Houses Archives - Page 13 of 28

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.

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 .

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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Wolverine House

Posted on January 18, 2021 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Forgotten Places, Houses .

I saw this old house somewhere near Wolverine. I don’t know its story or any history on it but it looked lonely sitting in the snow.

Since I don’t have a story for this house I want to take the time to thank all of you for reading my posts. I especially want to thank those of you that have subscribed to email notifications. It is a tumultuous time but if you have been reading my posts for a while you know I have been posting my normal posts and have been avoiding discussing current events. I plan to continue down this path and hope that you enjoy seeing your daily email. It’s not that I don’t care or have an opinion about what is happening in the world right now, I just figure it’s best to do what I have always done and try to keep a sense of normalcy.

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The Stewart House

Posted on January 11, 2021 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Houses .

This beautiful old house sits near downtown Chesaning. A Michigan historical marker gives some history on this magnificent old home. It reads:

Leamington and Madeline Stewart built this Queen Anne house in 1895 – 1897. The design was based on Design No. 53 in George F. Barber’s The Cottage Souvenir No. 2, a pattern book published in 1891. Barber advertised the house’s cost at $5,250. Pattern books were popular in the late 1800s as a way to obtain contemporary house plans at bargain prices. An Ontario native, Stewart practiced medicine in Chesaning until his death in 1933.

It is hard to believe this house was built for about $5000 dollars. But then again when most people earned about 25 cents an hour five grand is a lot of money.

P.S. It just hit me that last time I returned a 12 pack of empty Fago cans for the deposit, that is what someone earned in a day about a century ago.

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The Boyne Falls House

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

I saw this old brick farmhouse in the small town of Boyne Falls. I don’t know its story or history but I drive past it often and always wonder about it. Unfortunately not much of a story for this post, but thank you all for taking the time to look at my posts.

P.S. I don’t trespass and only take pics from the road.

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The Painted Lady of Coldwater

Posted on December 28, 2020 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Houses .

I saw this grand old Victorian house in Coldwater. I don’t know a lot about the house, but I did find out it was built by attorney Frank Skeels in 1886. The woodwork on these old homes are fascinating. A builder today could probably do ornate trim like it, but the labor costs would be astronomical. I wonder what they would have thought of vinyl siding back then.

P.S. there are a lot of beautiful old buildings and houses in Coldwater. I need to get back there again but hopefully on a less gloomy day.

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The House of Eights

Posted on December 3, 2020 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Houses .

About thirty miles north of Detroit in Washington township is this old historic brick octagon house. it was built in 1858 for Loren Andrus and after two years of construction it was completed and known as “The House of Eights.” Andrus, his wife, and their eight children lived in the house until Loren’s wife died in 1894. The house changed hands a few times and was eventually sold to Wayne State University in the 1950s. The college sold the property and after a few owners, it had been neglected and in need of renovation. In the 1980s, the historic home was purchased by a nonprofit organization that restored the house.

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An Old House with a New Roof

Posted on December 2, 2020 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in autumn, Houses .

I saw this old house somewhere near the base of the Leelanau Peninsula near the town of honor. It looks as if it has been a while since someone has lived in it. It looks as though it is being cared for since it has a new roof. I am sure at one time when it was new and housed a hard working family. If walls could talk.

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Lost In Shepardsville

Posted on November 24, 2020 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in autumn, Houses, Schools .

I saw this old building, house, or maybe an old school while I was out roaming the roads near Shepardsville. I don’t know what this place used to be but I thought it looked nice hugged by the colorful autumn trees.

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