Historic Places Archives - Page 12 of 14

The Ruins in the Kewenaw

Halfway between Calumet and Hancock on M26 in the Keweenaw Peninsula, I came across these massive concrete blocks, standing like giant dominoes, and I could not help but wonder what they were. Doing a little research, I found out they are the remains of the old Ahmeek Stamping Mill built in the early 1900’s. Atop the concrete blocks were stamping machines, part of which remains today, and they would pound the rocks down to a sand like material, and extract the copper from it.

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Michigan’s Historic Two Story Outhouse

Posted on August 18, 2016 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Forgotten Places, Historic Places .

You have probably heard someone make a joke about a two-story outhouse. One of my readers told me about a two-story outhouse near Cedar Lake in central Michigan, so I had to check it out for myself. The house that it sat behind was recently was destroyed by fire, so you can’t get a real good view of the old weathered privy but I did get this pic of it from the road, you can also see it a little from the Fred Meijer Hartland Trail. I did some research on google and I figure this has to be one of the most famous outhouses since it’s even mentioned in Wikipedia about the history of the outhouse, and since it’s on the internet I am sure it’s true.

The two-story privy and house were built by William Nelson, a wealthy lumber baron that had 7 daughters. The girls lived upstairs and the lower part of the home was Mr. Nelson’s office and General store that was frequented by lumberjacks. The Lumber Baron wanted to keep his daughters separated from the men so he built the outhouse with a bridge to the second floor of the home but the bridge collapsed in the 50’s. I read that it’s a 4 holer top and bottom with different size holes to match different size people, I guess they just read goldilocks before they built it. I am not sure how it “works” if the holes on top are in line with the holes in the lower part and its “bombs away” or if there is a tube that channels down to the ground giving a whole new meaning to the term “poop chute”, you know I could go on forever with the puns and jokes. but I better not.

Sadly the old outhouse collapsed a few years ago and a new replica was built in its place. This was one of the first places I visited when I started Lost In Michigan and I included it in the first book.

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The Mount Pleasant Indian Industrial Boarding School

Posted on August 16, 2016 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Forgotten Places, Haunted Places, Historic Places .

The Mount Pleasant Indian Industrial Boarding School in Mt Pleasant is a strange and mysterious looking place, and doing some research I found that it’s history is strange and mysterious too.

According to wikipedia the first building was erected in 1892 for the purposes of educating Native American children and the eight-classroom building opened to the first seventeen students in June of 1893. Enrollment had increased significantly and in the coming years it was necessary to build additional buildings to house all of the students and their daily activities. These included separate boys and girls dormitories, a hospital, a woodworking and blacksmith shop; a building for industrial training, a dining hall, a clubhouse for the employees of the school, several farm buildings.

Some accounts I have read make it sound as if it was a wonderful place to “educate” Native Americans but while researching about the Marquette Orphanage, I know that many of these places run by the government were used as a way to “reform” native American children, I also found references that claim abuse of the children and strip them of there heritage.

The school closed on June 6, 1934 when the State of Michigan took over the property for Michigan Department of Mental Health services and it became The Mount Pleasant Branch of the Michigan Home and Training School. The intent of this home and training school was to house and train mentally handicapped young men. Many of the boys were abandoned; some were juvenile criminals that did not understand their crime or charges in court. Some of the residence were physically handicapped, but a majority of the residents had some kind of mental health issue.

There are rumors of abuse to the patents by the staff. I know what we find horrific, was accepted back then, but who knows what has happened at that facility over the years it was in operation.

I have had people tell me it also housed the criminally insane including murders and rapists but I am not sure about that, I think it gets confused with a correctional facility in Iowa called the Mount Pleasant Mental Health Institute originally known as the Iowa Lunatic Asylum which opened in 1861.

An old Native American cemetery is on or near the property and 174 undocumented children died at the school along with its history as a mental institution it is rumored to be haunted.

It was designated as a State Historic Landmark in 1986 and you can see some of the buildings on Crawford road, I took my photos from the road, I was told it was patrolled and they watch closely for trespassers. Patrolled or not, I don’t trespass and I would advise anyone against it.

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The Lighthouse Ruins and the Ghost Town of Duncan

Posted on July 12, 2016 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Historic Places, Lighthouses, State Parks .

Hidden among the trees in northern Michigan and along the shores of Lake Huron in the Cheboygan State Park are the ruins of the old Cheboygan Point Lighthouse.

The first light at Cheboygan Point was built in 1851. There was a dwelling and a separate 40′ round brick tower, which was fitted with a Fifth Order Fresnel lens made by L. Saultier & Company of Paris. The light was built on a pier and after only eight years of service, high water was washing away at the foundation and the light tower was removed.
In 1859 the station was rebuilt as an eight foot square wooden tower resting atop a two-story eight room dwelling. The new tower rose 22 feet above the house and included the same white light which was used in the earlier tower. In May of 1890, a standard locomotive steam fog signal was installed in a separate building.

1890s photo of the lighthouse from the Cheboygan State Park sign

When the nearby Fourteen Foot Shoal Light was constructed offshore in 1930, the old Cheboygan Light Station was abandoned and the land was deeded to the State of Michigan. Following the vandalism, the buildings were dismantled in the 1940s when George Kling, son of Fred Kling, the last keeper of the lighthouse, purchased the station’s boathouse for $1 and moved it to his home in Cheboygan to serve as a garage. Bill Singer acquired the lighthouse and sold its materials to Bert Toles, who used them to build three small houses. All that remains today is the foundation from the old lighthouse, which you can see along the hiking trails at Cheboygan state park.

Besides guiding ships through the straits of Mackinaw the lighthouse marked the entrance to Duncan Bay and Duncan City on the opposite side of the bay from the lighthouse. Once the county seat of Cheboygan County(1853-1857), Named after Jeremiah Duncan who started lumbering in the area the city was a company town with a population of about 500 in its heyday, and also a refueling stop for Great Lakes steamships. Duncan City began to lose its importance when the Cheboygan River was dredged out deeper, thus allowing more shipping traffic to go to Cheboygan itself. The final blow for Duncan City came in 1898 when the sawmill burned to the ground. The property is now all residential and privately owned and nothing remains of the city today.

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The Historic Island House on Mackinac Island – Michigan Historical Marker

Posted on June 8, 2016 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Historic Places, Michigan Historical Markers .

Constructed for Charles O’Malley about 1852, this building was one of the first summer hotels on Mackinac Island. Captain Henry Van Allen, a Great Lakes skipper, purchased the hotel in 1865. He later moved it from the beach to its present location. By the 1880s the Island House was known as “The best family hotel on the island.” Following the death of her parents, Mrs. Rose Van Allen Webster became proprietor about 1892. She was the wife of Colonel John Webster, whom she had met during the 1870s when he was stationed at Fort Mackinac. Mrs. Webster added the large wings in 1895 and 1912, retaining ownership until her death in 1938. The Island House still serves as a resort hotel. you can find more about the history of the Island House on their website HERE

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The Old Cabin on Route 66

Posted on April 20, 2016 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Historic Places .

No, not that route 66, but M66 that runs north and south thru the Lower Peninsula. I saw this old cabin built in 1892 and owned by the Missaukee County Historical Society on M66 between McBain and Lake City. They must have been a hearty bunch of Michigandars to live in northern Michigan way back then. I think I could handle the outdoor plumbing, but I don’t think I would survive without the internet.

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Alabaster and the Ghostly Loading Dock on Lake Huron

Posted on March 3, 2016 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Forgotten Places, Historic Places, Michigan Historical Markers .

Alabaster, south of Tawas on Lake Huron, was named after a variety of gypsum discovered offshore by Douglass Houghton in 1837. Prospectors soon began searching for other gypsum deposits, and this quarry was opened in 1862 by B.F. Smith. Used at first as fertilizer and as an ingredient in plaster, gypsum is now used principally in the manufacture of wallboard. A fire in 1891 destroyed the operation but it was rebuilt in time to supply material for the main buildings at the Chicago Columbian Exposition of 1893. These buildings, with marble-like walls, earned the exposition the title “White City,” and greatly expanded gypsum sales. Incorporated into the U.S. Gypsum Co. in 1902, this quarry has helped make Michigan a leading producer of gypsum for over a century.

In 1898, the company name was changed to the Alabaster Company. In 1902, the mine was incorporated into the U.S. Gypsum Corporation. Housing for workers was constructed primarily in the period around 1910. The most visible and impressive structure in the district, the elevated marine tramway, was constructed in 1928 and the tramway stretched 1.3 miles out into the Saginaw Bay. Like a horizontal ski-lift, the cable system carries 72 “buckets” of gypsum to a waiting ship or to the storage bin. Each bucket holds more than two tons. The tramway included 6,450 feet of one and three-quarter inch steel cable and 14,000 feet of three-quarter inch cable. At a length of 6,350 feet, it was the longest over-water bucket tramway in the world. The tramway was demolished in the 1990s and the loading building in Lake Huron was torn down in 2020.

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The Italian Hall in Calumet – Michigan Historical Marker

Posted on December 22, 2015 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Historic Places, Michigan Historical Markers .

On December 24, 1913, area copper miners had been on strike for five months. The miners were fighting for better pay, shortened work days, safer working conditions and union recognition. That day, during a yuletide party for the striking miners and their families, someone yelled, “Fire!” Although there was no fire, seventy-three person died while attempting to escape down a stairwell that had doors that opened inward. Over half of those who died were children between the ages of six and ten. The perpetrator of the tragedy was never identified. The strike ended in April 1914.

The Italian Hall was built in 1908 as headquarters for Calumet’s benevolent society. The Society, organized along ethnic lines, encouraged and financially aided immigrants and provided relief to victims of hardship. Following the 1913 Christmas Eve tragedy, the hall continued to be used for nearly five decades. The two-story red brick building was razed in 1984. Through the efforts of the Friends of the Italian Hall and Local 324 of the AFL-CIO, the site of the building became a memorial park dedicated ot the people who lost their lives in 1903.

an Historic Photo of the hall I found in the Public Domain, you can see the doorway that remains as a memorial on the left side of the building.

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Real Castles in Michigan that are better than a Fairy Tale

Posted on December 8, 2015 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Historic Places .

Traveling around Michigan I find a plethora of interesting places and over the past few years I have seen some beautiful and historic castles. here is a list of the ones I have found in my travels.

Saginaw’s Castle Museum

originally built as a post office, it now serves as a museum for the Saginaw Historical Society. check out my post HERE for more about the building

The Castle Museum in Downtown Saginaw

The Hecker Castle

This beautiful french renaissance castle on Woodward Ave designed by Louis Kamper was the home of railroad and ship-building baron Col. Frank J. Hecker, you can read more about it HERE

The Hecker Castle in Detroit

Dickinson County Jail

The Jail In Iron Mountain is a two-story structure built of red brick and sandstone, capped with stone battlemented parapets and a tin roof. It originally contained 36 cells, along with the sheriff’s quarters

Dickinson County Jail in Iron Mountain

Grand Rapids Castle House

this castle-like house was constructed in 1884-86 for lumber barons Colonel E. Crofton Fox and his brother Charles, you can find out more HERE

Grand Rapids Castle House

State Prison in Jackson

the walls surrounding the first state prison in Jackson look like they belong around a mid evil castle, the prison is no longer operational, you can read more HERE

The Old State Prison in Jackson

8th Precinct Police Station

The former Eighth Precinct Police Station is the second-oldest police building in Detroit.It was designed by Louis Kamper and built between 1900 and 1901. you can read more HERE

8th Precinct Police Station in Detroit

Curwood Castle

Built in 1922, by James Oliver Curwood as his writing studio, and a number of his later works were composed in the tower, overlooking the Shiawassee River. you can find out more HERE

Curwood Castle in Owosso

Henderson Castle

The Queen Anne style house was designed by C. A. Gombert of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The $72,000 building costs included seven baths (one with a thirteen-head shower), an elevator, and a third-floor ballroom. The castle’s exterior was constructed of Lake Superior sandstone and brick, and the interior wood included mahogany, bird’s eye maple, quartered oak, birch, and American sycamore. The castle was built with 25 rooms in all and exemplified the most expensive tastes of the time. it is now a bed and breakfast.

Henderson Castle in Kalamazoo

Upper Peninsula Brewing Co. Office

The Upper Peninsula Brewing Company Building is an office building located at the intersection of Meeske Street and US 41 in Marquette, Michigan. It is also known as the Charles Meeske House. you can read more HERE

Upper Peninsula Brewing Co. Office

Elm Lawn Cemetery Gate

The entrance to the Historic Cemetery in Bay City is more of a gate then a castle, but it looks like one to me, so I added it to the list.

Elm Lawn Cemetery Gate in Bay City

The James Scott Residence

This is the James Scott residence on the comer of Peterboro and Park in the Midtown District and it was built in 1887. you can read more HERE

The James Scott Residence

The Penniman Castle

The Penniman Castle of Battle Creek was built in 1906, you can read more HERE

Frankfort Castle House

I could not find any info about the house in Frankfort but I had to include it on the list

Frankfort Castle house

Deer Acres

On M13 in Pinconning it’s probably not much of a castle, but it seemed like one to me when I visted it as a kid in the 70’s

Deer Acres on M13 in Pinconning

The Castle House in Manchester

It’s not your typical looking house. I searched google and the only thing I found was a photo of a postcard on Flickr circa 1910 and that it was built by A.J. Wright, other than that I could not find anything else.

The Castle House in Manchester

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The Haunted Ghost Town of Pere Cheney

Posted on October 4, 2015 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Haunted Places, Historic Places .

I heard about this Pere Cheney ghost town and had a few requests to take some pics of it. I was there on a cold and rainy day. It’s about 10 miles southeast of Grayling in Crawford county. Pere Cheney was a lumbering town that was established in 1874 and was one of the largest towns in the region at the time. The population grew to about 1500 people but in 1893 diphtheria spread throughout the village killing most of its population. Again in 1897 diphtheria returned and by 1917 there were 18 people left in the town and it was sold off in an auction. Since then all the buildings are gone and there is just a cemetery that remains about a mile south of where the town once stood.

One of the few remaining tombstones

Pere Cheney Tombstone

Now that you know a little of the history you can see why there are ghost stories surrounding this area. There are reports of lights in the woods and they say you can hear children playing, and sometimes they leave handprints on the cars when you visit. I don’t believe much in ghosts, but I do like a good story, and I am a history buff. I figure why not stop and get a few pics while I am there. Only a few headstones remain in the graveyard and many are broken or have fallen over. But that does not stop visitors from leaving flowers and coins.

Pere Cheney Cemetery

Where the town once stood there is a lot of moss growing on the trees, they say nothing grows there but that’s not true. There is wild grass growing and I even found some wildflowers. As for the moss, it grows on a lot of the trees, but I have seen it in other areas of the woods around there so it’s not unique. There are some depressions in the ground and I read online that these are where the buildings used to be.

Where the town once stood

Moss growing on the trees

The spooky thing to me was, it’s in the middle of nowhere. Railroad tracks pass thru the area and it’s where the town got supplies from many years ago before there were cars and trucks. It’s rather secluded and it is strange to see a cemetery in the middle of the woods like it is. If I hadn’t known it was there, and I came across it by accident, it would have really spooked me.

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