Historic Places Archives - Page 13 of 15

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

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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The Mysterious Death of Sand Point’s First Female Lighthouse Keeper

Posted on August 20, 2015 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Historic Places, Lighthouses, Michigan Historical Markers, upper peninsula .

The United States Lighthouse Service approved construction of the Sand Point Lighthouse in Escanaba at a cost of $11,000. Construction began in the fall of 1867 and was completed in early spring 1868. John Terry was appointed the first lighthouse keeper of the new lighthouse in December 1867, but he became very ill and died in April 1868 a month before the lighthouse was ready to be manned. With the lighthouse nearly completed, but with no lightkeeper ready to report to duty, John Terry’s wife, Mary, was appointed lightkeeper and subsequently became one of the first female lightkeepers on the Great Lakes Mary was the one who lit the fourth order Fresnel lens on the night of May 13, 1868. which could be seen for 11.5 miles.

Mary Terry was a well-respected citizen in the community and fulfilled her duties as lightkeeper with efficiency and dedication.She lived there alone, as she and her husband had no children and was lightkeeper until 1886, when a mysterious fire severely damaged the lighthouse and took her life. To date, no one knows exactly what happened or why it happened. Some speculate that it was an attempted burglary and that the suspect set the lighthouse afire to cover any evidence of wrongdoing. The south entrance door showed signs of forced entry, yet none of Mary Terry’s valuables were taken, and the fact that Mary was found in the oil room and not in her bedroom, led people to believe there was foul play. Deep snow made it impossible for fire fighters to reach the lighthouse before it was very badly damaged. Some people who knew Mary Terry found it hard to believe that this was an accident since she was so careful and efficient.

One other strange fact about the Sand Point Lighthouse is that it was constructed with its tower facing the land instead of facing the water. Whether this orientation was intentional or an engineering blunder is unknown.

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The Magnificent Houghton Fire Hall

Posted on July 7, 2015 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Fire Houses, Historic Places, upper peninsula .

The Continental Fire Company organized in 1860 in Houghton built their new fire hall in 1883 and occupied the basement, which housed horses, and the main floor, which stored fire engines. Village offices were on the second floor. The Michigan Mining School, now Michigan Technological University, held its first classes on the second floor and in the basement from 1886 through May 1889. In the early 1900s, the building was extended to the north to store more oats and hay for the horses. In 1916, an addition was built on the western side to store two more fire engines.

The city moved its offices out of the fire hall in the 1930s. On August 5, 1966, a bronze plaque was unveiled commemorating the building as the original home of the university. In 1974, the fire department moved to a new, more centrally located fire hall along Sharon Avenue in order to accommodate larger modern equipment. The fire bell was removed in October 1975 and transferred to the new location.

The fire hall was listed as a Michigan State Historic Site on August 6, 1976.In 1978, the university purchased the building from the city to use as storage.It was sold in 2010 to a private group who renovated it into an entertainment venue, called the Continental Fire Co., which opened in February 2012.

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The Civil War Statue and his Brothers

Posted on May 19, 2015 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Historic Places .

The Stockbridge Civil War Monument in the center of town.

I always admired the Statue of the Civil War Soldier at Oakwood Cemetery in my hometown of Saginaw. I always thought it was a statue of James N. Penoyer since his name is so prominently displayed on the plinth. As I went around Michigan taking photos and finding other Civil War statues I noticed something familiar about them. I started comparing photos and realized that they were all identical statues.

The James N Penoyer Monument at Oakwood Cemetery in Saginaw Michigan

If the statue that I thought was James N. Penoyer was not really a statue of him then who was it. A search on google reveals there are a plethora of statues of the same soldier around the country and I wondered where they all came from.

Old Simon watching over the Veterans Section at Oak Hill Cemetery

I think the statues are based off the U.S. Soldier Monument at Antietam National Cemetery called The American Volunteer . The monument is also known as the Private Soldier Monument. The monument was designed by sculptor Carl Conrads and architect George Keller, both of the New England Granite Works of Hartford, Connecticut started by James G. Batterson. The statue,

U.S. Soldier Monument in Antietam National Cemetery

described as “the largest work of its kind in the country,” was prominently exhibited at the 1876 Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was transported to Sharpsburg, installed atop the monument, and dedicated at the National Cemetery in 1880. The total cost of the monument was over US$32,000. The statue’s nickname is “Old Simon.”

I am thinking with the popularity of Old Simon the New England Granite Works began producing replica statures and monuments for towns across America to honor the Civil War soldiers. I have seen the statue referred to “Soldier At Parade Rest”. I am not sure how many statures were carved, but I find it fascinating looking at photographs of the different statues, how identical they are, considering the technology at the time, they must have carved them by hand.

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The Welfare Building in Chelsea – Michigan Historical Marker

Posted on April 21, 2015 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Historic Places, Michigan Historical Markers .

The Welfare Building was constructed in 1906 as a recreation facility for the workers of the Glazier Stove Company. It featured a swimming pool, a billiard hall, a basketball court, a theatre and a reading room. Chelsea native Frank P. Glazier, who was Michigan state treasurer from 1904 to 1908, founded the stove company in 1891. Because Chelsea, a predominantly rural community, lacked skilled labor, most of the company’s workers commuted weekly via a special train from Detroit. In 1907 Glazier declared bankruptcy. The building was sold to the Lewis Spring & Axle Company, which manufactured the short-lived Hollier Eight automobile. Since 1960 the building has housed the Chelsea Standard.

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Sharon Mills Historic Site and Park

Posted on April 7, 2015 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Grain Elevators, Historic Places .

Sharon Mills near Manchester was built in the 1830s. Later a gristmill was erected and operated by John Rice and subsequently by the Kirkwood family until the late 1920s. In 1928, Sharon Mills was purchased by Henry Ford for use as a small plant. He rebuilt the mill, added a stone addition, and installed a hydroelectric generator for power. Sharon Mills became the thirteenth Ford Village Industries plant employing approximately 15 men who manufactured cigar lighters. Regrettably, Ford’s Village Industries concept proved economically nonviable and the Sharon Mills plant closed in 1946. This association with Henry Ford makes this site particularly significant according to the Michigan Historic Commission. Apart from a brief period as an antique business, through the 1950s until the close of the ’80s, Sharon Mills was used primarily as a private residence. Sharon Mill was listed as a State Register Historic Site in 1989. In the 1990s, the mill was converted into the Sharon Mills Winery, bottling and selling Michigan wines. When the winery closed, the family sold the mill and its 24-acre site to the Washtenaw County Parks and Recreation Commission (WCPARC) in December 1999. Additional purchases of surrounding farmland have increased the park to 170 acres.

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The Stadium at Michigan and Trumbull

Posted on April 5, 2015 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Detroit, Historic Places .

The corner of Michigan and Trumbull has had a few names over the years and you can tell how old someone is by what they called it. For my Dad, it’s Brigg’s Stadium, to me it was Tiger Stadium. I have never been to the new stadium, I am sure it’s a nice stadium and is similar to several other modern stadiums around the country, but you will never get that sense of history walking into a new stadium like you did walking into the old Stadium on Michigan and Trumbull.

To be honest with you, I could not tell you the last time I watched a Tiger’s game on TV, my dad probably could not tell you when he missed a Tiger’s game. As we get older, memories from our youth fade away, but there are some memories that will live with us forever.

I remember in the late 70’s my dad loading the family up in the Olds 88 and taking a trip down 75 from Saginaw to Detroit. Back then, there was not much parking around the stadium, either that, or my dad was too cheap to pay for parking, and I remember parking in a neighborhood across the highway. I remember taking the walkway over the highway and as you crest the center you see that enormous white stadium, with the lights protruding from the roof. I remember passing those gates surrounding the Stadium and looking up at the towering white walls, inside the stadium was the distinct aroma of popcorn and beer. Finding our way around the stadium to our seats and traversing huge steal beams and girders and finally heading towards the light coming from one of the openings, like the light from the heavens, of which we walked into revealing perfectly manicured field and rows of green wooden seats. I think that is the thing I like most about Tiger Stadium, was the fact it was an old man made structure built during the Industrial revolution and made with bricks and steel which personified Detroit’s magnificent manufacturing history. And yet in the middle of this industrial jungle was a beautiful oasis of green grass.

When I got to Michigan and Trumbull this summer, the gate was left open, I don’t know if was intentionally or incidentally, but either way I went onto the field and it was a strange feeling standing there at home plate knowing this was where Kirk Gibson hit the homerun in game 5 of the 84 world series. It was sad looking at the mound that Mark Fidrych groomed with his own hands. Now all that is left is a Flagpole and Diamond, surrounded by dandelions instead of rows of seats filled with cheering fans.

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Seul Choix Point Lighthouse, is it haunted?

Posted on October 22, 2014 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Historic Places, Lighthouses .

There are Stories that claim the lighthouse is haunted by a lighthouse keeper that served the structure from 1902 until his death In 1910, it is said that he passed away while in the bedroom that is located upstairs. His name was Joseph Willie Townsend. He and his wife resided in the house and was known to enjoy smoking cigars. Unfortunately, his wife was not a huge fan of the smell and smoke associated with the cigars and informed him that he could not smoke them in the house. Since his death, many people have claimed to smell burning cigars in the house. It’s believed that Townsend purposely smokes in the house in the afterlife as his wife cannot forbid it now. People have also claimed to have seen Townsend’s Ghost and that furniture is rearranged. Another strange occurrence is when the table is set and left unattended, then seen later, the forks are turned tine side down, Townsend was known to set his forks down in that position.

Haunted or not, it’s a beautiful lighthouse, and I highly recommend visiting it near the town of Gulliver on Lake Michigan.

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Ten Haunted or Creepy places in Michigan

Posted on October 16, 2014 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Forgotten Places, Historic Places, Lighthouses, Michigan Historical Markers .

I love a good ghost story especially when there is some Michigan history attached to it. Here are some of my favorite spooky places I have found traveling the back roads in Michigan. If you find these places intriguing I hope you will take a look at the Lost In Michigan book for more in-depth information and stories HERE

The Bruce Mansion in Burnside township is said to be one of the most haunted places in Michigan and there is a story of the owner hitting a pedestrian and burying his body on the property

Bruce Mansion in Burnside Michigan

Northville Psychiatric Hospital in Northville, This state run hospital closed in 2003 and supposedly there are ghosts in the tunnels that run between building, I have not been there in a while and I hear it is being demolished for a new project on that site.

Northville Psychiatric Hospital in Northville

The Calumet Theatre in the Keweenaw Peninsula. According to Wikipedia it is inhabited by the ghost of a famous Polish actress Madame Helena Modjeska

Calumet Theatre

Pere Cheney near Grayling was an old logging town that was stricken with illness, all that is left of the town is some depressions in the ground and a cemetery with strange things happening in it. Pere Cheney was a lumbering town established in 1874 and 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.

Pere Cheney Cemetery and ghost town

Eagle Harbor Lighthouse, there are stories of a Coast Guard lighthouse keeper in the 1970s reporting many strange happenings at Eagle Harbor, including the sight of a faceless man in a plaid flannel shirt, the sounds of moving furniture and heavy footsteps on the second floor and lights turning on and off.

Eagle Harbor Lighthouse

The Fenton Monastery The monastery was built in 1868 and was originally a Baptist seminary. By 1886 it became a retired home for Baptist priests and their wives and then Converted into apartments between 1935 and 1945. by the 1950s the building became a nursing home. I found some references of it being haunted but no stories of why it is creepy with part of the front fallen down. Sadly the old Monastery was torn down in 2016.

Fenton Monistary

The Pere Marquette Depot on Potter Street in Saginaw one of the largest Victorian era train stations in the United States There are several sources that claim the station to be haunted, bodies of soldiers who died in the war were shipped back to Saginaw by train to this depot. Richard Froeber was a casket maker in Saginaw and his shop was in the depot and he would build caskets for the fallen soldiers. There have been reports of people seeing a ghostly figure of a woman in white roaming the station.

Potter Street Train Station in Saginaw Michigan

The Marquette Orphanage,Built in 1915 and closed in 1980 there is a story of a girl who died in a blizzard and they held the funeral in the basement for her.

Marquette Orphanage

The David Whitney House in Detroit. This house was originally constructed in the 1890s by David Whitney, Jr. It was restored in 1986 and is now used as a formal dining restaurant. Both Whitney and his wife died in this mansion and are believed to remain behind to haunt it. An elderly man can be seen looking out the windows and the elevator will move between floors without anyone in it. Now it’s a resturant with the third floor converted into the “Ghost Bar”

The David Whitney house in Detroit

Pointe Aux Barques Lighthouse in the thumb rumors of an apparition of a woman wearing an apron appearing in a second floor window, footsteps on the tower stairs, ice cold spots appearing then dissipating, Peter Shook, was the first lighthouse keeper at Point aux Barques. In 1849, he drowned along with two others on their way to Port Huron to pick up supplies, leaving his wife Catherine the honor of being the first woman lighthouse keeper in the Great Lakes.

Pointe Aux Barques Lighthouse in the thumb

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