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Category Archives: Historic Places

The Nike Base

Posted on January 24, 2023 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Detroit, Historic Places .

River Bend Park in Utica sits along the Clinton River. It has baseball fields, soccer fields and a shooting range. Near the middle of the park is a historical marker that stands as a reminder of what the park used to be. The property was originally developed in 1955 by the military as a Nike missile base. Fifteen such bases were placed around Detroit to defend the city in an attack. Ajax missiles were used to shoot down any enemy aircraft that could drop a nuclear bomb on the city.

By the 1970s the Soviets had intercontinental ballistic missiles and the Nike bases were not capable of shooting them down. In 1974 the bases were deactivated. The missile silos were filled in and the buildings were demolished. The property was given to the Michigan DNR. All that remains of the old base are a few foundations from the buildings and one small building that is being used as a storage shed.

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A Patriotic Christmas Tree

Posted on November 30, 2022 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Historic Places .

Every holiday season the Waterworks building in Saginaw is decorated with lights. It is a magical display enjoyed by many people as they pass by the iconic building on Ezra-Rust Drive. Most people are unaware of the significance of the red white and blue lights decorating the pine tree on the corner.

In 1979, during the Iran Hostage Crisis at the Embassy in Tehran,  plant supervisor Wally Rogalski had the tree decorated as a patriot gesture in honor of the hostages. The tree has been decorated with the American colors ever since then. The hostage crisis occurred a long time ago, but I think it’s also a good reminder to remember all the men and women who serve in the military at home and abroad, and the sacrifices they make for us, especially during the holidays.

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The Dome along M-22

Posted on November 16, 2022 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Historic Places .

If you have ever traveled along M-22 south of Empire you may have noticed a large white sphere sticking up over the trees. If you are curious like me you have probably wondered what it is. It was built in the 1950s as part of the Empire Air Force Station operated by the 752d Aircraft Control and Warning (AC&W) squadron. It was a long range radar that scanned the skies for missiles from the Soviet Union. The station was deactivated in 1978. In the 1980s it was turned over to the FAA and now the radar is used to monitor commercial aircraft.

It sits near the Empire Bluff Trail Head and I drove up to get a closer look at it but unfortunately the road was closed to visitors. The buildings from the old base is used my the National Park Service and only employees are allowed in. Oh well at least now I know what the giant “golf ball” along M-22 is used for.

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The Land Office

Posted on October 4, 2022 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Historic Places .

This white building with green trim stands in downtown White Pigeon near the southern Michigan border. It is one of the oldest buildings in the state. the Treaty of Chicago was signed in 1821 by the tribes in southwestern Michigan turning over their lands to the federal government. In 1831 the government opened this office in White Pigeon, one of the largest towns in the western Michigan Territory. Between 1831 and 1834, land was sold from this office at $1.25 per acre. About 260,000 acres of were deeded including the land that includes, Kalamazoo, Grand Rapids and Battle Creek.

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The Old Building in Leland

Posted on September 10, 2022 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Historic Places, Murders .

The town of Leland in the Leelanau Peninsula is known for historic Fishtown. It draws many tourists to the seaside village but few of them know about this old brick building that stands near the center of town. The bars on the windows gives a clue about what it was used for. In the early days of the county it served as the jail. I am sure it has held many people but one person in particular made this little building world famous in the early 1900s.

Sister Janina, a nun in the small town of Isadore went missing, Years later her remains were found under the church and the local law enforcement believed the priests house keeper Stanislawa “Stella” Lipczynska committed her murder.  She was held in this old brick jail while the prosecutors built their case.

Postcard of Lipczynska standing behind the bars of the door in the Leland Jail.

The trial garnered national attention as people read about the case in newspapers. Lipczynska was found guilty of murduring Sister Janina because she was jealous of the affair between the church’s priest, Father Andrew and the nun. When her body was found it was discovered that the nun was pregnant. Lipczynska denied having any involvement in the nuns death until they day she died. Exactly what happened will never be known but if you want to know more you can check out my post from a few years ago HERE

For the whole story I recommend reading Isadore’s Secret by Mardi Link. It was interesting not only for the murder, but understanding the lives and history of people living in the Leelanau Peninsula at the turn of the century.

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The Stone Home

Posted on August 12, 2022 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Historic Places, Houses .

I have seen some houses and buildings around the Mitten State that have been constructed using local field stones and rocks. This one is unique because the stones were shaped to be square and rectangle blocks. It was difficult for laborers to hand chisel these rocks into shape but it is a beautiful work of masonry. The house is located in the town of Hart near US-31 east of Silver Lake. It was constructed in the late 1800s for a local physician and druggist Harvey Jenner Chadwick. It later became the home of L.P. Munger, a physician and fruit-grower. It eventually became the offices of the Health Department for Oceana County and in the 1980s it became part of the Oceana County Historical Society.

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The Playhouse In the Woods

Posted on August 6, 2022 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Historic Places, Michigan State Parks .

 

This log cabin sits on a hill in the Highland Recreation Area off M-59. It was constructed as the carriage house and chauffer’s living quarters for Edsel Ford’s Haven Hill Lodge that that stood nearby. The Chauffer ended up living in the lodge and Edsel’s children used the carriage house as a playhouse. The main lodge burned down in a fire several years ago. You can read about it in my post HERE

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The Old Jail in Cheboygan

Posted on July 19, 2022 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Historic Places .

This old building stands a few blocks south of downtown Cheboygan and block off of M-27. The words COUNTY JAIL are still chiseled in the block above the door. This old building built in 1880 served as the Cheboygan County sheriff’s residence until 1969. In the late 1800s many drunken and rowdy lumbermen sobered up in the jail. The inmates often did chores in exchange for their bed and meals prepared by the sheriff’s wife. By 1911 the jail was inadequate and a two story addition was added to the original building. It was supposed to have 8 cells on each floor, but due to safety regulations, the second floor was never finished. The county used the jail until 1969 when a new modern jail was built to replace it. In 1972 the building became a museum ran by the Historical Society of Cheboygan County.

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The House at the Junction

Posted on June 10, 2022 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Historic Places, Houses .

This is the old Hewitt house built in 1929. It stands in Cambridge Junction Historic State Park along US-12 near Brooklyn. The house is now used as a visitor’s center.

I have more about Hewitt, Walker Tavern and Cambridge Junction in my recently released Volume 6 available HERE

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VFW National Home

Posted on May 17, 2022 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Historic Places .

Between Jackson and Lansing near the town of Eaton Rapids is the VFW National Home. Designated as a Michigan historical landmark the home has been taking care of veteran’s families for nearly a century.

In 1923 the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) initiated a plan to build a national home for the families of deceased and disabled American veterans. The following year a Jackson, Michigan, cattleman made his Ingham County ranch available for the site of the home. A complex of buildings was erected on the property. Since the facility provided homes for families outside of Michigan, it received support from veterans groups across the country, who donated money for the construction of “cottage” residences. The VFW sought to keep families intact, furnish a homelife similar to that enjoyed by other American families, and teach self-sufficiency and independence. This remains the only privately funded home for veterans’ children and grandchildren in the United States that is national in scope.

When the Veterans of Foreign Wars announced that it would build a national home for the widows and orphan children of veterans, support poured in from across the country. Initial funding was created following the 1922 Yankees-Giants World Series. Umpires halted the tied second game due to darkness. A controversy resulted, which inspired the baseball commissioner to donate the series’ first game’s proceeds to the nation’s war veterans, and the VFW received twenty thousand dollars. Between 1925 and 1930 residential “cottages” were constructed with funds from state veterans organizations. Each house was designed as an individual home. These houses created a neighborhood environment for their residents. The National Home honors the contributions and sacrifices of America’s veterans.

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