This barn-like building was a carriage house built by the Bonine family. It stands across the street from a large house they built not far from Vandalia. The Bonines were instrumental in helping slaves searching for freedom along the Underground Railroad. Underground Railroad Society of Cass County (URSCC) Purchased the home and carriage house in
Sault Ste. Marie is the oldest city in Michigan and it is no surprise that one of the oldest courthouses in the Great Lakes State can be found there. The Chippewa County Courthouse was built in 1877. The Second Empire building was constructed with limestone from Drummond Island and trimmed in red sandstone extracted from
In downtown Albion along the north branch of the Kalamazoo River at Reiger Park is a Michigan historical marker telling the story of the first Mother’s Day in Michigan. I visited the park in late fall and I have been waiting until the right day for this post. I am sure you can figure out
North of Alpena on the east side of Grand Lake is the small town of Presque Isle. If you have ever traveled through the town you may have seen this log cabin that sit’s near the road. It has an interesting story to tell on the historical marker that stands next to it. In 1858,
This beautiful old house built by Issac Cappon stands near downtown Holland. He was born in 1830 in the Netherlands and came to the United States when he was 17 years old. he came to Michigan’s Holland Colony in 1848. Here he worked as a laborer in a local tannery. With his experience working in
This little red schoolhouse was built in 1874. It served the Number 2 Chippewa School District. It stands in the parking lot among Shepherd’s high, middle, and elementary schools. It is now used as a museum by the historical society. I like that it is near the modern school to remind kids of days gone
The small town of Lawrence is in southwest Michigan. The old town hall built in 1902 still stands in downtown Lawrence. Besides housing the town offices, the building was the main venue for plays, recitals, concerts and movies. It was a regular stop in the 1920s and 1930s for touring Vaudeville groups. The Village Jail
I saw this collection of old cars and trucks, along with the service station signs and pumps north of Hancock. I had to stop and take a pic. I hope the owner did not mind, but I really liked the way they displayed their collection. If I had a gas station, I would do a
I passed by this stone man at the end of last summer while I was looking for the ghost town of Deward. I am not sure how he ended up in the middle of the woods northwest of grayling but he made me smile. He is along the snowmobile trail so I imagine a lot
I am happy to announce that Volume 5 is now available for purchase. You can order your copy from Amazon HERE They are also available at local retailers. You can see my list of retailers HERE Thank you all so much for purchasing my books. They help me to continue my journey around Michigan and
