Category Archives: Historic Places

Old Lapeer Hospital Mansion

Posted on by Posted in Historic Places, Houses .

I saw this beautiful old second empire mansion in Lapeer. I looks like it has been converted into apartments now, but doing a little research on google, I found some websites that say it was the old Lapeer Hospital. I am surprised a house like this does not have a Michigan Historical Marker in front of it. I wonder if it was built as a hospital or if it was built for someone as a residence, then used as a hospital, like the Ammi Wright house in Alma.  Anyways its a beautiful house, so I stopped to get a pic of it, since they don’t build them like that anymore. 

old lapeer hospital michigan

Irish Hills Towers

Posted on by Posted in Forgotten Places, Historic Places .

Irish Hills towers MichiganI can just imagine a family in the 30’s and 40’s living in Detroit loading up in the old car (new at the time, but old to me) and driving west down Michigan Avenue. Heading out to the Irish Hills for the day to see the sight at the top of the Irish Hills Towers. With the interstate highway system and how easily you can drive long distances quickly to parks with “Extreme” rides like Cedar Point, people stopped visiting the Irish Hills. This is just one more tourist destination that is slowly fading away like Deer Acres and so many other roadside atractions. It seems like everyone is in such a hurry to get places, and plugged into there electronic devices, no one ever looks out the window and stops to enjoy the journey, If they were open I would climb to the top, the view must be better than anything I would see on an ipod or gameboy screen.

p.s. I think they should be saved, just because the second tower was built out of “spite”

 

The Significance of the James Shearer House In Bay City

Posted on by Posted in Historic Places .

When I was in Bay City I saw this old house on Center Ave near downtown and thought it looked majestic, it reminded me of the older homes in Detroit. Without knowing anything about this house I would find out just how significant it was. A few days after I took the pic I was roaming around the world wide web and a saw a photo of a house that looked familiar and then I realized, it’s the house in Bay City that I found so remarkable. Normally I take a photo of a house I know nothing about, I try to research about it and I can’t find any information, but this house was different.

James Shearer house bay city

I found out James Shearer built this house in 1876 and lived in it with his family. James Shearer was a builder and besides building this beautiful home, he built several buildings in Michigan, including the building Mill End was in that was recently raised to build new condominiums. He also was chosen by the Governor of Michigan in 1871 to supervise the construction of the state capital along with two other men.

If you’re in Bay City this weekend running the St Patrick’s Day road race you will run right past this magnificent old house. Or maybe you will see it while you are there watching the parade.

you can read more about James Shearer Here and Here