McCourtie Park sits in Somerset Center along US-12. It is mostly known for its ornate concrete bridges. Before it was a park it was a sprawling estate owned by William Herbert Lee “Herb” McCourtie who built a mansion and the bridges on the property. The large mansion was razed years ago and the estate is
A few miles east of Ontonagon is a massive old building covered up by trees and bushes. The dilapidated structure was part of the Ontonagon County Poor Farm. The county’s first poor farm was constructed in 1855 to help take care of lumberjacks and people in need of assistance. The building that stands today was
The small town of Elm Hall is located west of Alma near the center of the mitten. The thing it is most noted for is the small post office building that sits near the center of town. The little building is not much more than a shed but it serves the community and is still
In the old town section of Negaunee is a large hole covered with old iron fencing. This opening in the side of a cliff was part of the Jackson Mine. The mine was the first iron ore mine in the Lake Superior region. In 1844 surveyor William Burt noticed some strange fluctuations on his compass
The Small town of Hart is a few miles southeast of Pentwater on the west coast of Michigan’s Lower Peninsula. Just north of town is the archway for John Gurney Park welcoming visitors. The park was one of the first auto tourist camps developed along the West Michigan Pike during the 1920s. As the affordability
This foot bridge crosses over the Pigeon River in the Agnes S. Andreae Nature Preserve near Indian River. The preserve has five miles of hiking trails that wind their way along the river. It is also home to the Nature Megaphone that you can read about in my post HERE Thank you for Subscribing to
North of Adrian along M-52 is a single story white building. Known as the Raisin Valley Friends Meetinghouse it is the second oldest continuously operating church building in the state of Michigan. Quakers from New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania settled in southeastern Michigan in the early nineteenth century. The Quaker missionary evolved into the
On the south side of the Holland Chanel is one of the most photographed lighthouses in Michigan. The 1907 building was built as a fog signal building only. The light stood adjacent to it as a separate structure until 1936 when the Coast Guard consolidated the two by putting a light tower on top of the fog
This old building stands in the trees in the Upper Peninsula town of Pequaming. There is not much remaining in the town today but back in its heyday it the entire town was owned by the Ford Motor Company. It was a sawmill town making lumber for Model-T bodies. I am not sure what this
I love this little library in Wayland. Here is what the Historical Marker next to it reads: Upon her death in April 1899, Julia Robinson Henika bequeathed two thousand dollars to the Wayland Ladies Library Association for construction of a library building. Her husband George H. Henika, and mother, Mary Forbes, later donated additional funds
