Historic Places Archives - Page 13 of 14

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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The Calumet Theatre Haunted by the ghost of Madame Helena Modjeska

Posted on October 1, 2014 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Historic Places, Michigan Historical Markers, Uncategorized, upper peninsula .

The Michigan historical marker next to the Calumet Theatre reads:
“One of the first municipal theaters in America, the Calumet opened on March 20, 1900, “the greatest social event ever known in copperdom’s metropolis.” The theater contained a magnificent stage and elegant interior decorations, including an electrified copper chandelier. For over a decade, Copper Country audiences witnessed a broad panorama of American legitimate theater, and many prominent stage personalities, both American and European, trod the boards of the Calumet. By 1920s, motion pictures replaced live theater, and subsequently, live drama returned to the Calumet. The reopened community theater resumed its position as a focal point of civic pride for the people of Calumet and the Copper Country.”

According to Wikipedia the Theater is inhabited by the ghost of, Madame Helena Modjeska. The story of the ghost first emerged in 1958, when actress Adysse Lane claimed that the ghost of Madame Modjeska appeared to her during a performance when Lane had forgotten her lines. Since then, unexplainable happenings have occurred. Many people have heard music and felt cold air from nowhere\

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The Old Marquette Orphanage

Posted on September 24, 2014 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Forgotten Places, Historic Places, upper peninsula .

The Holy Family Orphanage was opened in 1915 by the catholic church and was designed to accommodate 200 children. The reason for the large orphanage was Native American Children were removed from their families and tribe in an effort by the government and society to separate them from their culture. Sadly I don’t remember hearing about this in history class. I found the Indian_Child_Welfare_Act on wikipedia for more info.

It was furnished with classrooms, a dormitory, bathrooms on every floor and an annex that housed heating and plumbing facilities. There were laundry and kitchen facilities, a large dining hall and playrooms. the orphanage was open until the 1960s and some of the Cuban refuges children were some of it’s last to live there before being moved to foster homes. Northern Michigan University used it until the 1980s and it has been abandoned since then.

There are urban legends of abuse by the nuns, and a rumor of one girl who was out playing in the snow who caught pneumonia and died a few days later from her Illness. Supposedly the nuns had a funeral for her in the basement. they say on a quite night you can still hear the children playing.

For the record, I do not trespass, and I took this photo from a public sidewalk.

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