Ghost towns Archives - Page 8 of 8

Michigan’s Concrete Ghost Town

Posted on December 9, 2018 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Ghost towns .

A few miles southeast of Baldwin, in the center of the Lower Peninsula, the Great Northern Portland Cement Company constructed a cement plant In the 1890s to produce cement from marl harvested from a nearby lake. Hence the town of Marlborough was created for the workers. Production boomed, and by 1905, Marlborough had 400 citizens. However, problems quickly arose, as the produced cement was inferior, production was costly, and the enormous energy demands of the plant required the construction of the largest power plant in the Lower Peninsula at the time. The Great Northern Portland Cement Company entered receivership in 1906, and the village houses were sold for salvage. The plant was dynamited for scrap iron, and by 1910 only the ruins of the plant remained. An enormous concrete building still stands near the road along with a labyrinth of concrete walls that are slowly being consumed by the forest. It was designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1971.

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

If you like what I post I hope you will subscribe to email updates so you won’t miss any new posts.

The Ghost Town’s Two Story Outhouse

Posted on November 27, 2018 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Ghost towns .

I wandered around the historic ghost town of Fayette in da Upper Peninsula. It was fascinating to go through and explore the buildings since the state park that the town sits in has the doors open for tourists to explore. I was roaming around inside the old two-story hotel, reading some of the info they had on the walls, when I came across a little photo and a sign for a two-story outhouse.

It’s not the greatest photo, I guess their camera phones were very primitive back then LOL, but you can see the arrow pointing to the tall privy with a bridge from the second floor to the outhouse. I wrote about a historic two-story outhouse in my first book and I thought that was the only one I would ever learn about. To my surprise, I saw the old photo in Fayette. Yeah, I know there is a lot of interesting things to see in the old ghost town, but it’s weird crap that sticks with me but not literally. The old privy is gone now but I really enjoyed exploring Fayette. I will have more posts and most likely a story or two about it in the next volume of my book.

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

It would mean a lot to me if you Subscribe to Lost In Michigan. Facebook has not been showing my posts like they used to.

The Ghost Town of Melbourne and the Boxing Champion

Posted on November 16, 2018 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Ghost towns .

The town of Melbourne was a sawmill town along the Saginaw River between Bay City and Saginaw. It was one of the largest lumber mills in Michigan in its heyday. It’s most famous citizens was George “Kid” Lavigne, the world lightweight boxing champion. After a devastating fire, the town was mostly destroyed and never rebuilt. The remaining buildings were moved to Zilwaukee. Nothing remains of the old town. This old shack, slowly falling into the marsh, sits near the town’s original location. The complete story of the town is told in the first volume of Lost In Michigan on sale at Amazon HERE

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

It would mean a lot to me if you Subscribe to Lost In Michigan. Facebook has not been showing my posts like they used to.

The Michigan Ghost Town of Fern

Posted on November 10, 2018 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Ghost towns, Schools .

The ruins of this two-story schoolhouse stand along the road in rural Mason County watching the farmers work the fields. Above the entrance is a carved stone that reads: FERN SCHOOL DIST. 3 1906. It’s all that remains of the town of Fern. The town was built around a sawmill owned by J.S. Adams in Eden Township. A station was built on the Mason and Oceana railroad in 1886 and in 1888 It was given a post office. I am not sure why it was named Fern, but the town must have prospered to build a two-story brick schoolhouse, considering most of the school houses I see left standing are simple single-story wooden structures. A year after the school was built the town’s post office closed. Probably because the Post Office switched to its rural free delivery system. After the timber was gone, the mill must have closed along with the train depot, since there is no longer any tracks running near the old forgotten school. The school closed in 1959 and it stands eerily empty remembering the days when the children of Fern came to visit.

Please note. I enjoy seeing these old forgotten places from the road, Please be respectful and do not trespass.

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

Don’t miss the next post, I hope you will subscribe to email updates,

Nirvana In Da Moonlight

Posted on October 23, 2018 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in autumn, Ghost towns .

I took another whirlwind road trip over to the west coast of the state. I needed to some pics for my Camp Michigan project (HERE is a link if you are interested) After visiting Ludington and Pentwater I took the backroads towards home in the central part of the state. As it always does, the earth rotated away from the sun and it was getting dark so I got on US-10 and was heading east and I came to the area where the old logging town of Nirvana used to stand.

Nirvana was originally platted by Darwin Knight who became the towns first postmaster in 1874. He built the town near the Flint & Pere Marquette Railroad. I am not sure if Mr. Knight was Buddhist but he must have been fond of its beliefs. He gave the town the name of Nirvana which is the name of Buddhist highest heaven. He named the town’s hotel The Indra House, after Indra, the principal god of the Ayran-Vedic religion. When timber was king, eleven sawmills operated in the town. But like most of the towns in the area, once the timber was all cut down the sawmills moved, along with the people who worked at them.

Other than some of the people resting in peace in the local cemetery, I am thinking nothing remains from Nirvana’s timbering days. In Cherry Valley Township where Nirvana once resided, I saw this old trailer with the moon rising over the trees, I guess there still is a little bit of nirvana in the area with such a peaceful scene to end a long day of traveling the beautiful Mitten State.

Lost In Michigan Calendars back in stock and ON SALE this weekend, you can order your copy HERE

I took lots of pics in my recent trips. Be sure to sign up for email notifications so you won’t miss any new posts,

[fbcomments]

The Mysterious House In The Woods

Posted on October 14, 2018 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Ghost towns, Houses .

I was headed down county road 426 in the Upper Peninsula to the ghost town of Watson, you can read about it HERE. The road runs along the Escanaba & Lake Superior Railroad tracks. Weeds and small trees are growing up between the rusty rails, so I assume they have not been used in years. Somewhere between Cornell and Watson, I saw an old house in the woods on the other side of the tracks. Most of the old abandoned houses I see in the Upper Peninsula are smaller shacks and cabins. I couldn’t help but wonder what the story was with this old building. I found on an old county map and it shows the name of the town of Woodlawn. A reference stated that the town was originally called White, but the name was changed to Woodlawn when it got a post office in 1905. I am wondering if this is the remains of the old town, and maybe it was a boarding house or something. I took a pic from the road and you can see the old railroad tracks at the bottom of the photo. I often wonder about these old places, and I also wonder if I am the only person who drives past them and is curious about their history.

Lost In Michigan books are ON SALE this weekend, you can order your copy HERE

I hope you subscribe to email updates so you won’t miss any new posts,

Michigan’s Lost Colony of Ora Labora

Posted on October 11, 2018 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Cemetery, Forgotten Places, Ghost towns .

This old cemetery is the final resting place for some of the people of the Ora Labora colony. It is located northeast of Bayport at the end of Sand Road is known as the Old Bayport Cemetery, It sits on a hill with large trees standing between the tombstones and monuments. I imagine when the cemetery was created over 150 years ago the trees were just little saplings.

The colony was formed in 1862 when Rev, Emil Baur purchased 740 acres on Wild Fowl Bay. For $25 members could join the colony named Ora Labora after the Latin phrase “ora et labora” which means pray and work. The colony started out with about 140 members and grew to about 280. Although the members were honest hard working people most were unskilled at farming, lumbering and construction. For instance, after purchasing cows and cattle they roamed away since they did not know they needed fences. After building a 300-foot long dock into Saginaw Bay one summer the ice in the winter destroyed the dock.

Some of the members became ill and a little girl was the first one to die in 1862 which incidentally was when the cemetery was established. During the Civil War, many of the male members joined the Michigan Militia to fight in the war. After the war, most of them did not return to the colony. After incurring massive debt for supplies they purchased and they were down to about 12 members left the colony disbanded in 1867 and the remaining property was divided up amongst remaining people.

The great fire of 1871 obliterated what was left of the colony and all the remains are the stone markers on the hill and the end of Sand Road.

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

Be sure to sign up for email updates so you won’t miss new posts.

The Michigan Ghost Town of Bell

Posted on September 29, 2018 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Forgotten Places, Ghost towns .

A large stone chimney stands tall marking the spot where the little logging town of Bell once stood. The remains of the town can be found in the Besser Natural Area north of Alpena near Presque Isle. A mile-long hiking trail loops through the area. You can see the remnants of the town along the trail. Besides the chimney, there are a few walls of an old general store and a broken safe lying nearby.

The village grew around the Presque Isle Brick and Lumber Company. The post office opened in 1884 in what I assume was the general store that you find in pieces today. The post office closed in 1911. Eventually, the townspeople moved away and local concrete magnate Jesse Besser purchased the land. He donated it to the state, and it is now the Besser Natural Area open to the public. If you visit be sure to take some bug spray. when I hiked the trail in the spring the mosquitoes were so thick they could have carried me away.

A cemetery for the former village is nearby but I could not find it. if you know where it is please post in the comments, I would greatly appreciate it so I can find it on my next visit.

If you found this story interesting be sure to take a look at the Lost In Michigan books available Amazon HERE

If you rely on Facebook for post updates, I have been using it less since they want me to pay to boost all of my posts, I hope you subscribe to email updates so you won’t miss any new posts,

« Previous Page