Thumb Archives - Page 2 of 8 - Lost In Michigan

Easy In Silverwood

Posted on July 23, 2022 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in small towns, Thumb .

The small town of Silverwood sits in the Thumb between Mayville and Marlette. I always thought the name sounds like something from a TV western or movie. It was not the first name of the town. When the railroad was built through here in 1882, the residents applied for a post office. One suggested naming it something easy to remember, and the post office named “Easy” and opened on 13 April 1882. I am not sure why but in 1890 The name changed to “Rollo” and changed again in 1892 to “Silverwood”, after the nearby stands of white pine.

P.S. There is a nice old building in town that is used as a store. For years I have been trying to get a nice pic of it but every time I am in the area, there are a bunch of cars parked in front of it. So instead, I took a pic of this building. I am not sure what it was but the stone at the top reads. H. C. BEARUP 1896.

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 General Store in Huron City

Posted on June 23, 2022 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in General Store, Thumb .

This old General Store sits in Huron City near the tip of the Thumb. It was built in 1885 after the great fire of 1881 that swept through the forests of the Thumb. It closed in the 1950s and is now part of the Huron City 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 School At The Tip of the Thumb

Posted on June 1, 2022 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Schools, Thumb .

This large brick building stands along M-25 near the tip of the Thumb. Above the front door carved in stone are the words. GRINDSTONE CITY SCHOOL. I have seen several one room schoolhouses around the Thumb, so I imagine when this building was built in the early 1900s, the citizens of Grindstone City were proud of it. I am not sure when it closed, but it is privately owned now.

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

Lost In Pinnebog

Posted on April 25, 2022 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Ghost towns, Thumb .

I saw this old building, or at least what is left of it in the town of Pinnebog. It’s located near the tip of the thumb on the Pinnebog River. It was started back in the 1840s as a lumbering town. Another sawmill town had the same name, but when they established a post office the town changed its name to Port Crescent. That is where the state park is now and is named after the former town.

Some of the buildings from Port Crescent were moved to Pinnebog. I am not sure if this one was one of them but maybe it could have been. There is only a few houses left in the small town and I am sure it has been a long time since it heard the whirring of saw blades at the sawmill.

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

A Watertown Service Station

Posted on April 2, 2022 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Forgotten Places, Thumb .

I saw this old service station in Watertown in the middle of the Thumb. I am not sure if it is an old Sinclair station or made to look like one but either way I like it.

Lost In Michigan Books are ON SALE at Amazon. You can see more by clicking 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.

Deford

Posted on March 19, 2022 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in small towns, Thumb .

Roaming the back roads in the middle of the thumb I came across the small town of Deford. The Grand Trunk Railroad came through the area in 1883 and a station was named Bruce for local landowner Elmer Bruce. Arthur Newton founded the village around the station and renamed it after his friend Mr. Deford. I saw these old buildings in town. I am sure they were not around when the town was first founded but the looked old. The faded hand painted sign on the one building looks like it had the word BLACKSMITH on it.

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

Columbia Crossroads

Posted on February 15, 2022 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Schools, Thumb .

A few miles south of Unionville is an old schoolhouse. Above the door is the lettering 1909 Columbia Dist. No. 2. Most of the old schools I find have the date when they were constructed, but I have never seen the date when they closed. I am not sure when this old schoolhouse last taught children inside its brick walls. However, I did find out that the school was part of a small town called Columbia Corners. The community started in 1854 and it had a post office from 1879 until 1903. Not much of the town exists today, but I wonder how many kids learned to read and write in the little schoolhouse.

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 January 17, 2022 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, 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 Forestview and Lakeview, its predecessors.

The house has large double parlors, a graceful stairway, an elegant Victorian dining room, and is home to a portion of William Lyon Phelps’ personal library

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.

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 Stone Home in the Thumb

Posted on November 15, 2021 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Houses, Thumb .

I think this has to be one of Michigan’s most unique houses. It is near Lake Huron south of Lexington. This one-of-a-kind house was hand-built using stones and sand from Lake Huron by Valentine Falzon, a stonemason from Malta. The Eiffel Towers and Leaning Tower Of Pisa on the fence is an interesting design element.

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 Port Hope Chimney

Posted on October 7, 2021 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Thumb .

From a distance, this tall structure in Port Hope looks like a lighthouse since it is so close to Lake Huron near the tip of the Thumb. After you get up close to it you realize it is something different. Thankfully there is a historical marker next to it that tells you what it is and its significance. Maybe I am one of the few people that bother to read the signs but I appreciate them. In this day and age of google sometimes a plain old sign still works extremely well and reads:

This chimney was built in 1858 by John Geitz. It is all that remains of the lumber mill established that year by William R. Stafford. Port Hope grew up around the mill. For a score of years, this town was the center of lumbering in the Thumb. It also became an important producer of salt. In 1871 and again in 1881 the mill, the docks, and possessions of hundreds of people were destroyed by fire. This chimney is a monument to those pioneers who by their courage and industry developed this area.

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

« Previous Page