Ghost towns Archives - Page 6 of 8

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.

Lost In Michigan books are ON SALE this weekend on Amazon 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.

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.

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 John Shalda constructed and the old log schoolhouse can still be seen today along M-22.

Lost In Michigan books are ON SALE this weekend on Amazon 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.

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.

Michigan Ghost Town of Porter

Posted on December 16, 2019 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Ghost towns .

Almost nothing remains of the town of Porter except for a few houses and an old service station. Michigan has or had a couple of towns named Porter and this one is along the Pine River between Midland and St. Louis. It was given a post office in 1869 and then it closed a few decades later in 1907. If you travel along West Pine River Road you may see the old gas station that people have told me was name Polly’s Place and hopefully you will remember the little town of Porter.

Find Interesting locations throughout the Mitten State with a Lost In Michigan book ON SALE 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 Ghost Town of a Ghost Town

Posted on December 9, 2019 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Ghost towns, small towns .

Believe it or not this small town in southern Michigan got its unique look from the invention of Kitty Litter. In the 1940s people used sand for their litter boxes and one day Ed Lowes neighbor asked him for some sand for her litter box. He gave her some dried up clay granules instead for her to try. She was amazed at how well it worked and that was the inspiration that created Ed’s multi-million dollar business Kitty Litter and Tidy Cat.

In the 70s Lowe had the idea of converting downtown Jones into a wild west looking ghost town for a tourist attraction. It seems like an odd location located between Cassopolis and Three Rivers. I am assuming he thought it would flourish with Swiss Valley Ski Resort being only a few miles away. Sadly the town did not attract the business Lowe was hoping for and slowly the buildings faded away. The town of Jones has several residents and is not a true “ghost town” but the buildings along Main Street still have the remnants of the former tourist attraction facades

Lost In Michigan books are ON SALE this weekend on Amazon 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 Ghost Town of Damon

Posted on December 3, 2019 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in General Store, Ghost towns .

Not much remains of the town of Damon but an old general store and a few houses. In the late 1800’s it was a booming lumbering town with a hotel and school for the children o the lumberjacks. The town was the inspiration for the town in James Oliver Curwood’s book Green Timber. Located about 10 miles north of West Branch The town was first settled in 1878 and named for George Damon owner of the firm Cutting & Damon. It was given a post office in 1880 then closed in 1907. The post office was briefly reopened in 1911 but closed two years later in 1915. I only assume most of the timber was gone and there was little work for the residents and they moved on.

P.S. I still have yet to read Green Timber. I have a few other James Oliver Curwood books but I have not found a copy of Green Timber yet. I am sure I could get one from eBay but that is not as much fun as looking for one in a used book store.

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.

Ruins of Assinins’ Orphanage

Posted on November 26, 2019 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Ghost towns, Schools, upper peninsula .

Only a small portion of the orphanage is still standing hidden behind the trees. The building once stood three stories tall and housed several children. Located in the small town, which is almost a ghost town, Assinins Is near US-41 a few miles north of Baraga.

Assinins was founded in 1843 by Bishop Frederic Baraga, who came to the area at the invitation of Chief Edward Assinins. Baraga built the Old St. Joseph Orphanage and School on the site in 1860. Over the years the orphanage was expanded and other buildings including a school were built. The structures were last used in the 1960s and in recent years they have collapsed.

This is a pic from Wikipedia of what the building looked like in 2009

The area is now a National Historic District and next time you are traveling along US-41 it’s worth a quick stop to check out the area and old cemetery.

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

« Previous Page