small towns Archives - Page 10 of 11

E. S. Swayze Drugstore – Michigan Historical Marker

when I was in Otisville, I saw this Subway and thought “wow what a beautiful old building” then I noticed it even had an historical marker sign next to it. I thought what a remarkable building for a national franchise chain to be in, and in an era where most chain restaurants bulldoze old buildings and build new ones, It’s nice that they restored this old building and continue to use it, and yes I stopped and had a sandwich and the inside is just as nice as the outside. I wish more people, and companies, would take an interest in using old buildings, instead of building new ones.

The Michigan Historical Marker Reads

E. S. Swayze opened a drugstore on this site prior to 1870. When the store burned in 1874, Swayze built this one. Members of the Free Methodist Church used the second-floor meeting hall for services from 1887 to 1890. In 1903 Masonic Lodge #401 and the Order of the Eastern Star bought the building which they owned until 1970. This intact commercial building is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

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The Mysterious Old Cabins in Laporte

Posted on August 10, 2016 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Forgotten Places, small towns .

I saw these six little cabins or shacks or whatever they are, in the little town of Laporte south of Midland. they looked like some old resort cabins like I see up north. I would not consider Laporte a tourist town so I am thinking they are old cabins for farm workers or something, but I don’t know.

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The Ghost Town of Wildwood and Captain America’s Church

Posted on July 5, 2016 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Churches, small towns .

On Google maps it shows the town of Wildwood south-west of Indian River, I could not resist taking a drive to see what’s there. I found a few houses, and this old church with a blue round stained glass window, with a white star in the center. I thought it looked like Captain America’s shield, and while I was thinking that, my son who was with me said, ” it looks like Captain America’s church” Looking at the undisturbed grass surrounding the old church, I would say the church is no longer being used for worship. I could not find a lot of info on Wildwood other than it started out 1882, originally called Mentor Corners, but the named changed to Wildwood in 1884. I am not sure why the name changed, but I like it better, It sounds like the name of a town in an old western movie. I can only assume over time the trees in the area were cut for lumber, and once they were gone, the mill moved and a few people remained to farm the land. This old church looks to be standing along side the road waiting for someone to remember the town again.

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The Time I Really Was Lost and I Found Stephenson

Posted on June 29, 2016 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in small towns .

I was heading from Escanaba to Houghton with my wife on U.S. 2 thru da U.P. and I really was not paying that much attention to the signs on the road and at some point the road split and 2 went north and 41 went south but I did not realize there was an interchange there, it was just a fork in the road and I went the way that looked right to me. so we were driving along and after a while I started noticing signs that said Green Bay and I started seeing a lot of Green Bay Packers flags in the yards and then I started thinking we were going the wrong way, I switched the display on the dashboard over to compass and it said we were heading south and then it really it me, We were going the wrong way. We got to the town of Stephenson and I looked at the map and realized I went about 70 miles the wrong way. I fugred I was in Stephenson I might as well take a drive thru town. It was a Sunday night and like most northern Michigan small towns everything was closed on Sunday and it was strangely quiet

In the middle of town next to the railroad tracks was this cute little building. I am not sure if it was a depot or something else for the railroad but I am sure it’s been a while since any passengers came in to town by train.

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Beautiful Downtown Yale

Posted on May 17, 2016 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in small towns .

I like visiting small towns in Michigan, and while traveling the southern part of the thumb ( I guess if the thumb starts at I69). I went thru the town of Yale and I saw the Yale Hotel with the ghost mural on the side that said Est. in 1900, I had to stop and take a pic. I imagine there were many wayward travelers that had stopped there over the years. The town originally started when Nathan White founded a village called Brockway Center on the banks of Mill Creek in 1851. At the suggestion of B. R. Noble, it was changed to Yale in 1889 in honor of the university. The beautiful James McColl house is in the town of Yale, you can see my post about it HERE

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The Notorious Purple Gang and Their Connections to Mid-Michigan

Posted on September 22, 2015 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Bars and Restaurants, Forgotten Places, small towns .

Whenever I mention the Purple Gang many people ask me who they were because they never heard of them, which surprises me since they were one of the most ruthless and violent gangs in America. In 1916 Michigan adopted the Damon Act, which prohibited liquor effective in 1917, three years before national Prohibition, prompting bootleggers to smuggle booze from Canada to Detroit and the Purple Gang (sometimes referred to as the Sugar House Gang) was the mob that monopolized the flow of alcohol in Detroit. After prohibition was the law of the land about 40% of the illegal liquor came into the U.S. From Canada and the Purples distributed it with Capone being one of their many customers. The Gang was one of the most violent in America and it is rumored that the Purple Gang had a hand in the St Valentines Day Massacre. They were also suspects in the Lindbergh baby kidnapping and the disappearance of Jimmy Hoffa.

The part of the Purple Gangs history that always interested me is their connection to central Michigan.

In Clare, the murder of gangster attorney Isaiah Leebove in 1938 was indirectly due to the Purple Gang. Oil promoter Jack Livingston had a disagreement with Leebove who was a Purple Gang associate. Convinced Leebove was going to have the Purple Gang kill him, Livingston shot and killed Leebove in the tap room at the Doherty Hotel before the Purple Gang could come after him.

A popular hangout for the Purple Gang was The Graceland Ball Room in Lupton. The building was built in the late 1920’s by “One Arm” Mike Gelfand a member of the Purple Gang, no one knows where the money came from to build it but many speculate it was from the Purple Gang. Al Capone was had visited it several times to do business and supposedly the rustic log interior had bullet holes in a few of the logs, sadly it burnt down in the early 1980s.

Not far from the south branch of Au Sauble river in northern Michigan on property once owned by William Durant, the founder of General Motors the “Detroit Partnership” a group of Detroit Mafia families built one of the largest ranches in Michigan history and the members of the Purple Gang were frequent visitors. The various barns surrounding the primary residence resembled modern day airplane hangars. They included an indoor horse riding area, dance parlor, interlinking tunnels and hidden rooms The property spanned acres and included a private runway, hunting area, servant quarters, junkyard, and an Olympic-sized pool. The house itself was involved in gang related activities for years. frequently visited by Jimmy Hoffa and is believed to be by some his “final resting place”. It was even searched upon his disappearance., and it was rumored to be the site of dozens of mafia-style executions. After being seized for tax evasion, the ranch laid dormant for years and eventually demolished. The property is now part of Forest Dunes Golf Club.

The purple gang was also rumored to have used Grousehaven Lodge which was built by auto magnate Harry Jewett which is currently part of the Rifle River Recreation Area. you can read the interesting story of Grousehaven HERE

There were also Ties to the J G Schemm Brewery in Saginaw. After the repeal of Prohibition, a group of investors from Detroit tried to get a license to brew beer at the old brewery. The state would not issue them a license, because of suspected connection to the Purple Gang. you can read about the brewery HERE

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Edmore’s General Bag Corp Building

Posted on July 7, 2014 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Historic Places, small towns, Uncategorized .

Sometimes fate has a way of showing me what to photograph. On a recent trip heading down 46 I had to use the facilities somewhere since my 44 year old bladder does not work as well as it used to. knowing the Fred Meijer Heartland Trail was nearby I stopped at a parking lot that had a restroom I could use. After using the well appointed deluxe outhouse and my mind could think of other things beside reliving my bladder, it was then I noticed a huge building that had the words ” GENERAL BAG CORP.” painted on the sides. I guess one thing that catches my attention is a building with giant lettering painted on the sides. It means it is usually old and historic, but it also is helpful since it tells me something about the buildings. And the bag building was no exception, after googling Edmore General Bag Building I found and Article about it HERE and how the DDA in Edmore wants to re-purpose it into shops for the community. I hope they are successful, I like seeing old buildings being reused not only because it is a wonderful way to connect with the history of town but it just seems wasteful to knock down a building and build new ones.

PS. when I am traveling the back roads it’s nice to find a bathroom when I need one. to bad the world famous two story outhouse was not functional and accessible it would have been nice to use some historic facilities.

The Giant Heads of Onaway

Posted on July 3, 2014 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in small towns, Uncategorized .

I like visiting Onaway and looking at the giant heads made by the Moran Iron Works. You never know who you might see, I know they have made a few different ones over the years and the first one I saw was George Washington a few years ago. when I was there recently they had Lady liberty and Gerald R. Ford on display. I must say they are impressive at about 10 feet tall and made of metal. I can imagine how difficult that is to form and shape those large pieces of metal into such intricate shapes.

you can see more information obut the artwork by Moran HERE

Gratiot County Courthouse in Ithaca Michigan

Posted on April 22, 2014 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in small towns .

I am surprised there is not a historical marker for the courthouse but I found a description on Wikipedia.

In 1900, voters approved the construction of a stone courthouse.Plans were drawn by Jackson-based architect Claire Allen, and the cornerstone was laid in September 1900. However, work soon stopped as the contractor demanded more money, and lawsuits were initiated by the county and by the contractor’s bondsmen. The issue was soon resolved, and construction resumed, this time by A. W. Mohnke of Grand Rapids. The final cost of construction was $75,000. A clock was added to the clock tower in 1905.

Owosso Water Tower

Posted on April 10, 2014 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in small towns, Water Tower .

Maybe it’s just me, but I notice water towers, probably because they are the tallest structure in a lot of towns across Michigan. I especially like this one in Owosso with yellow paint, or at least what’s left of its yellow paint, and the fact that its an older tower with its cone shape top. I am not sure what the letting on it used to say but it still is an interesting landmark in Owosso.

P.S. I need to get a photo of it’s sibling across town someday too the sun was not in the right place when I was there for a good pic.

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