This unique looking structure sits along the shores of Lake Huron. It has a strange look because it is made of concrete blocks. It is next to the Besser Natureal Area that is located between Alpena and Rogers City. Jesse Besser created a machine that made blocks from concrete for use in the construction of homes and buildings. I was not able to find any information on the lodge but someone told me  The Besser Company built this building as a retreat. Jesse Besser donated the land next to the lodge in the 1960s to create the Besser Natural area. The building is still privately owned and still being used but you can see it from the hiking trail that runs along the shoreline.

Lost In Michigan books are ON SALE this weekend on Amazon HERE

Thank you for Subscribing to Lost In Michigan, If you have not subscribed yet, It would mean a lot to me if you did. 

This blockhouse stands on a hill along a scenic drive through Muskegon State Park. It was built in 1962 replacing one built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1933. The original blockhouse built using timbers from an old sailing ship burned down in a fire set by local youths. As part of their punishment after being convicted of arson they were required to help in the construction of the new blockhouse. If you are ever taking a drive through Muskegon State Park be sure to stop and see the new old blockhouse.

Thank you for Subscribing to Lost In Michigan, If you have not subscribed yet, It would mean a lot to me if you did. 

It is hard to believe that such a magnificent and beautiful building would be changed and covered up. The historic Tibbits Opera House is the second oldest theater in Michigan. It was built in Coldwater because the town is located halfway between Detroit and Chicago it was a popular resting point for many travelers. In the 1930s it was converted into a movie theater and the second empire architecture was covered up and hidden underneath with a modern-looking facade.

The Tibbits Opera House converted into a movie theater in the 1930s from Wikipedia

By the 1960s the building was just an ordinary-looking brick building with some arched windows. it is hard to believe the once beautiful and ornate building was stripped of its grandeur and left standing as a plain-looking brick box in downtown Coldwater.

The Opera House as it looked in the 1960s from Wikipedia

With the old opera house slated to be demolished for urban renewal, a band of Coldwater citizens formed the Tibbits Opera Foundation and Arts Council in 1963. Over the decades they slowly began restoring the old building starting with the interior first. At the turn of the millennium the exterior was renovated and by 2011 the facade was brought back to its second empire design and looks the way it did when it was first constructed.

Thank you for Subscribing to Lost In Michigan, If you have not subscribed yet, It would mean a lot to me if you did. 

I love the clock tower on the Richardsonian Romanesque city hall building in Bay City. It was built in 1894 and the tower has been standing over Bay City ever since.

Reminder: This Saturday ( Nov 23rd ) I will be at Handy Middle School in Bay City for their annual bazaar. I will be selling books, calendars, and T-Shirts. I hope you will stop by if you are in the neighborhood.

Thank you for Subscribing to Lost In Michigan, If you have not subscribed yet, It would mean a lot to me if you did. 

I saw this magnificent looking brick building. It’s hard to miss with its arched windows and tower. After taking a pic of it, I noticed the historical marker proudly mounted on the wall.

Built in 1884 at a cost of $12,300, this edifice has served continuously as the seat of local government. Marine City was incorporated as the village of Marine in 1865. It became Marine City in 1867. The first village president was David Lester, a prominent shipbuilder. Shipbuilding was the principal industry for about half a century, employing several hundred men. During the era of wooden ships, this city was one of the largest ship building centers in the Great Lakes area, with an output of nearly 250 vessels by 1900. The discovery of salt on Catholic Point in 1882 proved to be another prosperous business with major salt companies springing up as a result of this important find.

Thank you for Subscribing to Lost In Michigan, If you have not subscribed yet, It would mean a lot to me if you did. 

Lumberman Newell A. Eddy, Sr.and his wife Marianna purchased the land around where the Lodge sits for their personal recreational use. The land was purchased in several transactions from 1908 to 1913. With the Construction of US-23 tourists began visiting the area. The Eddy’s son, Newell A. Eddy Jr. who also vacationed at the property constructed a lodge in 1920. Eddy also built the knotty pine furniture within the Lodge, with the help of area craftsmen. After the opening of the Lodge, Eddy established the “Habitant Shops of Presque Isle Lodge,” which constructed similar furniture for guests. The shop first operated from the Presque Isle Lodge property, but by 1922 had moved to Bay City.

Newell A. Eddy Jr. died in 1940 and his family sold the Lodge in 1944. The lodge, placed in the National Register of Historic Places in 2008. It is an example of rustic architecture popular in Michigan in the first half of the twentieth century. During this time Michigans lumber industry became a leading manufacturer of rustic-styled, board-and-batten siding, and rough-hewn logs. The historic lodge still operates to this day.

Thank you for Subscribing to Lost In Michigan, If you have not subscribed yet, It would mean a lot to me if you did.