Ornate victorian era homes painted in spectacular fashion are known as “Painted Ladies.” A spectacular example of such a house can be seen on Military Street in Port Huron. This stately residence was built in 1888 for lumber dealer John Jenkinson. It is one of only three “Hyde Park Villa” homes built in the U.S.
Superior Falls is on the Montreal River that makes up the boundary between Michigan and Wisconsin. The falls are in the southwest end of the Upper Peninsula and are located in a gorge near a power plant. It is hard to tell from the photo but the walls of the gorge are about 100 feet
I saw this old stone building decaying away next to U.S.-31 near Petoskey. I am not sure if it was a house, service station, or what it was. On the map, it shows the town of Bay Shore. Eugene R. Sly and Nancy Stauffer owned the land and became known as Bay Shore for its
Not to be confused with Plainfield Township near Grand Rapids, the small town of Plainfield sits near Stockbridge. The first settler came to Plainfield in 1835 and the town was originally called Dyersburg for the second settler Phillip Dyer. When it was given a post office it was named Plainfield after Plainfield NJ. There are
Muskegon has many beautiful old historic buildings and one of my favorites is the Hackley Public Library. The Historical marker in fron of the magnificent stone building reads: On May 25, 1888, Muskegon lumber baron Charles H. Hackley announced that he would donate a library to the city. Hackley stipulated that the facility be “forever maintained
I visit a lot of locations around the state and it’s always nice to see the red white and blue flag of the USA proudly flying on a flag pole. I took this photo at Fort Wilkins State Park at the tip of the Keweenaw Peninsula. I have visited it a few times and never
Near the mouth of the Two Hearted River in the Upper Peninsula is this log cabin chapel. the first chapel was built in the summer of 2006, by Richard and Kathy Robinson and family, along with the help of volunteers. Unfortunately, the Chapel burned down in the Duck Lake Fire and a new one was
The highest point in Michigan is at the summit of Mount Arvon in the Huron Mountain Range in Baraga and Marquette counties. Mt. Arvon is about a 30-mile trek from L’Anse. The last 15 miles it up winding gravel forest roads but it as much about the journey as the destination. At the top is
When I say “the pigeon house”, I don’t mean a house full of pigeons. I saw this old farmhouse near the town of Pigeon in the Thumb. It probably has pigeons living in it but I don’t know. It looks to be in really bad shape. I am not sure if the guys from Bargain
The small town of Dansville is southeast of Lansing. In 1844 Samuel Crossman came to the area and a few years later opened a store. He sold the store to his son Daniel who plated the town in 1857 and called it Dansville. The town prospered with the nearby railroad and some believe the citizens
