The first week of April is Library week. Michigan has many beautiful libraries and I put together a list of some of my favorite Carnegie Libraries. I still love going to my local library to borrow books and do research. Even in this hi-tech era with the internet, I find the good old-fashioned library is
I saw this old house somewhere near Mesick. The upper windows are covered in some sort of sheet metal. They looked like eyes and reminded me of the movie Monster House. I don’t know what the story is about this old dilapidated house. It was new at one time but it is hard to imagine
I bet at one time this old school was a beautiful building and the pride of the community. It is in Paynesville in the western part of the Upper Peninsula. Not much exists in the town anymore and neither does the roof of this once beautiful old school. The harsh Michigan winter and weight of
Charlton Park east of Hastings has a plethora of historic buildings and houses. This log cabin sits off in the woods. I was disappointed that there was not a sign on or near it giving a little info. From what I found on the internet is that it is a replica built in the 1990s.
This cross stands on a hill south of Ludington near the mouth of the Pere Marquette River. It marks the death of Father Jacques Marquette. The exact location of his death is unknown but the site of the cross corresponds with early French accounts and maps. Marquette died in 1675 while returning to his mission
Driving up the Keweenaw Peninsula on US-41 I passed by this antique store with the words THE LAST PLACE ON EARTH. After driving from southern Michigan all the way to the tip of the Keweenaw it made me laugh. Personally, I think the Rocket Range is the last place on earth ( you can see
This old General Store stands in the town of Glen Haven. It is kind of a ghost town in the fact that no one lives there anymore. It is part of Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. I have seen this old store many times. Maybe someday I will get a chance to go inside and
I saw this empty old church standing in the farmland west of Hastings. I am sure it has been a long time since this wooden chapel has had an Easter service or any services. I can only imagine all the weddings, baptisms, and funerals this old church has seen. Please note, I only take pics
What seems like the middle of nowhere near the southern border of Michigan is an ornate Queen Ann mansion. Ezra A. Beardsley was born in Monroe, Connecticut in 1839. He manufactured hats in Younkers New York. In 1870, he moved to Michigan and purchased 650 acres of land North of Bronson. In 1874 he was married
I came across this old boarded-up building in Albion. Knows as the Austin School, at the time of its construction in 1911, it was Albion’s first “modern” school. By the 1960s newer schools with better facilities were built. Because the Austin School did not have a gymnasium or an auditorium the school closed in 1968.
