Thumb Archives - Lost In Michigan

Applegate’s Station No. 1

Posted on October 23, 2020 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Fire Houses, Thumb .

I was passing through the small town of Applegate in the thumb and this little building caught my eye. The sign on the front reads: APPLEGATE FIRE DEPT. MUSEUM STATION NO. 1 EST 1914. There is a newer fire station down the street. This was the original fire station. I can still imagine the old firefighting apparatus coming out of the wooden doors, racing down the street to help someone in need.

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

The Pigeon Depot

Posted on October 6, 2020 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Thumb, Train Depots .

The Pigeon Depot was constructed in 1908 and served two railroad lines. In 1883 the Pontiac, Oxford and Port Austin Railroad, a north-south line, had been extended to Caseville and a depot was built at Berne, one mile north of here. Around 1886 the Saginaw, Tuscola and Huron Railroad built tracks through the Tamarack Swamp and crossed the north-south line at this point. This railroad stop became known as Berne Junction. Berne’s population dwindled as people moved to the junction where they established Pigeon in 1888. The Pontiac, Oxford, and Port Austin Line became the Pontiac Oxford and Northern and later the Grand Trunk Railroad. The Saginaw, Tuscola and Huron was absorbed by the Pere Marquette Railroad and then the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad. The Pigeon Depot presently serves as the Pigeon Historical Society Museum.

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

The Red Barn

Posted on August 17, 2020 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Barns and Farms, Thumb .

I saw this big old red barn somewhere near Bad Axe. I grew up in the big city nowhere near a farm, but I do like these old barns. Years ago farmers would seal the wood with linseed oil to help protect the wood from the weather. Many would add rust to the oil because it would prohibit mold and moss from growing on the side of the barn. The rust would give the oil a dark reddish color. As paint manufacturing evolved and became a better option for farmers many stayed with the traditional looking red color. At least that is my understanding of why barns are red and the prevalent theory on the internet.

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

The White Rock Schoolhouse

Posted on August 7, 2020 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Schools, Thumb .

In a field located in the town of White Rock is a two-room brick schoolhouse. It is the third schoolhouse in the town located in the Thumb along the Lake Huron shoreline. The first one was built after the great fire of 1871. It burned down in the great fire of 1881. The second schoolhouse burned down in 1908 and this brick one is what replaced it. The school’s teachers taught children until 1968 when it was closed. A few years later the Huron County Historical Society purchased it and converted it into their museum.

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

Ghost Town of Tyre

Posted on July 21, 2020 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Ghost towns, Thumb .

The old town of Tyre is in the middle of the Thumb not far from Ubly. It is not a ghost town like in the wild west movies, but the town has for the most part disappeared. It no longer shows up on the map and only a few houses remain. The town was founded in 1857 and given the name Tyre for its stony terrain. This old grain elevator slowly being overcome by trees still stands next to the railroad tracks.

An old cemetery nearby marks the graves of some of the former residents or should I say, permanent residents. Among the people laid to rest are the Sparling men who were murdered. The court case involving the accused became a national sensation. You can read about it in my post HERE.

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.

The House of Seven Gables

Posted on July 1, 2020 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Houses, Thumb .

The House of Seven Gables in Huron City, near the tip of the thumb, is a beautifully preserved Victorian home that sits on a bluff overlooking Lake Huron. It was named by William Lyon Phelps, for the house of the same name in the Hawthorne novel. This is the third house built on this site. The forest fires of 1871 and 1881 destroyed the houses built before the elegant house that still stands on this site.

Annabel Hubbard decorated Seven Gables in 1886 for her father Langdon Hubbard. After her marriage to William Lyon Phelps, Annabel added “modern” bathrooms and updated several rooms in the early 1900’s. Seven Gables has always been owned by family members. The furniture you see is original to the house and major portions of the house still have the original 1886 decorations, giving you a unique view into history.

you can learn more about Huron City at their website HERE

Subscribe to Lost In Michigan

The Houses of Wahjamega

Posted on June 18, 2020 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Forgotten Places, Thumb .

If you have ever driven down M-81 west of Caro you have probably seen the resort-like buildings that are part of the Wahjamega complex. I say resort-like because they have an American southwestern architecture look to them with stucco walls and reddish-brown tile roofs. It started out as the colony for epileptics with good intentions but soon took a sinister turn when eugenics was practiced and patients and residents underwent forced sterilizations. Most of the buildings are vacant now and the main building is now the Caro Center. When drove through the complex I saw these old houses and I wonder if they were used by the doctors and administration way back when the colony first opened. If you want to learn more about Wahjamega you can read my other post 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.

The Stone Church in the Thumb

Posted on June 7, 2020 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Churches, Thumb .

If you have followed my posts for a while you know I am a sucker for old stone buildings. They have a natural feel to them being constructed from local stones and they seem like they would stand for a long time as stones don’t really decay like wood or other modern materials.

I saw this old stone church in Croswell that even had a historical marker standing in front of it. The marker reads:

This picturesque cobblestone building constructed in 1898 serves as the Croswell chapel of the Trinity Episcopal Church. Its interior features wooden arches and a rood screen between the nave and the chancel. This structure formerly called Christ Church replaced the county’s first Episcopal church building erected nearby in 1870. Among the prominent citizens attending and supporting the present church were the families of lumber barons Wildman Mills, Truman Moss, and Joseph Gaige.

The old historic church is now used as the Croswell Community Center.

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

Small Town Memorial

Posted on May 18, 2020 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in small towns, Thumb .

I was traveling through the Thumb and I went through the small town of Minden City. In front of city hall, the Stars and Stripes were proudly waving in the spring breeze. at the base of the flagpole was a stone with the words:

Dedicated in memory of those who served our country that we may live in freedom.

A town may be small, or in a for away location, but it does not diminish the appreciation a community has for the sacrifices made by those who served. It is always nice to the American flags and memorials on my journey to remind me how lucky I am to have the freedom to roam this beautiful country.

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

Zig Zagging in Snay

Posted on May 4, 2020 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Forgotten Places, Thumb .

I was zig-zagging the gridwork of rural roads surrounding the farm fields in the Thumb. I came across this old brick building with a cobblestone foundation. I am not sure if it was a school or some other government building but it was interesting looking. Not far down the road was the Snay cemetery. Michigan had a post office for the town of Snay in a general store operated by Charles Snay. It was opened in 1889 and closed in 1901. It looks like the cemetery and possibly this building is all the remains of the little town.

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