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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Coming into Alpena from the south on US-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.

The house took two years to build and most of the stones used in the construction of the 18″ thick walls 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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George M. Nason (1859-1929) built this house in 1907-1908. The Nason family had emigrated from Northampton, England to Buffalo, New York, in 1832. George’s father, Robert (1831-1907), came to Chesaning in 1852 and engaged in farming and lumbering. In 1861 he purchased fifteen hundred acres of land about five miles from Chesaning and erected a sawmill. For over a decade, he also engaged in prosperous land speculative activities and by 1881, he was considered to be one of Chesaning’s wealthiest men.

He built this Georgian Revival style house near downtown Chesaning as a monument to his family’s success in the lumbering business. Its exterior features stately Ionic columns. A grand circular opening between the first and second floor dominates the interior. Nason family members lived in the house until 1945. The building remained a private residence until 1980 when it was opened to the public as an elegant dining establishment called the Chesaning Heritage House. Sadly the resturant closed about 10 years ago and the house sits empty.

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I took a trip to southeast Michigan and my goal was to get to New Baltimore. Unfortunately, I did not make it that far. I got to roaming around and taking a bunch of pics along the way and time was not on my side. I went through the town of Dryden and this big old dark red brick house stood out and I had to stop and take a photo of it. I wish I knew more about the history of the home. I do know that the town was named after poet John Dryden.

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I was driving home from Ann Arbor heading north on 23 when it became a parking lot near Fenton. I don’t have the patience to drive in stop and go traffic and decided to get off the highway and take a trip thru Fenton. Yeah I know, it may be longer but at least I am moving.  There are several beautiful old homes near downtown, but this old queen ann style home caught my attention. I think it is the tower that I like most on old houses. I am not sure if there is a specific purpose why old houses have towers but they must provide a spectacular view from the windows. I don’t know the history of this house and I was not able to find any but I do like it.

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This grand old castle made of field stone 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.

I am fascinated by castles in Michigan and you can see the pics I have of them so far HERE

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