Houses Archives - Page 22 of 28

The Cobbs House In Cadillac

Posted on November 15, 2018 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Houses .

This colonial revival home with a gambrel roof was built by Frank J. Cobbs in Cadillac for his family. He was the adopted son of Johnathan W. Cobbs who along with William Mitchell Cobbs and Mitchell lumbering co which was one of the largest lumbering firms in the state. Johnathan died at a relatively young age in 1898 leaving his only son Frank to run the company at the age of 26. The company thrived under his leadership and he hired George D Mason to design this house in Cadillac. Mason helped in the design of the Grand Hotel and the Detroit Masonic Temple. In the early 1900s, Frank J. Cobbs moved to Portland Oregon to oversee the company’s west coast operations. The house he and his family once lived in is privately owned and still stands in a quiet neighborhood not far from downtown Cadillac.

P.S. The house reminds me of the George Nason house in Chesaning HERE

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The Octagon House in Almont

Posted on November 7, 2018 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Houses .

Frederick and Mary Currier built this house in Almont around 1854, inspired by Orson Fowler’s A Home for All, which promoted the octagon form as a healthy place to live. The tall windows, which admit light and air and the five octagonal rooms reflect Fowler’s philosophy. The Curriers came to Almont from New England in 1847. A Machinist by trade, Currier (1812 -1900) at one time owned farms and factories, and invested in banking and lumbering. The house is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

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The Old House in Norwood

Posted on November 3, 2018 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in autumn, Houses .

While I was traveling along the west side of the state near Lake Michigan I came across this old house near Norwood. South of Charlevoix the little town was settled in 1866 when Orvis Wood, Lucius Pearl, and Orwin Adams built a dock and sawmill on the shore of Lake Michigan. The town thrived as a lumber-shipping center with sawmills, a company store, and blacksmith shops. Over time the little town dwindled in population as lumbering in the area died off. It’s mostly just houses now and a nice little church and historic town hall.

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The Haunted House in Mid Michigan

Posted on October 30, 2018 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Forgotten Places, Haunted Places, Houses .

Narcissa Paige the owner of the Paige House hotel in St. Louis, built this mansion in 1884. Her contractor, Mr. Leach, built Col. Elwell’s “castle” down Delaware Street at the same time. you can see my post about it HERE I read somewhere that the tower on the house was built so Narcissa could see her hotel from it. Mrs. Page’s daughter Lillian lived with her, and she married George Charles who owned a drug store downtown. Sadly George passed away at an early age of 44, and soon after Lillian’s mother died at the age of 80 years old, leaving Lillian to live in the house alone for almost 50 years.

People think there is a tombstone in front of the house, but it is actually a carriage stone with the name Paige on it. A carriage stone served as a stepping stone to help passengers as they climbed in and out of carriages. They were popular back in the horse and buggy days of the 19th century.

There are stories of the house being haunted and Susan Wood who lived in the house with her family was kind enough to message me about living there. She told that she never felt the house was “haunted” but she felt that Lillian’s spirit was still present in the house. “Locked doors opened and closed on their own, things would come up missing only to found in a totally random place a few days later, you could hear her moving up and down the massive staircase as the steps would creak.” The house has been vacant for years and the neighbors have said they have seen a woman in the window and have heard piano music come from inside the house.

As far as I know, the house is still privately owned, so please do not trespass and be respectful, I know I should not have to say it, but there still are a few people out there that don’t think very well and do stupid things.

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The Mummified House

Posted on October 28, 2018 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Forgotten Places, Houses .

On some of my trips, I like to have a few locations to visit since I am a long way from home. I want to be sure to have pics I can post. Of course, the logical route would be to take the main road and go directly to what I want to see. On my way to the Octagon School in Lake County, I decided to take the long way and avoid US-10. I had a feeling I would find something interesting, and I headed north for a while. then I decided to take a right turn and head east. As I drove down the road I saw this old house in a clump of dead looking trees. It looked really creepy since the other trees in the area were still green. I thought the old farmhouse looked like it had been mummified with it’s dark brown and weathered wood. Like an architectural version of the Tullund Man.

I have no idea how I manage to find some of the places I come across. I just wonder in a direction and it somehow happens, as if there is a mysterious force that is showing me the way. A lot of old abandoned and forgotten places I have photographed have been torn down. I feel like it’s important to photograph these places so we will remember the tough times and the good days that these places have seen. I don’t trespass or explore these old houses. I try to research some history of these locations, but when I looked at some old plat maps for this house I did not see any nearby towns. It must have belonged to a hard-working family who lived way outside of town and farmed the land.

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The Old Log Cabin

Posted on October 17, 2018 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Forgotten Places, Houses .

I have driven past this old log cabin near Prudenville many times. I finally stopped and took a pic of it since it sits next to M-18. I don’t know how old the cabin is, but it looks like it has been there long before the fancy houses and cabins were built along the shoreline of Houghton Lake. As usual, I just took a pic from the road and don’t trespass.

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The Mysterious House In The Woods

Posted on October 14, 2018 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Ghost towns, Houses .

I was headed down county road 426 in the Upper Peninsula to the ghost town of Watson, you can read about it HERE. The road runs along the Escanaba & Lake Superior Railroad tracks. Weeds and small trees are growing up between the rusty rails, so I assume they have not been used in years. Somewhere between Cornell and Watson, I saw an old house in the woods on the other side of the tracks. Most of the old abandoned houses I see in the Upper Peninsula are smaller shacks and cabins. I couldn’t help but wonder what the story was with this old building. I found on an old county map and it shows the name of the town of Woodlawn. A reference stated that the town was originally called White, but the name was changed to Woodlawn when it got a post office in 1905. I am wondering if this is the remains of the old town, and maybe it was a boarding house or something. I took a pic from the road and you can see the old railroad tracks at the bottom of the photo. I often wonder about these old places, and I also wonder if I am the only person who drives past them and is curious about their history.

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Bay View Houses On The Bluff

Posted on October 5, 2018 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Houses .

I love driving on 31 past the houses on the bluff overlooking Grand Travers Bay in Petoskey. They are part of the Bay View Association, and I wonder what it is like sitting on the porch looking out over the water. I bet a 100 years ago there must have been a lot of schooners and sailboats that came into Petoskey. I also am sure the vehicle traffic on the road was a lot less than it is today.

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The Old House In The Thumb

Posted on October 4, 2018 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Forgotten Places, Houses, Thumb .

I saw this old house or school house or whatever it used to be out in the middle of nowhere. It was on a dirt road far from any town but the closest would be Port Hope miles away. I grew up in the big city and whenever I need anything it’s just a few minutes to the store. It would take some getting used to living out in a rural area where the nearest store is miles away by car. I can’t imagine the people who lived in or near this old house. They must have not traveled far from home most of their lives. I imagine it must have been a hard self-reliant life farming in a remote place.

P.S even though a place looks abandoned it is probably owned by someone and on private property. I don’t trespass and take my pics from the road.

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Horton Bay House

Posted on September 28, 2018 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Forgotten Places, Houses .

I saw this old farmhouse north of Horton Bay. I had to stop and take a pic of it. I wonder what its story is. Like a lot of places I see while roaming the backroads, I am left to wondering and will probably never know “the rest of the story” as Paul Harvey would say.

P.S. I take all my photos from a public road and do not trespass

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