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Category Archives: Houses

A Miracle at Peterboro and Park

Posted on March 7, 2021 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Houses .

james scott castle house mansion

This is the James Scott residence on the corner of Peterboro and Park in the Midtown District in Detroit.  James Scott’s father also named James Scott was a prominent businessman in Detroit and when he died in the 1870’s he gave a large fortune to his son. He built this house in 1887, but from what I read Mr. Scott was not the most well-respected person in Detroit. When he built his house he wanted to purchase the property south of his, when the owner would not sell it to him he built a giant wall to block the sun from reaching his neighbor’s house, that is supposedly why the south wall has no windows.

when he died in 1910 he left the city $200,000.  to build a fountain and stipulated that there needs to be a statue of him. Many of the citizens did not want to build the fountain because of the stipulation and felt he was not worthy of a statue.  Some pointed out that he apparently never worked a day in his life and was best known for the time he spent in downtown bars. eventually, it was decided to spend his money and expand Belle Isle and build a fountain.

The home eventually was converted into apartments then suffered from a fire in the ’70s and was left abandoned,  A developer completely restored the old building. It is unbelievable to see the transformation.

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The Michigan House where you could “Shoot Your Eye Out”

Posted on March 4, 2021 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Houses .

This brick house with the gingerbread style roof and beautiful stained glass windows was constructed in downtown Plymouth in 1875. It was built for Henry William Baker who was the president of the Plymouth Iron Windmill Company. With windmill sales struggling the company decided to giveaway an air rifle with the purchase of every windmill.  The air rifles were more popular than the and the company became the Daisy Manufacturing Company producing BB guns in Plymouth until 1956 when new owners moved the company to Arkansas.  It was the Daisy Red Ryder BB gun that Ralphie in the movie A Christmas Story asked Santa for Christmas to which he got the response “You’ll shoot your eye out, kid”

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The Octagon House Near Mayville

Posted on February 23, 2021 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Houses, Thumb .

Near the town of Mayville is a unique looking octagon house with a cupola on the roof. The house was built in 1870 by William Randall. He was a Canadian born carpenter who traveled the United States working on construction projects. He retired and took up farming in Mayville and living in the house until his death in 1882. After he died The house and farm passed onto his son and his wife. Octagon houses were popular in the late 1800s because of Orson Fowler’s book  A Home for All, which promoted the octagon form as a healthy place to live. This is one of a few octagon houses in Michigan that still stands today.

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Dead Of Winter

Posted on February 19, 2021 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Forgotten Places, Houses .

I saw this old house somewhere near Mancelona. I don’t know its story but it looked rather sad and lonely. It seems like we are in that part of winter where it is time for it to be over with. I have a lot of places I want to visit but the snow makes the journey difficult if not impossible. During the dead of winter, I do what I can to stay busy and see what I can find exploring the back roads if only some forgotten places with a story that has been lost to history.

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House Admiration

Posted on February 18, 2021 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Houses .

I was driving around Frankfort admiring the old houses. I like this one up on the hill along with several others. I don’t know its history but it is a beautiful looking old house. In the past, I have wondered if anyone else enjoys looking at old houses but since Facebook and social media I have figured out there are a lot of people the love old houses. If you are ever in Frankfort be sure to drive around and look at all the old houses, there are some real beauties there.

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Bradley House

Posted on February 15, 2021 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Houses .

This historic house now sits on the grounds of Midland County Historical Society’s Heritage Park. It originally stood near downtown Midland before it was moved to its current location. The house was built in1874 by Benjamin F. Bradley, an early businessman in Midland. He lost the house in 1921 after filing for bankruptcy and then it was purchased by St. Bridgid’s Roman Catholic Church and used it as a rectory until 1969 when they planed to demolish it for an expansion. Funds were raised and it was moved to its current location near the campus of Northwood University.

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The Clements’ House

Posted on February 13, 2021 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Houses .

Henry & Luella Clements House bay city

Built by Henry & Luella Clements in 1890 on Historic Center Ave in Bay City. Henry worked with his father James and brother William at Industrial Works, designers of a rail-mounted shovel and cranes employed at the Chicago Columbian Exposition and the Panama Canal. His house is unusual in Bay City because it is one of the few Queen Anne Style homes built of brick. Instead of ornamental trim, bricks are placed in decorative patterns to accentuate the structure’s shape and composition. The first floor plate window is framed with a distinctive Romanesque arch of rusticated stone, displaying the Victorian tendency to mix styles. In 1913 Hector McKinnon, president of McKinnon Boiler and Machine Co., purchased the house, followed in 1920 by Judge Samuel Houghton, who prepared the charter that united Bay City and West Bay City

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Penniman Castle

Posted on January 30, 2021 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in castles, Houses .

This grand old castle made of fieldstone stands in a quiet neighborhood in Battle Creek. Known as Penniman Castle it was completed in 1906 to resemble a medieval castle with 4 towers at each corner and a great hall in the middle. The house originally had a 3rd floor, but it was destroyed by fire in 1941 and never rebuilt.

penniman castle

Postcard showing what the home originally looked like before the upper floor was destroyed by fire.

Built by Dentist John Penniman and constructed with one-foot thick walls the home was one of the costliest built in southwest Michigan at the time. The house with its octagon towers took almost 6 years to build. The interior is trimmed with ornately carved quarter-sawn oak including the garderobe ( a fancy term for a privy or latrine in a castle ). The castle has seventeen rooms, four of which are bedrooms. The house was added to the national register of historic places in 2001.

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The Houses of Afton

Posted on January 29, 2021 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Forgotten Places, Houses .

Located between Indian River and Onaway people pass through the little town on M-68. There are a few modern houses and a store in the mostly forgotten town. When I drive by these old houses I wonder what their story is.  The town started as a lumber camp in 1887. In 1905 it was given a post office. The nearby Pigeon River was similar to the Afton River in Scotland and thus the town was named after it.

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An Old Farmhouse

Posted on January 22, 2021 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Houses, Thumb .

Abandoned Haunted Michigan House

This old lonely forgotten house is near Watrousville in the Thumb. During these cold Michigan winter nights, I imagine there was a large family living in it that kept warm by the heat of the fireplace. I know people who heat their house with wood, and they do a lot of cutting and splitting.  Myself being a lazy city boy, I just go over and turn up the thermostat, and burn some more gas. I was told when you heat with wood, ” it keeps you twice as warm, once while you are splitting and stacking it, and then again while you burn it”.  This old house looks like it used a lot of wood to keep warm. I hope you are safe and warm wherever you are at.

Note: I only take pics from the road and do not trespass.

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