Houses Archives - Lost In Michigan

The Hoaston House

Posted on October 14, 2021 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in autumn, Houses, upper peninsula .

Thomas H. Hoatson was the vice president of the Calumet and Arizona Mining Company that had successful mining operations in Arizona. He grew up the son of a miner in the Keweenaw and chose to live there with his family. In 1907, he built this magnificent house in Laurium as a surprise for his wife and children. It is one of the largest houses built in the Upper Peninsula with 45 rooms. His family lived in the house until his death in 1927 and then it changed owners a few times until it was turned into a funeral home in the 1940s. In 1979 the owner of the funeral home Maynerd Hurlbut Killed his wife and grandson before killing himself. The home sat vacant for several years but was restored in the 1990s and converted into a bed and breakfast called the Laurium Manor.

FYI Volumes 1, 4 and 5 are part of Amazon’s buy 3 for the price of 2 sales special, you can see them HERE or a list of items included in the sale HERE

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The Ruins of the Ford Family Lodge

Posted on October 4, 2021 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Forgotten Places, Houses .

Deep within the Highland State Recreation Area west of Pontiac are the ruins of an elaborate lodge. It once belonged to Edsel Ford and was named Haven Hill. The massive lodge was constructed in 1923 and used as a retreat by the Ford family.

After Edsel’s death in 1943, his wife Eleanor sold the estate to the state of Michigan to be used as a state park. Tragically the massive lodge was destroyed by a fire in the 1980s

Some of the foundations, stonework, and part of a stone chimney are what remains of the once glorious lodge. Circular stone markers are placed to note where the different rooms were once located. It is a fascinating site to walk around imagine what once was.

If you visit it is about a half-mile hike uphill most of the way so if you are old and slow like me, just plan on taking some time to make the climb.

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The Keepsake House

Posted on September 25, 2021 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Houses .

I was roaming around the town of Frankfort on Lake Michigan looking at all the beautiful old houses and this immaculately landscaped old house caught my eye. I don’t know anything about the history of this house and I could not find any information on the internets but it does have a sign over the front door that reads: “Keepsake” If you are ever in the town of Frankfort, besides shopping and visiting the lighthouse be sure to drive around town and check out the old historic houses.

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The Old Brick Farmhouse

Posted on September 22, 2021 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Houses .

I saw this old farmhouse outside of Colon. I love the tall windows and the detail above them. I don’t know any history about it and the horses next to it would not talk to me.

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The Half Mushroom House

Posted on September 17, 2021 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Houses .

Located around Charlevoix are some unique houses constructed out of stone with thatched roofs. Many people refer to them as “mushroom houses” because of their unique construction. They were built by self-taught builder Earl Young using locally sourced building materials. One of the more interesting houses he built is known as the ” Half House ” because it has a flat wall on one side like it was sliced in half. The houses are privately owned and not open to tourists, but driving around town you can see some of the whimsical looking homes.

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The Springport Inn

Posted on September 8, 2021 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Houses .

Traveling along the sunrise side of the state I came across the beautiful old victorian home on U.S. 23 south of Harrisville. Now the Springport Inn, it was the home of Civil war captain Joseph Van Buskirk. Joseph served as a Captain with the 2 Michigan Infantry Company-F. He enlisted on April 23, 1861 in Flint, Michigan at age 25. After the war, he moved to Harrisville and Built this magnificent home for his family in 1877. Van Buskirk was a prominent local businessman in the area until his death in 1905 and was laid to rest in the Springport Cemetery.

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The Stone Home of the North

Posted on September 1, 2021 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Houses .

Coming into Alpena from the south on 23, you can’t miss this magnificent stone house that looks like a castle facing towards Thunder Bay. The house was built in 1902 by Charles R. Henry, after he died in 1926, it was inherited by his son the prominent Alpena attorney Carl R Henry, who was the president of the Michigan Bar Association in the 1930’s.

Most of the stones used in the construction 18″ thick walls of the house, which took two years to build, came from Cathro north of Alpena, but some of the stones were given to Mr. Henry by friends. One of the largest stones came from the Bottom of Lake Huron when it was brought up in a fishing net. There are stones from Hubbard Lake, Black Lake, Long Lake, and Onaway, and one stone from Colorado.

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Murphy’s House

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

I saw this beautiful gothic house with white siding and a green roof in Harbor Beach in Michigan’s Thumb. In front of the house was a sign that read MURPHY MUSEM. I stopped and took a pic and then read the bronze plaque proudly displayed out front.

Frank Murphy was born in 1890 in Harbor Beach and graduated from U of M with a law degree. He was elected as Mayor of Detroit and Governor of Michigan. He served as the U.S. Attorney General and was nominated to the Supreme Court by Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

He was a strong defender of civil rights and as a supreme court justice, he is most noted for speaking out against the Japanese internment camps during World War II declaring it “legalized racism”

This house which stands as a museum and memorial to him was once his home and law office in Harbor Beach. After his death in 1949, he was buried at Our Lady of Lake Huron Catholic Cemetery in Harbor Beach never forgetting his roots in the Thumb.

It’s amazing the things I learn just by stopping to take a pic and reading a sign. I wish I was out traveling right now, but I am staying home and sharing pics from my archive which is good because I forgot all about this pic that I took about a year and a half ago.

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The De Pree House

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

This beautiful victorian “painted lady” stands in the west side town of Zeeland. A historical marker proudly stands nearby with a little history on this grand old house and reads:

The Dutch immigrant family of P. Henry De Pree (1865 – 1943) came to the Zeeland area in 1849. With his brother William, P. Henry ran a hardware store and other businesses in Zeeland and Holland. After being elected Zeeland village president in 1904, De Pree helped secure the city’s 1907 charter and became its first mayor. For many years he was Sunday school supervisor in the Second Reformed Church, which his family helped found.

Built in 1899, the Queen Anne style P. Henry De Pree House was one among the first homes designed by Grand Rapids architect Thomas Benjamin (1861 – 1950). Benjamin, with his son Adrian, would later design more than two hundred area homes. businesses and churches. Stained and leaded glass windows are prevalent. White oak was used to finish the interior which included hand-painted details. The home remained in the De Pree family until 1977

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Ocqueoc Shack

Posted on August 3, 2021 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Forgotten Places, Houses .

I saw this old shack somewhere near Ocqueoc. I saw it sitting in the summer sunshine. I don’t know its story but I can only imagin the hardship of living in northern Michigan decades ago.

As always I only take pics from the road.

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