It would mean a lot to me if you did.

Star City: a Fallen Star and Ghost Town

Posted on February 4, 2020 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Ghost towns, Schools .

I love the name Star City, It sounds like a promising place full of celebrities with glitz and glamor. In reality, it is or was in the middle of nowhere west of Houghton Lake in the center of the Mitten. An old schoolhouse and cemetery are all that remains of the town. I found a couple of different references to it but I am not sure how accurate they are.

One story I found claimed that Star City was originally named Starvation Lake after a local trapper who was found dead in his cabin from starvation. In an attempt to sell property for farming and hunting around the small city, developers renamed the area Star Lake. Unfortunately, the name change did not help and the developers went bankrupt. Eventually, people began referring to the small town as Star City.

The other reference I found says that the settlement dates from approximately 1872. A post office named “Roy” Opened February 27, 1880, with Chauncey Brace as the first postmaster. The name changed to “Putnam” on June 6, 1883, with Elizabeth Putnam as postmaster. The name changed again to “Star City” on February 13, 1885 and was discontinued on December 15, 1923.

Whichever is true ( maybe a little bit of both ) the town is mostly forgotten now. This old schoolhouse knows the story but unfortunately, walls don’t talk.

Thank you for Subscribing to Lost In Michigan, If you have not subscribed yet, It would mean a lot to me if you did.

Abandoned Places In Michigan to Explore

Posted on February 3, 2020 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Forgotten Places, Ghost towns .

Over the years Michigan has seen several booms and busts from lumber to manufacturing. Many places have been abandoned, from factories to whole towns. Some of these locations in the Mitten State can still be seen and visited. They may have been abandoned for their original purpose they are still maintained by state and local parks or by historic groups.

Here is a list of interesting and abandoned locations that you can visit. Some have more artifacts and buildings than others but all are something worth visiting and a fun way to learn about Michigan’s history. A couple of locations are in parks that require a small fee or a state Recreation Passport on your license plate to enter the park. A few locations are on property owned by an organization that has been kind enough to allow visitors.

Remember they may be abandoned for their original purpose but they are still maintained and cared for. If you visit please be respectful and obey any posted signs or fences so that they remain open to the public.

For more information about places on the list, be sure to check out the Lost In Michigan book series available on Amazon by clicking HERE Books are also available at select locations in Michigan, you can see the list HERE

Now on with the list (please note a couple of places were close together so I used the same number.)

1 Central Mine Ghost Town

2 Powerhouse Falls

3 Ardis Furnace

4 Sand Point Life Saving Station

5 Bay Furnace Ruins

6-A Fayette Historic Town

6-B Peninsula Lighthouse Ruins

7 Vermillion Point Life Saving Station

8 Fiborn Quarry

9 Camp Raco

10 Cheboygan Lighthouse Ruins

11 Bell Ghost Town

12-A Frankfort Ironworks

12-B Aligator Hill Kilns

13 Groen Nature Center Sawmill Town

14 Durant Castle Ruins

15 Hamlin Ghost town Cemetery

16 Lake rail-trail coal tower

17 Grousehaven Celler

18 Port Crescent

19 Lincoln Brick Factory

20 Peninsular Paper Powerhouse

21 Dyer Kiln ruins

22 Fort Wayne Detroit

If you like this post please subscribe to email notifications, It would mean a lot to me if you did.

Michigan’s Ghost Town Bridge

Posted on January 31, 2020 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Ghost towns .

Nestled among the trees and over a small creek is an old iron truss bridge. The sign hanging from the top beams reads: MICHIGAN BRIDGE AND PIPE CO. LANSING MICHIGAN. You can see the old bridge from M-25 near Port Austin and it was part of the old sawmill town of Port Crescent. The town started back in 1844 when Walter Hume built a hotel and trading post near the mouth of the Pennebog River. A few sawmills sprang up in the area around the river and the town was known as Pennebog but another town upriver had the same name. It was decided to change the name of the town to Port Crescent for the crescent shape the river made as it flowed into the Saginaw Bay.

The lumber town continued to thrive and even survived the Great Fire of 1871. Woods and Company built a large steam-powered sawmill with a brick smokestack that soared into the sky. The town had several houses and even built a large two-story schoolhouse to educated the children. By 1881 the lumberjacks had cut most of the timber, and what was still standing, was mostly destroyed by the great fire that swept through the thumb. Slowly houses and buildings were moved or dismantled and taken to the surrounding towns such as Port Austin and Bad Axe. By 1894 all the buildings were gone and very little remained of the once prosperous town. The trees were gone, but a few people realized the sand was valuable for glass making and copper smelting and began mining and shipping the sand around the Great Lakes.

By the 1930s sand mining operations have ceased and that would have been the end of the land being used for anything. After WWII and the prosperity that followed Michigan families began vacationing during the summer. The state of Michigan acquired the property along the shoreline in 1959 and established the Port Crescent State Park. Little remains of the town of Port Crescent. The old bridge is used for a hiking trail and the foundation for the sawmill chimney stands near the entrance to the campground. Next time you visit Port Crescent State Park, or drive past the sign for it on M-25, maybe you will remember the town and the hard-working lumberjacks who lived there.

P.S. If you like camping in Michigan I hope you will check out my other website www.CampMichigan.org. you can find it by clicking HERE

Thank you for Subscribing to Lost In Michigan, If you have not subscribed yet, It would mean a lot to me if you did.

The Forgotten General Store

Posted on January 13, 2020 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Forgotten Places, General Store, Ghost towns .

Bracing itself against the wind and snow for several years the remains of this old general store still stand in the small forgotten town of Dighton. Located a few miles south of Cadillac, the town was named after Dighton Marvin. At one point it had over 1000 residents and three sawmills. Not much remains of the old sawmill town today. A store and a few houses are all that is left of the once bustling community.

Thank you for Subscribing to Lost In Michigan, If you have not subscribed yet, It would mean a lot to me if you did.

The Ghost Town of North Unity

Posted on January 8, 2020 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Ghost towns .

In the 1850s, With the lack of work in Chicago, some Bohemian ( present-day Czech Republic) and German immigrants left the city and sailed Lake Michigan looking for paradise. They landed in Good Harbor in the Leelanau Peninsula. After trekking about 10 miles inland they found a beautiful piece of land to establish a new community they called North Unity. With the spread of Typhoid throughout Chicago, their family and friends left in October to start a new town in Northern Michigan. With winter coming they decided to build a large 150-foot long barrack. It was divided up inside with walls to house each family until they could build houses and establish farms in the spring.

The first winter was extremely challenging for the group. They had brought little supplies with them, and because of the winter, they were not able to grow food to feed their families. The local ponds and lakes were frozen over and they could not fish either. They purchased some corn from the local Indians and managed to keep off starving to death in time for the spring thaw.

In the spring they built permanent houses and farms and over the next few years, the little community began to prosper. Other people began moving to the little town in the Leelanau Peninsula. Eventually, a schoolhouse and a gristmill were constructed and John Shalda built a general store. Sadly in 1871 forest fires swept through Michigan and with it destroyed most of the buildings and houses of North Unity.

The people of the devastated community moved further inland to the area near the corner of M-22 and Bohemian Road. (County Road 669) They started a new community and built new houses and other buildings including a church. John Shalda built a new general store and a log cabin. Not far away a new school was constructed. Most of the buildings are gone and nothing remains of the original site of North Unity. The log cabin the John Shalda constructed and the old log schoolhouse can still be seen today along M-22.

Thank you for Subscribing to Lost In Michigan, If you have not subscribed yet, It would mean a lot to me if you did.

A Michigan Ghost Town

Posted on January 3, 2020 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Forgotten Places, Ghost towns .

When most people hear the words “ghost town” they usually envision an old deserted wild west town in the American southwestern desert. While many of the towns sprang up around mines for silver and gold, Michigan had several towns that were built around a sawmill. Michiganders were not mining for gold but they were earning it by cutting timber and selling lumber. The remains of one of the few remaining sawmill towns can be found within the Louis M. Groen Nature Preserve near Johannesburg.

The remains of the Johannesburg manufacturing Co. are deep within the preserve. The buildings have collapsed under the Michigan snow but the framework of the old well pump is still standing. Rusty old trucks and equipment rest silently along the road that once leads to the town. If you are looking for something a little different to explore this summer be sure to check it out.

You can find other interesting locations to visit in the Mitten State with a Lost In Michigan book Available HERE

Thank you for Subscribing to Lost In Michigan, If you have not subscribed yet, It would mean a lot to me if you did.