Houses Archives - Lost In Michigan

The Michigan House on the Underground Railroad

Posted on March 31, 2020 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Historic Places, Houses .

Cars zoom past this old brick two-story house on M-60 but I wonder how many people know the story of its past. The home is west of the town of Vandalia in southwestern Michigan. In the mid-1840s James E. Bonine and his wife built this house and by 1853 they were one of the largest landowners in Cass County. As members of Young’s Prairie Anti-Slavery Friends and staunch abolitionists, they helped many runaway slaves that were searching for freedom on the Underground Railroad. They hid many slaves in their carriage house across the street. The home is currently owned by the Underground Railroad Society of Cass County.

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The Old House near the Pigeon River

Posted on March 13, 2020 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Forgotten Places, Houses .

I saw this old house, or hotel, or saloon, or whatever it used to be, near the Pigeon River between the towns of Wolverine and Afton. It looks as if it has had a hard life living among the trees enduring the harsh Michigan weather. It’s just barely standing, but it has not totally given up yet. I am sure a long time ago, there was a lot of pride when it was first built, but from the looks of it, that was several years ago.

For interesting places to visit in Michigan check out my Lost In Michigan books series HERE

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The Hoatson House

Posted on March 11, 2020 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Houses .

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.

Because Amazon has pushed back shipping of books I have started selling books from my website. I have them in stock and you should have them in a few days if you live in Michigan. You can order them HERE

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The Sawyer House

Posted on March 5, 2020 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Houses .

This grand old house is a few blocks from downtown Monroe. It was built in 1873 by Dr. Sawyer. His daughter Jenny Toll Sawyer lived in the house and then donated it to the city of Monroe in 1938 which it still owns today.

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The Lake House

Posted on February 24, 2020 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Houses .

I saw this beautiful old house overlooking Bear Lake near the town of Bear Lake. I was not able to find out any of its history but I love the ornate woodwork. You rarely see new houses trimmed with woodwork as they did in the victorian area.

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New Life for an Old House

Posted on February 19, 2020 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Houses .

I started this website back in 2013 and one of the earliest posts I did was for this old Victorian brick house in St. Louis. I could not get a very good photo of it back then because it was surrounded by enormous trees. The house has sat dormant for several years and was in a slow state of decay. A few years ago the trees were cut down and then most recently the house sold to new owners. They are currently renovating and restoring the home to use as a private residence. I have seen several places I have photographed over the years disappear but it is always a welcomed sight to see something saved from the wrecking ball. You can read more about the house in my post HERE You can follow the renovations for the house on Facebook HERE

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The Grand Rapids Castle

Posted on February 18, 2020 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in castles, Houses .

This grand old castle in Grand Rapids was designed by local architect William G. Robinson, this castle-like edifice was constructed in 1884-86 for Colonel E. Crofton Fox and his brother Charles. Built of granite block imported from Scotland, this house is a fine example of Chateauesque Style architecture. A Heritage Hill landmark, this house features leaded and stained glass windows, and a metal stair dormer superbly crafted to resemble stone. Its interior is adorned with parquet flooring in the entry hall and a carved oak staircase. It was refurbished as a restaurant in 1978.

The Fox Brothers, Ethelbert Crofton (1852-1904) and Charles (1853-1915), local lumber barons, built this structure as their home. These brothers were partners in a Grand Rapids lumbering firm, Osterhout, Fox & Company, and accumulated vast wealth. Appointed to the State Military Board by Governor Cyrus Luce in 1887, E. Crofton, a colonel, was twice elected president of that organization. He was also associated with banking and was treasurer of the City Board of Trade. Charles was the founder of the Michigan Trust Company, established in 1889.

If you live near Grand Rapids I hope you will come out and see me in Cascade on Sunday, March 1st at 2 pm. I will be giving a presentation about Lost In Michigan at the Kent District Library – Cascade Township Branch 2870 Jacksmith Ave

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The Love Shack

Posted on February 14, 2020 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Forgotten Places, Houses .

I came across this cute little building somewhere west of Alba. I am not sure what it was (or is) but I am calling it the love shack. I figured today is the perfect day for me to post this pic.

This is the part where I am supposed to write something profound and deep but that is not my thing so I guess I will leave you with a quote.

“Count your age by friends, not years. Count your life by smiles, not tears.” John Lennon

I hope my little emails bring some smiles to your life and I feel truly blessed that I have so many friends that read them.

This weekend Lost In Michigan t-shirts and hoodies are ON SALE. Take 10% off at checkout with coupon code LOVESICK. To visit the apparel store CLICK HERE

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An Old House and a Pine Tree

Posted on February 9, 2020 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Forgotten Places, Houses .

I saw this old house on the backroads somewhere near Alba. I imagine the pine tree in front of it was just a little sapling when the home was constructed. The house and its family watched the little sapling grow over the years. Now the house is empty and the towering old pine tree kindly watches over the lonely dilapidated home.

Thank you for taking the time to read my posts and I hope it brings a little joy to your day. It is a lot of fun for me exploring Michigan, and sharing my posts makes it even more enjoyable. If you know anyone that would like my website, I hope you will share it with them.

I hope you have a wonderful week ahead.

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The Hoax and the Hack House

Posted on February 6, 2020 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Houses, people .

Just outside of the southern Michigan town of Milan is a beautiful pale green farmhouse. It is a little more ornate and larger than your average farmhouse. The house was built by Olive Friend on land purchased from her uncle Henry Hack. Olive, who was a native of Milan, built the home for her family with the money from her husband’s business. Henry Friend and Olive created and owned the Electric Sugar Refining Company in New York. It was founded in 1884 and used a unique way of refining raw sugar using electricity.

Henry Friend claimed his secret machine and process could refine sugar for ten percent of the cost of the current method. Investors would go into a room in an old flour mill with a barrel of raw sugar. They were asked to leave so Mr. Friend could process the sugar in secret because he did not want his process to be revealed for competitors to copy. The investors came back into the room and the barrel of raw sugar had been turned into pure refined sugar.

For a short time, investors clamored to purchase stock in the new company and its prices and value soared. In 1888, tragedy struck the company when Henry Friend suddenly died. As experts in sugar refining began questioning the process they became suspicious as to how the process worked. Olive moved back to Milan to live in the house she had built and had promised to reveal the process used for the right price.

Investigators had discovered the whole process and the company was a hoax. The old flour mill in New York was altered with trap doors and a secret room above. When investors stepped out of the room Henry Friend, his wife Olive and some of her relatives helped execute the scheme. The raw sugar was dumped down a hole in the floor and pure refined sugar they purchased elsewhere was poured into the barrel from the secret room above. It gave investors the appearance that he successfully refined the sugar.

Olive and some of her family were arrested in Milan and were extradited and transported to New York to face charges. Olive’s stepfather was convicted and sentenced to 9 months of hard labor in Sing Sing prison. Olive and her mother pled guilty and were sentenced with time served and returned to Milan to live in the house she had built. Olive now a widow remarried and sold the house back to her Uncle Henry Hack.

Today the old farmhouse is known as the Hack House and is a historical museum.

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