This massive brick building in Belding sits near downtown across from the library. Built in 1906, Belrockton is the last remaining boardinghouse of the three provided by the Belding Brothers and Company for its single female workers. A major silk manufacturer in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the company employed hundreds of young women and earned Belding the title of “Silk City of the World.” Providing accommodations for one hundred residents and staff, the Belrockton Dormitory, a Classical-Revival-inspired building, was erected at a cost of thirty thousand dollars. Following the closing of the company’s silk mills in 1935, the “Bel” served as a residential training center for the National Youth Administration. In 1943 the building became a recreation center. The city of Belding purchased the structure in 1950 to serve as a community center. In 1987 it became the home of the Belding Museum.

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This old cannon stands next to a VFW post along the Red Arrow Highway near Watervliet in southwest Michigan. I pass by a lot of VFW posts that have decommissioned military equipment such as tanks and canons, but this particular cannon is unique and rare. It dates back to World War I. The wooden chassis and wheels were built by Studebaker. The gun portion was made by the Northwest Ordnance Company in Watervliet, New York where the United States created an arsenal in 1893 along the Hudson River. It is the oldest continuously active arsenal in the United States, and today produces much of the artillery for the army, as well as gun tubes for cannons, mortars, and tanks

Watervliet Michigan was named after Watervliet New York, where the first settlers to the area in Michigan came from in the 1830s. I can only assume that is how this historic cannon came to stand in the southwestern Michigan town is its connection to the town in New York.

Armistice Day is the day that marked the end of World War I. The armistice was signed between the Allies of World War I and Germany and fighting would stop on the 11th hour, of the 11th day, of the 11th month” in 1918. It is why we celebrate Veteran’s Day on November 11th. Thank you to all the men and women who have served or continue to serve and defend this country and its Constitution. It is your sacrifices and commitment that allow me to continue my pursuit of happiness.

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The tracks are gone, and a rail trail  for biking and hiking remains where they used to be. Autumn trees of reds and yellows stand alongside the path with memories of the tragic forest fire that burned the town of Metz.

A photo of the warped tracks from the fire ( photo from the roadside park in Metz)

The historical marker in Metz reads: On October 15, 1908, raging fires swept the pine forests of Presque Isle County. When the flames approached the village of Metz, a train jammed with women and children left for Posen, five miles away. At Nowicki’s siding, two miles out of town, huge piles of blazing wood lined the track. As the engine raced past the siding, where intense heat had warped the rails, the train left the track, leaving an open car full of refugees in the center of the flames. Sixteen were killed and dozens of others badly burned. Throughout this part of the state hundreds were left homeless, as many homes and farms were devastated. Supplies soon poured in so that shelters could be erected before the onset of the northern winter.

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The Glen Haven Canning Co. building sits along the Lake Michigan shoreline in the small town of Glen Haven a few miles away from Glen Arbor. The canning company building was originally used as a warehouse supplying ships and fishing vessels. In the 1920’s it was used to can cherries. I assume that is when it was painted bright red. Now it is used as a museum exhibiting old wooden boats from the region.

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This sculpture stands near the entrance to the VFW National Home For Children near Eaton Rapids.  The VFW wanted to support families of deceased and disabled American veterans. They sought to keep families intact, furnish a homelife similar to that enjoyed by other American families, and teach self-sufficiency and independence. Corey Spencer gave the VFW his cattle ranch for property to construct a home. Since the facility provided homes for families outside of Michigan, it received support from veterans groups across the country. The VFW National Home for Children has grown from an old frame farmhouse to a sprawling campus with playgrounds, park areas, and multiple buildings, including single-family homes, a community center, gymnasium, child care facility, guest lodge, and chapel. This remains the only privately funded home for veterans’ children and grandchildren in the United States that is national in scope.

One of the first residents of the home was Mrs. Pollett and her 6 children ages 2-15. Her husband,  Sgt. Edward Pollett after picking up his retirement check at Fort Wayne was struck by a streetcar in Detroit and died. His retirement benefits ceased upon his death and his widow and children were left without an income to support them. They were welcomed into the VFW Home for Children. The home continues to this day supporting veterans’ families.

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