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Category Archives: Houses

The Davidson House

Posted on November 17, 2023 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Houses .

dividson house s

This excellent Queen Anne Style house, completed in 1890 was the residence of Wilbur F. Davidson until his death in 1913. Born in Adrian in 1852, Davidson opened a Port Huron dry goods store in 1882. The next year he installed in the store the first electric light plant in St. Clair County. Much of the rest of his business career was with public and private electrical utilities. Davidson’s daughter lived in the family home until 1951. In 1972 the building was entered on the National Register of Historic Places.

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The Cabin in the Woods

Posted on November 15, 2023 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Houses, upper peninsula .

In the Upper Peninsula, I traveled down the Huron Bay Grade that follows along the Peshekee River in the Huron Mountains. I was headed to the Rock Cut and I traveled into the wilderness for almost an hour. I came across this cabin in the woods. It looks as the roof and windows are still maintained so I assume someone lives there or uses it as a hunting cabin. I live in a big city about a mile from a Meijer’s Thrifty Acres and I cannot fathom being so isolated from the modern world. Sometime I think it would be nice to have some piece and quiet but I could not live long without internet. I often wonder about some of these places that I pass by in the middle of nowhere.

If you love exploring the Upper Peninsula or reading about its unique places, I hope you will take a look at my new book LOST IN MICHIGAN’S UPPER PENINSULA available on Amazon HERE

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The Yellow Octagon House

Posted on November 3, 2023 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Houses .

This yellow octagon house stands on the back roads near Oxford.  Known as Maple Grove it was constructed around 1850 by Harry Frink, who was a farmer and master carpenter from New York State. At the time octagon houses and buildings were all the rage and about fifty still stand in Michigan.

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The Home with the Double Doors

Posted on September 20, 2023 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Houses .

This massive white brick house with tan trim stands in Saginaw on Washington Avenue in The Grove neighborhood near city hall. A small red sign with the words “The Home” stands in front of it, and It is curious that it has two entryways.  The house was built by Timothy B. Corning in 1872 at a cost of $25,000. Born in Wilmington Vt. he moved to Detroit when he was 19 years old. When salt operations started in the Saginaw Valley he and his wife Ann moved to East Saginaw, which is now part of the City of Saginaw.  T.B. Corning was one of the founders of the First National Bank of Saginaw and owned steamers and barges transporting goods out of Saginaw.

The house was built as two separate residences for himself and his wife on one side, and his son Gurdon and his wife Ida on the other.  T.B died in 1874 leaving his estate to his Wife and son, eventually they passed, and Ida inherited the house and lived in it until her death in 1917,  In her will it was to be used as a home for elderly women, and it became ”The Home for the Aged”. Recently it was sold and is now a privately owned residence. I am not sure when the first duplex house was constructed in the United States but this one is historic and spectacular looking.

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The Grice House

Posted on August 28, 2023 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Houses, Thumb .

This beautiful fieldstone house stands along M-25 north of Harbor Beach in front of the Marina. It was built by James Grice who came to the Thumb in the 1860s from England. The house survived the great fire of 1881 and remained in the family until the 1960s when it was acquired by the city of Harbor Beach. It is now a museum displaying artifacts to remind visitors what life was like decades ago.

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The Stone House in Alma

Posted on August 23, 2023 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Forgotten Places, Houses .

Alma is located in the center of the Lower Peninsula and standing in the heart of Alma is an old stone Richardsonian-design house. Built in 1888 by lumber baron and business man Ammi Wright, the house was advanced for its time with its own hot water system. The Wright family owned the house until it was sold in 1934 and converted into Smith Memorial Hospital. For years the old building served the community treating patients, and over three thousand babies were born in its rooms. As medicine advanced, the hospital outgrew the old house and in 1959 Northwood Institute moved in, using the rooms to educate students. Eventually the college moved to its current location in Midland. After a few other businesses used the old mansion it was left empty.

I see that is has a new roof which will help limit the determination from water but it would be nice to see this magnificent home restored and used for something.

If you love exploring Michigan, I hope you will take a look at my Lost In Michigan book series available on Amazon HERE

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The House with a Broken Back

Posted on August 14, 2023 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Forgotten Places, Houses .

I saw this old farmhouse south of Traverse City somewhere near Buckley. It looks as if it has a broken back with the center of the roof collapsed inward. I don’t know any history of this old home but it looks as if someone is cutting the grass. I like how the bushes or trees or whatever they are, are almost as big as the house. I see these old houses and it reminds me of the challenging times our ancestors had back in “the good ol’ days” I don’t know how they survived without air conditioning and the internet.

P.S. As usual I take pics from the road and advise against trespassing and respect peoples personal property.

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The Big House in St Louis

Posted on August 2, 2023 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Houses .

If you have ever traveled through the central Lower Peninsula on M-46 you have probably seen the ornate Victorian mansion in St. Louis. The massive white wooden castle-like home was constructed by Colonel John Elwell. He invested in the Chicago, Saginaw, and Canada Railroad and made a fortune when he turned the company around after it had been struggling to make a profit.  John Elwell rose to the rank of Colonel for his service to the civil war and he moved to St Louis in 1875. He purchased the whole block on Delaware Street in 1880 and finished construction of his elaborate home in 1884. He lived in the home until his death in 1910.

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Saravilla

Posted on July 18, 2023 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Houses .

This large home is located in the middle of Alma. Called Saravilla, this mansion was built in 1894, originally as an enticement for Sara Wright to stay near her father, local businessman Ammi Wright, after marriage. It has been used as a Masonic Home, a retirement home, and for the past few decades it has been a bed and breakfast.

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A House and its Story

Posted on June 30, 2023 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Houses .

I saw this ornate brick two story house not far from the southern Michigan town of Hudson. I got to wondering about it’s history and found it has an interesting story.

Hudson businessman and banker William Treadwell began construction of this magnificent house in 1862 but he never got the chance to live in the house. William was raised in the town of Hudson and worked at the People’s State Bank. In 1859,With capitol from his father, he purchased the bank and managed it. A few years later he was accused of embezzling over 60,000 dollars from the bank and had absconded with the money in a suitcase. The weeks after he disappeared he was captured in Ohio. He was tried and convicted and on the day of his sentencing he escaped from jail with the help of an accomplice. The accomplice later murdered Treadwell for the money in his pocket and Treadwell’s body was found in the woods two weeks later. The house William had started constructing was never completed in time for him to live in it before he was was apprehended for his crimes.

The house still stands today and is privately owned.  When I saw it I thought it was an interesting house but I would never imagined I would find such an interesting story about the man that constructed it. The house was designated a Michigan State Historic Site, and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974

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