house Archives - Lost In Michigan

The Voigt House

Posted on February 25, 2019 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Houses, Michigan Historical Markers .

This elegant and perfectly preserved Victorian mansion was built for Carl G. A. Voigt in 1895. Voigt came to Grand Rapids in 1870 and ran a mill and dry goods store with W. G. Herpolsheimer. In 1902, when the partnership ended, Voigt took over the milling works. The house designed by eminent local architect William G. Robinson, was inspired by the chateaux at Chenonceaux, France. The interior is furnished opulently with original possessions of the Voigt Family. In 1972, a year after the death of the last occupant, Ralph Voigt, the house became a public museum.

If you live near Grand Rapids I hope you will come out and see me in Cascade on Sunday, March 1st at 2 pm. I will be giving a presentation about Lost In Michigan at the Kent District Library – Cascade Township Branch 2870 Jacksmith Ave

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Mackinac Island and the File Folder Magnate

Posted on July 25, 2016 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Houses .

Edgecliff Cottage on the western bluff of Mackinac Island

About 20 years ago I visited Mackinac Island with my wife and I remember looking at a beautiful cottage and on a sign out front it read,” Home of the Inventor of the Manila Folder”
for some reason that always stuck with me, The Folder seems like such a simple thing but I guess someone had to be the first to fold a piece of cardboard and stick a paper in it. Kinda like some caveman had to be the first to invent the wheel. The thing that stuck with me is not only did this person invent the file folder but they bought a house on Mackinac Island too, it must have had a pretty good life from a simple invention.

A few months ago I was on the Island and we went over to the cottages on the other side of the Grand Hotel, and I could not find the sign that had been etched into my memory. I took a bunch of Photos, and hoped I got a pic that I needed and set out to find out what happened to the folder guy.

I found a book called ” View From the Veranda” by Phil Porter and found the name of William A. Amberg. so off to see my know it all friend Google and I found THIS article about William Amburg and how he was the inventor of a file folder system and with his great fortune he and his wife, Sarah Agnes Ward, purchased the West Bluff’s Westover cottage on Mackinac Island which they remodeled in 1892, and renamed it Edgecliff Cottage.

William was king of the file folders for a few years but then his patent was challenged and the judge deemed it “intellectual Property” but he must have still made out pretty well on his folders to have such a beautiful place on Mackinac Island.

I always think of that house every time I am sticking papers into a manila folder and if you have read this something tells me you will too.

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The Homes of Center Avenue in Bay City

Posted on March 2, 2015 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Houses, Michigan Historical Markers .

Diving down Center avenue in Bay city I feel like I am traveling back in time as I go past the old historic mansions. At either end of the historic district is a Michigan Historical Marker that reads:

Center Avenue presents one of the most spectacular displays of late nineteenth and early twentieth century residential architecture in Michigan. Between 1870 and 1940 Bay City’s prominent citizens favored Center Avenue as “the” place to live. Early in this period lumbermen built lavish residences. After 1900 lumbering declined and the city’s economy diversified. Leaders in the sugar beet, coal, shipbuilding, and other industries built stylish homes that reflected their substantial fortunes. Local architects such as Pratt and Koeppe, Clark and Munger, and Philip Floeter designed many of the buildings. Monumental churches and other public structures, like the Masonic Temple, compliment the residences. Center Avenue is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

here are some of my favorite homes in the district

Henry & Luella Clements House 1890

The sign in front of the home reads:

Henry worked with his father James and brother William at Industrial Works, designers of a rail-mounted shovel and cranes employed at the Chicago Columbian Exposition and the Panama Canal. His house is unusual in Bay City because it is one of the few Queen Anne Style homes built of brick. Instead of ornamental trim, bricks are placed in decorative patterns to accentuate the structure’s shape and composition. The first floor plate window is framed with a distinctive Romanesque arch of rusticated stone, displaying the Victorian tendency to mix styles. In 1913 Hector McKinnon, president of McKinnon Boiler and Machine Co., purchased the house, followed in 1920 by Judge Samuel Houghton, who prepared the charter that united Bay City and West Bay City

James Shearer house 1876

James Shearer was a builder in Bay City and besides building this beautiful home, he built several buildings in Michigan, including the building Mill End which was recently raised to build new condominiums. He also was chosen by the Governor of Michigan in 1871 to supervise the construction of the state capital.

Louis & Nettie Goeschel House 1875

The sign in front of the home reads:

Little is known of John Jones, the original owner of the house. It was sold to the Goeschels in 1887. Louis was a well-known businessman, starting out as grocer and venturing into insurance and foreign travel. He hired Pratt & Koeppe to do major remodeling of the house in 1888. The house remained in the Goeschel family for three generations, passing to daughters and husbands, until 1964: fi rst to Nova G. & Russell S. Eddy (1929), and then to Marion E. & Paul E. Wendland (1947). This beautiful Queen Anne style house was modernized in the 1950s by removing most of the porch and covering the house with aluminum siding. The porch was reconstructed and the siding removed to reveal and restore architectural details in 2006-2008

Fremont Chesbrough House 1889

The construction of the house started in 1889 and took three years to build. The 8975 Sq foot home has 5 stories and a Tiffany Stain glass window which is visible on the first and second floors. Each room has a different wood, White golden mahogany in the front parlor, Cherry and walnut in the second parlor. Fremont and Matilda lived in the house from 1891 to 1916. The lot for the house sold for $3,500 and the total cost of building the home was close to $30,000 and at the time the most expensive home on Center Avenue. Fremont’s brother Francis lived in a wood Victorian home jut one block from Fremont’s home.

Victorian Era Home

I could not find any information on this grand old Victorian Queen Ann home but not knowing its history does not detract from its grandeur. if you know anything about it I would love to know.

If you live near Bay City or Midland Lost In Michigan books are available at Coyer Candle. You can find out more about their locations on their website HERE

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Kempf House – Michigan Historical Marker

Posted on June 13, 2014 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Houses, Michigan Historical Markers .

Cast iron grilles in an ancient Greek floral motif highlight the frieze of this temple-front Greek Revival house. Built in 1853 for Henry D. Bennett, Secretary and Steward of the University of Michigan, it became the home and studio of local musicians Reuben H. and Pauline Widenmann Kempf in 1890. Trained in Germany, Mr. Kempf (1859 – 1945) taught piano and organ, Mrs. Kempf (1860 – 1953), a graduate of the Cincinnati Conservatory, taught voice. The city of Ann Arbor purchased the house in 1969, and in 1983 it became the Kempf House Center for Local History.

David Whitney, Jr. House – Michigan Historical Marker

Posted on May 15, 2014 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Detroit, Houses, Michigan Historical Markers .

On Woodward Ave in Midtown is the beautiful David Whitney Jr. house which is now a restaurant called The Witney. you can see photos of the inside of the home on their website HERE

The Historical Marker out front reads
This mansion was once described as “an American palace enjoying the distinction of being the most pretentious modern home in the state and one of the most elaborate houses in the west.” David Whitney, Jr. (1830-1900), its owner, was one of the wealthiest lumber barons in the Midwest. Begun in 1890, the house took four years to construct. Its exterior is made of pink jasper, mined in South Dakota. The luxurious interior is reminiscent of residences of Napoleonic Paris. Its features include silk-covered walls and ceilings, tapestries, extensive woodwork, leaded crystal and Tiffany windows.

The Whitney House in 1905 from the Library of Congress archives

Michigan’s Haunted Mansion

Posted on April 13, 2014 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Forgotten Places, Historic Places, Houses, Uncategorized .

Several sources have said this is one of the most haunted places in Michigan. I am not much of a believer in ghosts, but I do like a good story. Built in 1876, on M53 near Brown City is this old Second Empire mansion. It was the home of and built by John G. Bruce who owned the Bruce and Webster General Merchants with his brother-in-law in Burnside township which he was the postmaster for 16 years. The old house sold a few different times and rumor has it one of the mansion’s owners were said to have been taking the back roads in his automobile when he hit a pedestrian. Terrified at what he had done, he took the body back to the mansion and buried it somewhere on the estate. Some say the ghost of the victim, others simply guilt, caused the man to lose his fortune and drive him to commit suicide by hanging himself in the old bell tower.

Please note this house is not abandoned and do not trespass.

I have more about the historic mansion and several other haunted places around the state in the Lost In Michigan books available on Amazon HERE

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Davenport House – Michigan Historical Marker

Posted on April 8, 2014 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Houses, Michigan Historical Markers .

This handsome two-and-a-half story residence, constructed in 1875, was the home of William H. Davenport (1826 – 1909), prominent Saline citizen. In 1851, Davenport entered into a partnership with H. J. Miller in a general store. He bought out Miller’s interest in 1853 and became a leading city merchant. Later, Davenport started a private bank in 1885. Since 1902 this bank has been known as the Citizens’ Bank of Saline. Well-known Detroit architect William Scott designed Davenport’s elegant Second Empire home, built at a cost of $8,500.

The Manchester Castle House

Posted on April 6, 2014 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Houses, small towns .

Driving thru Manchester I noticed this odd looking house down one of the side streets so of course I had to turn around and check it out. It looks like a castle and is not your typical looking house. I searched google and the only thing I found was a photo of a postcard on Flickr circa 1910 and that it was built by A.J. Wright, other than that I could not find anything else. It is truly an unique looking house and who would not want to live in a castle, especially a little boy or girl.

The Manchester Castle House decorated for Halloween last fall

Mystery House on Marlette Road

Posted on April 2, 2014 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Forgotten Places, Houses .

I saw this old house on Marlette road with a cross in the yard between Marlette and Cliffford Michigan. It’s hard to read in the photo, but I could make out Donna carved into the cross. Who was Donna, did she live here? did she die in a roadside accident and someone put up a cross and a wreath. I see a lot of old abandoned houses around Michigan, but very seldom do I have a named associated with it. It makes this house seem so much more real and that someone lived and raised a family here.

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Charles G. Learned House – Michigan Historical Marker

Posted on January 31, 2014 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Houses, Michigan Historical Markers .

Charles G learned House

A native of New York, contractor Charles G. Learned helped build New York City’s water-works system and the Erie Canal. Around 1837 Learned and his brother-in-law purchased several thousand acres of pine land in Michigan’s Thumb area. Two years later, Learned and his wife, Maria Raymond, came to Port Austin and bought a house and three acres at this site. Learned’s cutover pine land became a 2,000-acre farm where he prospered as an agriculturalist and dairy farmer. With profits from his lumbering and farming enterprises Learned enlarged and updated this house in the French Second Empire style. In the 1860s Ohio congressman, later president, James A. Garfield, a family friend, was a frequent guest here. From 1931 to 1979 the house served as the Mayes Inn and Tower Hotel.

Charles G. Learned House in Port Austin Michigan