Parks Archives - Lost In Michigan

Antique Alley

Posted on October 25, 2019 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in autumn, Nature, Parks .

This row of old forgotten vehicles, abandoned from an old sawmill town, is deep within the Groen Nature Preserve. The preserve is in Otsego County near Johannesburg. The property once belonged to Louis M. Groen. He invented the Filet O Fish sandwich and owned 43 McDonalds franchise locations. After his death, he donated the property to Otsego County for use as a nature preserve.

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Irontone Spring

Posted on October 22, 2019 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in autumn, Parks .

North of Gaylord is a roadside park. I small creek runs through it with a couple of bridges that cross the flowing water. The water comes from a natural spring known as the Irontone Spring. The park is Frank Wilkinson Park named in honor of Frank Wilkinson who was the first Otsego County road commissioner. He owned the property and deeded it to the county after his death.

Next time you are heading up north take a break from I-75 and travel along old 27. Be sure to stop at the little roadside park at Irontone Springs.

P.S. I found on the internets that there is a fountain with spring water that you can drink but it was not flowing while I was there. Maybe someone forgot to pay the water bill to Mother Nature.

P.P.S I will be at the community craft show this Saturday, Oct 26th at Messiah Lutheran Church at 1550 S. Poseyville Road near Midland. I will be there with books, calendars and T-shirts. If you are in the area I hope you will stop by and say hi. Admission is free. you can find out more at their facebook page HERE

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The Park Haunted by the Woman In Blue

Posted on October 9, 2019 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Haunted Places, Parks .

The identity of the woman in blue is a mystery. Some believe she is the spirit of a runaway slave the died while traveling the Underground Railroad to freedom. She has been seen in McCourtie Park near Somerset Center in southern Michigan. No one knows who she is or why she would be haunting the park since there are no records of a tragic event that happened in the location of the park. They say she is most often appears at dusk wearing a Victorian-era blue dress. people have witnessed her walking through the park and then suddenly vanishing. Others have heard footsteps and the sound of crunching leaves and twigs only to turn around and nothing is there.

The park was originally the estate of W. H. L. McCourtie. He had a large house and an underground lair where he entertained guests during prohibition. He made his fortune in cement and oil and he hired artisans to construct concrete bridges over the creek that ran through his property. After his death, the house was not maintained and was razed. The land was donated to the community and now used as a park. It is well worth a trip to the park to see marvelous bridges and if you hang out long enough, you might see the woman in blue.

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You can read more about McCourtie park in my post here https://lostinmichigan.net/concrete-bridges-mccourtie-park/

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