The Port Sanilac Lighthouse was built in 1886 to bridge the gap between the Fort Gratiot Lighthouse, at the mouth of the St Clare River, and the harbor beach Light farther to the north of Port Sanilac. It is one of the more unique lighthouses on the great lakes with the 59 foot tower narrowing
Henderson Castle sits on a hill overlooking Kalamazoo. The massive stone mansion was completed in 1895. It was built for local businessman Frank Henderson and his wife Mary. Sadly Frank died shortly after moving into the house. He could only enjoy his beautiful home for about five years. Mary lived in the house until her
It’s been a while since I had time to go on a road trip, so I took a short one north of Saginaw to see what I could find. North of U.S. 10 is mostly farmland and more farmland, with ranch style houses and more ranch style houses. I meandered along the back roads seeing
This beautiful wooden depot in Lake Odessa was built in 1888. The depot was originally the property of the Detroit, Lansing, and Northern Railroad and eventually become part of the C&O Railroad. The depot served Lake Odessa for over 82 years until the last tickets were sold to passengers in 1971. The building unique because
This stone chimney and a few foundations are all that is left of Camp Raco in the Upper Peninsula. It was a CCC camp then used as a prisoner of war camp in World War II. It is located in the Marquette National Forest. You can find it off M-28 on a two-track near the
In the center of the Lower Peninsula near the Maple River is the East Plains Cemetery. Next to a headstone is a small historical marker for “Skyman” Philip Parmalee. He was born in 1887 not far from the cemetery near the small town of Hubbardston. He worked at a machine shop in St. Johns and
The Manistique Water tower and pumping station, a 200,000 gallon capacity water tower, is a 137′ tall Roman Revival-style building primarily faced with red brick with limestone trim, and sits on a concrete foundation. Casement windows near the top of the tower sit beneath a decorative frieze. The domed roof is made of copper. The
In 1936 Irving Charlton donated property to Barry County for a park. Over the years several historic buildings around Barry County were moved to the park. Today they create a historic village including the two-story brick building that was the offices for the Hastings Mutual Insurance Co from 1908 to 1924. You can learn more
Heading east on M-46 I got to the town of Kingston and when I get to a small town I like to drive around the area to see what I can find. I saw an old barn off in the distance so I headed out to it, then I saw another old barn and headed
Michigan has a few train depots with a cone-shaped roof but the most well known one is called “The Witch’s Hat Depot.” It proudly stands in South Lyon. It is no longer used for passengers to ride the rais but is a historical museum. The historical marker next to it reads: In the late nineteenth
