A Visit to a... BREWERY???

Western Knitting Mills

Date Visited:  July 19, 2019

Stop:  #20

For the second time in a row (albeit, 16 days apart), Kathy and I went on a quest that involved: 

1. One historical marker that we had passed or visited hundreds of times before,
2. Did not involve a visit to a Michigan winery,
3. Included a special guest.

We had not visited an historical marker since July 3 when we visited a marker in Caseville with our son, David, in tow.  This time around, our target happened to be a restaurant in downtown Rochester that is a favorite of ours, and instead of our son joining us, we had our daughter, Sarah, tagging along.  Sarah has been one of our biggest “fans” and would probably be joining us on many of our quests if not for the fact that she lives in Germany.  So, we were blessed to have her home for a few weeks this summer and she was excited to join us on any quest, no matter how short it may be.  She had been home for only a couple of days when we had an opportunity to introduce her to our quest.

It was a Friday night and neither Kathy nor I felt like cooking.  We started a diet back in March and really had not gone out to eat much since then, so eating out was a big treat.  However, it was also a challenge since we had to go to a restaurant that could provide food options that fit into our very restrictive diet.  Rochester Mills Beer Company, which is a very popular restaurant in downtown Rochester, was our pick.  They have great seafood options as well as many salad choices that fit our diet, but also serve steaks, chicken dishes, a wide assortment of pub sandwiches, brick oven pizzas, pasta dishes, jambalaya, and a buffalo chicken mac & cheese dish to die for (which, unfortunately, does NOT fit into my diet).  The restaurant is also known for the many different craft beers that it brews onsite. 

Rochester Mills Beer Company happens to be located in the building that used to be the Western Knitting Mills, an historical building that was granted a Michigan Historical Marker in 2003 and is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places (in 2000).  Since we had visited this restaurant many times in the past, this marker was very familiar to us, but just like the sign in Caseville, this was the first time we had visited it on our Michigan Wines and Signs quest.

The marker is located at 400 Water Street outside the entrance to Rochester Mills.  The building is easy to identify – a massive brick building with two stories of beautiful arched windows and a three- story tower on its northwest corner.  The sign marks the site of the first woolen mill built by Hosea Richardson in 1844 on the banks of the Paint Creek.  The original building was destroyed by fire in 1867 and a new building was constructed soon after and purchased by Hosea’s son, Samuel.  The new building was home to the Rochester Woolen Mill.  This building also fell victim to a fire in 1882 and was completely destroyed.  In 1896, the Western Knitting Mills was constructed on this site (after buying our Samuel’s interest in the company).  The building supported a yarn mill, dormitories, and two warehouses.  It also had its own hydro generating station and a railroad spur directly onto its property.  The marker states that the mill was the largest employer in the area in its day, and produced wool socks, gloves, and mittens until 1916, then made wool cloth, and khaki gloves for our soldiers during World War I.  After the war, business declined and the mill closed in 1927.  It reopened again in 1929 after it was purchased by the Bradley Knitting Company of Wisconsin and produced yarn and knitted cloth.  With the onset of the Great Depression, business declined yet again and the mill closed for a second time in 1931.  The mill opened again in 1933 but ceased operations permanently in 1939.  The building then became home to many companies beginning in the 1940’s but finally closed in 1993 and sold to private owners in 1997.  The building was renovated for commercial use and reopened with several new businesses residing there, including the Rochester Mills Beer Company.

We had a wonderful dinner and Sarah enjoyed being a part of the quest.  The food at Rochester Mills is fantastic, and the beer is pretty good too.  I know, this isn’t a blog about beer, but it is worth checking out if you happen to be a beer lover.  They do happen to have a very extensive wine list, but there are very few Michigan wine selections.  It would be great if someday they could feature more Michigan wines – it seems like a natural fit since they are a restaurant featuring Michigan brewed beer!!!

#michiganwinesandsigns #michigan #history #michiganhistory #wine #michiganwine #winetasting #historyisbetterwithwine

A Sign, No Wine, A Sunset, and Our First Quest Guest

Methodist Episcopal Church

Date Visited:  July 3, 2019

Stop:  #19

Not every quest involves wine, and this was one of those times.  Actually, it was not much of a quest – we had passed this particular historical marker hundreds of times over the years – but it was an opportunity to “officially” check this marker off our list.  We were enjoying some downtime before the 4^th of July weekend when I suggested that we take a drive into Caseville and visit this marker.  My wife suggested that while we were at it, we could stop at the Caseville Beach and watch the sunset.  So, we talked our son, David, into tagging along and off we went.

The marker in question is located at the north end of downtown Caseville, a small town near the tip of the Thumb situated at the mouth of the Pigeon River on the shores of Saginaw Bay.  Caseville is a popular summer vacation place and is best known for its Cheeseburger in Caseville festival in August, which started as a 3-day festival in 1999 and now spans 10 days each year.  Caseville was first settled in 1836 by Reuben Dodge.  It was first called the Pigeon River Settlement, and then Port Elizabeth (there is a popular restaurant downtown that is known by this name) and Elizabethtown, named after the wife of William Rattle, who worked as an agent for the biggest landowner in the area at that time, Leonard Case.  The town’s major industry was lumber, but also was known for ship building and salt manufacturing.

Francis Crawford became a major landowner in 1856 when he purchased 20,000 acres from Leonard Case.  That same year, the community became known as Caseville.  It’s first post office opened in January, 1863, and Francis Crawford became the first postmaster.  In 1896, Caseville was incorporated as a village and in 2010, it became a city.  It’s population (as of 2017) is 735 – which probably grows 10 times that during Cheeseburger week!!! 

Caseville is a lot of fun during the summer months and attracts thousands of tourists.  It was dealt a blow a couple years ago when the popular bar and restaurant, the Riverside, burned to the ground on the eve of that year’s Cheeseburger festival.  Never rebuilt, tourists today are limited to just a couple of hangouts, one of which is the Bluewater Inn.  Caseville is also home to the Thumb Brewery and the Wooded Lot, a sports bar located on the south end of town.  There are a couple of popular stores that draw in souvenir seekers.  On the north end of town is a large RV campground and a community park with a natural amphitheater that hosts live bands at various festivals throughout the summer.  And of course, there is the beautiful Caseville beach, which draws hundreds of sunbathers and swimmers every day.

Situated amongst the RV park and the beach and the vacant lot that was once the Riverside is the Methodist Episcopal Church of Caseville, on the northwest corner of Riverside Drive and Port Austin Road.  The Church was dedicated on November 15, 1874, six years after the Reverend Manasseh Hickey and 12 other settlers organized the church.  The church is known for its 70-foot-tall Gothic spire that serves as a landmark for sailors on Saginaw Bay.  The Historical Marker describes the many phases the church has undergone over the years.  David was a good sport and joined Kathy and I in our selfie with the sign.  He is not a history fan, nor a wine fan, but it was great to have him come along with us, and he really enjoyed himself.

After taking our fair share of photos of the church, the three of us headed to the Caseville beach to catch the sunset.  It was a perfect night to catch a spectacular sunset.  With Charity Island off in the horizon, everyone on the beach that day was treated to a magnificent sunset, with hundreds of vibrant colors streaking the sky off to the west.  Between the three of us, we must have taken well over 100 pictures.  It was truly one of the prettiest sunsets we have ever witnessed up there.  As the sun settled below the horizon, we began our trek back to the car.  It turned out to be a fun quest, even without the wine, because we got to see a great sunset, and we got to share our quest with our son, the first time we had a guest join our quest.

 #michiganwinesandsigns #michigan #history #michiganhistory #wine #michiganwine #winetasting #historyisbetterwithwine

One Last Stop

White Lake Cemetery

Date Visited:  June 23, 2019

Stop:  #18

As we left Hoffman Farms, it was our intention to drive straight home.  We had ended the day on a high note, but it had been a long day and we were tired.  So, we found our way to White Lake Road and headed east.  As we always do at the end of an adventurous day, we asked each other what our favorite parts of the day were.  We were both unanimous in choosing Hoffman Farms Winery for all the reasons I mentioned in my previous blog, but we also agreed that we really enjoyed the Fenton Winery and Brewery as well.  Visiting Fenton on their River Fest day was a pleasantly fortuitous stroke of luck.  We were deep in discussion about all of this when out of the corner of my eye, I saw what looked like a Michigan Historical Marker.  So, I found a place to turn around and we retraced our route until we found it – an historical marker located in a cemetery!!

Since I had focused on getting home, I had not even thought about referencing my Historical Marker map after we left Hoffman Farms, so this was a pleasant surprise.  We pulled into the cemetery, located on the south side of White Lake Road, about 0.9 miles west of Cuthbert Road, and parked.  Kathy was pretty "tired", so I got out and explored the cemetery on my own. 

In 1836, Robert Garner, one of the first pioneers to settle in the area, gave an acre of land to be used as a burial ground. Sadly, the first burials were for his 2 young daughters (nine months and two years old). In 1856 the land was formally deeded to the Board of Health of White Lake Twp.  The Historical Marker mentions the importance that Robert Garner had in the area (helped establish the First Presbyterian Church of White Lake and was the superintendent of a pioneer Sabbath school in White Lake) and he, as well as many of his family members, are buried in this cemetery.  You also learn that this cemetery is the final resting place for 28 Civil War veterans, and over 40 veterans from succeeding wars.  I spent quite a bit of time wandering through the cemetery, looking for the gravesites of other early pioneer families (the Voorheises, the Seeleys) and for war veterans.  I took several pictures, some of which are shown below.  Again, I was humbled to be amongst so many important heroes and heroines from so many bygone years.  It was a solemn end to a very long and enjoyable day.

It was starting to get fairly late and my stomach was starting to rumble, so I hopped back in the car, waking Kathy up from her catnap.  It had been such a long, but wonderful day – a perfect summer Sunday spent exploring and drinking wine and eating great food.  I promised Kathy we would not make any more stops, no matter how many historical markers we may pass.  Our biggest decision now was where to eat.  And, to contemplate our next great adventure, wherever it may take us!!!

#michiganwinesandsigns #michigan #history #michiganhistory #wine #michiganwine #winetasting #historyisbetterwithwine