Historic Places Archives - Page 10 of 14

The Hawaiian Palace in Michigan

Posted on February 28, 2019 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Historic Places, Houses .

Abner Pratt was a former chief justice of the Michigan Supreme Court. He came to Michigan in the 1840s from New York and settled in Marshall Michigan to practice law. Under President James Buchanan he served as United States Consul to Hawaii. After returning from the Hawaiian Islands in 1860 he built this palace-like home in Marshall to look like the homes on the islands of Hawaii. The house known as the Honolulu House is one of the most unique houses in Michigan. Unfortunately, Pratt died of Pneumonia in 1863 shortly after the construction of the home was finished. The home is now a museum maintained by the Marshall Historical Society.

P.S It was a cold December day when I visited Marshall I hope I can get back there and visit in the summer. It’s a beautiful city full of interesting history.

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Ken-Tuck-U-Inn

If you have ever visited the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore and driven down M-22, you probably marveled at the natural beauty as I have. Several historic houses and buildings can also be seen on M-22. In the southern part of the National Lakeshore nestled in the woods not far from the road is a light yellow house. It was built by Bertie and Donna Bancroft in the late 1920s as a boarding house for travelers visiting the area. On Sundays, the inn was a popular destination for tourists to enjoy one of Donna’s chicken dinners. During the peak season in summer, she would serve over 100 tourists using the chickens she raised at the inn. Bertie lived in this house until his death in 1963. Donna died the following year. The historic old house is now part of the National Lakeshore and is maintained by the National Park Service.

Bertie and Donna Bancroft cam from the nearby town of Aral which is a ghost town. you can read about it in my post HERE

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The More I explore Sleeping Bear National Lake Shore the more history I learn. I hope you will Subscribe to Lost In Michigan to see the upcoming posts that I think you will like

Frozen Fishtown

Posted on February 18, 2019 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Historic Places .

On a recent trip to the Leelanau Peninsula, I made a stop at Fishtown. I have never been there in the winter and it was nice since I could find a parking spot. Actually, I was the only one in the parking lot. Probably because all the businesses were closed for the season. I enjoyed walking around in solitude taking some pics, but I do miss getting a sandwich at the Village Cheese Shanty.

P.S. Does anyone know what is in the buildings on the other side of the river? I am curious

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The Purple Gang’s Secret Inside this Building

Posted on February 16, 2019 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Historic Places .

This ordinary building near the Kalamazoo River in Albion held a secret inside. The building is now used by the non-profit social organization The Leisure Hour Club, but back in the ’30s, it was owned by one of the members of the notorious Purple Gang. The gang was in control of most of the booze coming into Detroit from Canada during Prohibition. They sold liquor throughout the midwest and would frequently travel to Chicago, and Albion was a halfway point on the trip. Some members of the gang owned this building and a nearby auto salvage business. The gang would steal safes from across the state and would take them to Albion where they could be opened by either safecrackers, or brute force at the auto wrecking yard. After the cash and valuables were remove the safe and evidence could be disposed of with the scrap metal.

1932 Graham-Paige sedan: source Wikipedia

In 1935 the gang stole a Graham Paige sedan from Ferndale and converted it into a safe stealing getaway car. They added a pull-down metal shield over the rear window. License plates that could be rotated to different numbers. The car also had bulletproof glass and portholes to fire guns through. The rear seats and doors were removable so safes could be loaded quickly into the back and transported to Albion. The car was hidden from police during the daytime in the building now used by the Leisure Hour Club. A police officer in 1936 spotted the infamous car through a window and shortly afterward At 3:00 a.m. on Wednesday, June 3, 1936 over 25 police officers raided the building and salvage yard apprehending some members of the purple gang.

I can only assume the car was scrapped for metal during WWII, but it would be interesting to find it in a barn somewhere and see what it looked like with all it’s bullet holes and super secret safe stealing gadgets.

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The Old Prison

Posted on February 13, 2019 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Historic Places .

The first state prison opened in 1838 near Jackson and started with a temporary wooden prison. In 1839 the first 35 prisoners were incarcerated. It started with three log cabins, and walls built with huge wide logs, almost like a fur traders post, and 7 of the original 35 prisoners escaped over the walls. Then two years after it opened, on a foggy night June 1, 1840, 10 inmates dug their way out of the cabins and escaped. The fugitives terrorized the community, robbing banks and becoming known as the Jackson Robber Gang. It took two years to finally capture them. The stone walls that still stand today in Jackson were constructed in the 1860s and housed Civil War prisoners. You can read more about the prison in my Lost In Michigan book which is ON SALE HERE

Now for something different

The state required me to replace my ten-year-old license plates and I got to wondering how they were made. I came across this video on Youtube and now it makes sense as to how there can be so many different designs.

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The Most Infamous Street In Michigan

Posted on February 1, 2019 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in cities, Historic Places .

It’s hard to believe this quite narrow street lined with antique stores and gift shops was once known for its alcohol-fueled brawls. In the late 1800s, lumberjacks would take the train into Holly and spend their hard earned money at the saloons on this downtown street. On many occasions, a fight in one of the bars broke out and spilled out onto the street. A large fight between some local men and a traveling circus in 1885 gave the street previously known as Martha Street, it’s now infamous moniker of Battle Alley. In 1908, boisterous and outspoken national temperance leader Carry Nation gave a speech in the alley on the prohibition of alcohol. Afterward, she went through the saloons bellowing about the “Demon Rum” and its sins. The old street has changed a lot from the days of lumberjacks and saloons, but there is a historical marker on one of the buildings reminding visitors of it’s rough and rowdy past.

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The Bay View Inn

Posted on January 11, 2019 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Historic Places, Michigan Historical Markers .

I have driven past Stafford’s Bay View Inn near the lake in Petoskey many times. I finally stopped and got a pic and read the historical marker which reads:

J. W. Howard completed this spacious inn in 1887, naming it the Woodland Avenue House because of its proximity to that street. Later he called the hotel the Howard House. In 1923 the popular resort became the Roselawn in honor of Horace Rose, innkeeper at that time. Renamed the Bay View Inn, this building is now Stafford’s Bay View Inn and is one of the oldest seasonal hotels in continuous operation in the area. Carved out of deeded railroad property next to the village of Petoskey in 1875, the summer colony of Bay View began as a religious retreat. Then it became a cultural and educational center complete with a college and Chautauqua series. This inn is a center of hospitality in the swirl of local summer activities.

One of these days I am going to have dinner at the historic Inn. If you have ever eaten or stayed there let me know in the comments.

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The Blind Pig in Forester

Posted on October 27, 2018 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Historic Places, Thumb .

In the late 1800s, the town of Forester was a booming lumber town. Located on Lake Huron, ships would tie up at the docks that stretched out into the lake and load their holds full of timber. The town had three hotels and one of them was built by George Tanner in 1871. The significance of the year 1871 is that is the year of the Great Fire. I am wondering if he built it knowing many people were homeless. Known as the Tanner House, it still stands today on the corner of M-25 and Forester Road. After the timber was cut down the town slowly declined. The sawmills and most of the residents moved away. In the 1930’s it has been said that the old hotel was used as a “blind pig” during prohibition. I imagine there were some crazy nights at the old hotel with illegal booze flowing, and I can only wonder what was going on upstairs.

Shortly after the hotel was built it’s residents bore witness to one of the Thumb’s most tragic and legendary events. In the spring of 1876, a young Mini Quay was distraught after learning of her lover’s ship sinking in the great lakes. She walked past the Tanner House waived to the people outside then walked to the end of the dock and jumped into the icy waters and drowned. ( you can read more of her story in my Lost In Michigan book Vol 2)

It’s privately owned today, and the owners have done a nice job of renovating it. Next time you are traveling down M-25 and you see a big old house in Forester now you will know a little bit of its history.

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Michigan’s Sleeping Bear Dunes Boekelodge

Posted on September 19, 2018 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Historic Places, Houses, Sleeping Bear Dunes .

The Boekelodge is in the southern part of the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. The cabin was originally built in the 1930’s and then left abandoned after a few years. In 1945, the cabin was purchased by the Boekeloo family and updated. A canal was dug from the plat river to flood the low-lying areas for a cranberry bog. The cabin overlooks a pond and is now owned by the National Park Service. A seasonal road off M-22 leads back to the cabin where you can hike the area including a trail that goes to Lake Michigan. It’s a lesser-known part of the National Lakeshore, and you have to know where to find Boekeloo Road, since there is no sign along M-22 telling visitors there is a lodge hidden in the woods. You can find more info and a detailed location of the Boekelodge and many other interesting locations in the Lost In Michigan book available on Amazon HERE

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How A Desk Clerk Purchased the Grand Hotel

Posted on May 6, 2018 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Historic Places .

The Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island is one of Michigan most Iconic and historic locations, but do you know the amazing story of how a young desk clerk became the owner of one of the most famous hotels in the world. W. Stewart Woodfill began working at the Grand Hotel in 1919 as a desk clerk welcoming guests into the luxurious hotel on Mackinac Island. A hardworking and young Woodfall took over managing the hotel at the age of 27 after the current manager had died in 1923. Getting a chance to purchase the magnificent hotel he formed a partnership with a few other men. After the banks refused to loan the group money he pitched a proposal to James Kraft, yes that James Kraft of Kraft Foods, the food magnate supposedly fell asleep during the presentation but then woke up and told Mr. Woodfill that he and his wife stayed at the hotel on their honeymoon. He said it was the most beautiful place in America and helped finance the hotel in 1925 with Woodfill as the managing partner. The hotel struggled to make ends meet and after a few years without paying dividends to its owners W. Stewart Woodfill sold his portion of the hotel in 1927. Without knowing it at the time, he made the smartest decision of his life. A few years later the stock market crashed and the American economy was in shambles in 1929. The hotel fell on hard times and went up for auction in 1930. W. Stewart Woodfill, a one-time desk clerk, was the only bidder purchasing the stately hotel with the money he received from selling his share of the hotel a few years earlier. He owned the historic hotel until he sold it to his nephew in 1979.

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