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

Last of Its Kind

The Marlette District Library

Date Visited:  August 3, 2019

Stop:  #43

We were heading into the homestretch for our Michigan Wines and Signs odyssey.  As we left the Village of Cash, we had one last destination that included three historical markers.  It was nearing 5:30 as we headed south on Cash Road and headed towards Marlette, Michigan.  Marlette is our symbolic half-way point between our main residence and our place in Caseville, and have driven through it hundreds of times over the years.  It is the location of 3 of our favorite stopping points as well:

• Hilltop Coney Island – this was Kathy’s and my favorite place to stop for dinner on our Friday night drives up to Caseville.  At least it was until the pups came along!!
•  McDonald’s – our favorite place to stop to get a quick dinner to eat on the road when the kids were younger and going with us on our weekend escapes, and
• Moore’s Ice Cream – favorite place to stop for ice cream on our way home from Caseville when the kids were younger.

There were other places we would stop as well – a small family diner on the corner of Ellsworth and Van Dyke (M-53) which is now closed, the Subway at the Clark gas station, the Speedway gas station, and most recently, the Little Caesar’s across the railroad tracks from Moore’s Ice Cream.  But one place we had never stopped before, although we had passed it and seen it standing there hundreds of times before, was the historical marker at the Marlette District Library.

It was a 16-mile drive from the Village of Cash to the Marlette District Library.  As we headed west along Marlette Road, the late afternoon sun made it difficult to see.  The marker itself is located 2 blocks (730 feet) south of Marlette Road on the west side of Van Dyke (or Main Street or M-53 – take your choice).  The same sun that made it a difficult drive also made it very difficult to get good pics of the library seeing as we had to take shots in the direction of the sun.  Of the 23 images we took, 8 were either too dark or too washed out.  I found myself taking pics from odd angles, or from under tree branches or behind shrubs just to be able to counteract the effects of the sunshine.  Of course, that is not too bad of a problem to have.

The library was closed at this time, which was difficult for Sarah, being the book-worm she is.  She has never found a library or a bookstore that she did NOT want to walk into, so I know it was tugging at her heart not to be able to go in.  I can tell you that they are open Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 9 am to 5 pm, Tuesday and Thursday from 10:00 am to 6 pm, and Saturday from 10 am to 2 pm.  They are closed on Sunday.  I can also tell you that the collection of the library contains 20,142 volumes and it circulates 40,397 items per year. The library serves a population of 5,241 residents.

The historical marker is along M-53 just a few short feet off the road.  The sign explains that the idea for a library in Marlette came about in 1914 by women of the community who belonged to the Marlette Research Group.  The club contacted the Carnegie Corporation for a grant to build the library.  There were rules that had to be followed when applying for the grant, including raising funds for the maintenance of the library, which they did by instituting a quarter-mil tax. The grant was finally approved in 1918, and it wasn’t until 3 years later that construction began on the simple brick building.  According to the sign, the building has a “hipped roof and a portico of classical design.”  The library was the last in the Midwest to receive a Carnegie library grant and the second to the last to do so in the country.  The Marlette District Library is one of fifty-three Michigan libraries funded by the Carnegie Corporation.

As so often has been the case on our quest today, additional historical information about the building has been scarce.  I did find a source that explained a little bit of history behind the cannon that sits in the front of the library (see image below, lower right corner).  It has been a part of Marlette’s history since 1899 when it was brought to Marlette from Fort Monroe in Virginia.  It was obtained by the local post of the Grand Army of the Republic (G.A.R.).  Research of the markings and numerals on the cannon indicate that it was cast at the Tredegar Foundry in Charleston, SC, in 1859.  The 'US' on the top of the cannon indicates it was cast on order from the Government, probably for use in the Civil War.

Again, we spent a fair amount of time taking in the sunshine and walking about the grounds, which are beautifully manicured.  Kathy found the plaque commemorating the date of the library and identifying it as a Carnegie building (see image below, upper right).  It was nice to finally stop at a place we have seen so many times before, but it was time to head to our next destination, which was only a couple of blocks away.

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

Struck by Cupid's Arrow

Lexington Brewing Company and Wine House

Date Visited:  August 3, 2019

Stop:  #36

Our Michigan Wines and Signs quest, Eastern Thumb Loop, was gaining momentum – we had visited 7 historical markers in 3 hours.  Even with the extra stop at the roadside park after our visit to the White Rock School, we had actually picked up our pace (I guess officially, we had made 8 stops in 3 hours!!).  It was a few minutes after 1:00 pm and we were getting very hungry and very thirsty, so we were primed for our first wine stop of the day.  After we left the Great Storm of 1913 historical marker, we drove 9.5 miles south into Lexington.   What we didn’t know at the time was that the wine house we were going to visit was also the site of our next historical marker as well – two for the price of one!!!  This would really improve our average stops-per-hour rate and gave us a glimmer of hope that our original objectives for the day could be met.  Or would it?

As we entered Lexington, there seemed to be a lot of people in town.  It was challenging to find a spot to park, but we got lucky and found a space in the lot right next door to the Lexington Brewing Company and Wine House, our next stop on our quest.  This place is the wine tasting facility for the Blue Water Winery and Vineyard.  The winery itself is actually 8.1 miles north of the Wine House, located at 7131 Holverson Rd. in Carsonville.  The winery, as well as the Lexington Brewing Company and Wine House, are owned by Connie Currie and Steve Velloff.

Connie and Steve were high-tech software executives living and working in Chicago.  After a few years of research with wine industry experts from the University of California (Davis), they found 10 acres of land outside of Lexington, Michigan, that they felt was a perfect place to start a vineyard.  In 2005, they bought the land, quit their jobs, moved to Michigan, and set their dreams in motion.  The vineyard was started from scratch – they had to clear the land and then planted a wide variety of cold-climate varietals.  All their sweat and muscle has paid off nicely for them.  Since 2012, they have won several prestigious awards for their wines:

2012 Best of Class Gold LA International - Gruner Veltliner
2013 Gold Medal San Francisco International - Cab Franc
2014 Silver Medal San Francisco Chronicle - Pinot Noir
2015 Silver Medal Michigan Wine and Spirits - Cupids Arrow
2017 Bronze Medal San Francisco Chronicle - Riesling

Beginning in 2013, Connie and Steve began planting and growing hops for their brewery as well. 

Connie and Steve opened the Lexington Brewing Company and Wine House in 2009 in the former Old Lexington Town Hall and Masonic Temple building (more on this building in my next blog).  Connie is the winemaker and Steve is the brewmaster.  The Brewing Company and Wine House has an outdoor sitting area along the storefront.  The inside has an old-time atmosphere about it, with its brick walls and dark wood tables, chairs, and bar.  On this particular day, the place was packed and we had to wait a few minutes for a table to clear before we could be seated.  We were fortunate to get a booth along the brick wall so we had a great view of the whole place.  It was tempting to pick a beer off the blackboard beer menu hanging on the back wall, but we were on a wine quest, so the beer would have to wait for another day.  Our waitress was very nice, but was being kept very busy by the large crowd.  That gave us plenty of time to figure out what we were going to eat, and what wines we were going to drink.

The menu was rather simple – two different flatbread pizzas, 7 “Small Bite” selections (like chips and salsa, warm bread and dipping oil, and Jeff’s Brat and Kraut), and 4 different shareable platters (i.e. charcuterie board, fruit and cheese board, etc.).  We decided on the Chips and Salsa, and the Cheese and Pepperoni Flatbread pizza.  Next, it was deciding on what wines to try.  You can order by the glass ($5 to $7 per glass), by the bottle ($15 to $24 per bottle), or by the flight (four 2.5-oz. pours for $10).  It goes without saying that we all decided to go with a flight.  On this day, we got to choose from a list of 4 white wines, 10 red wines, and one dessert wine.  So, here is the lineup that each of us got:

Sarah: 

•  Blond Bombshell (Dry fruity, and floral white wine)
• When in Rome Red (Dry, full body, mineral, long finish, medium tannins)
• Marquette ’18 (Dry, big flavor and tannins red wine) 
• Cupid’s Arrow (port infused with chocolate and raspberry)

Kathy:

• Cab Franc ’15 (dry, hint of raspberry and spice, earthy red wine)
• Chambourcin ’16 (dry, medium body, cherry overtones, low in tannins, red wine)
•  Cherry (a bit on the tart side)
• Cupid’s Arrow

John:

• Semi-Dry Riesling (apples and pears overtones)
• Sweet Pinup Red (round and sweet)
• Concord (flora and fruity)
• Cupid’s Arrow

So, the flatbread pizza was awesome – we only got one pizza to split amongst the three of us, and we should have definitely gotten at least two.  All of the wines were pleasant, but we definitely had our favorites.  Sarah liked the Marquette, and she walked out with a bottle of that.  We all liked the Cherry, so that was another two bottles.  And I really enjoyed the Sweet Pinup Red, but I restrained myself and chose not to get a bottle.  But there was one wine we all raved about, and that was Cupid’s Arrow, the dessert wine.  We were trying to decide how many of those we were going to buy when our waitress wandered by and mentioned that all bottles of wine would be 50% off on the Thursday coming up.  I could hear the gears churning in Kathy’s head, so before she could even suggest it, I resolved in my mind that I would be roadtripping to Lexington on Thursday afternoon. 

And sure enough, that is exactly what I did.  Kathy and Sarah were going to attend a wine conference in Lansing that Thursday night and then meet me in Caseville for the first weekend of Cheeseburger in Paradise.  I, on the other hand, was to drive to Caseville Thursday night by way of Lexington (only an hour out of the way) with our two pups in tow and pick up eight bottles of Cupid’s Arrows at half price.  I walked into the Brewery and Wine House just a little after 7:00 pm and walked straight up to the bar.  I told the bartender I wanted to buy 8 bottles of Cupid’s Arrow and she got someone to retrieve the bottles for me.  While I was waiting, I mentioned that one of the bottles of wine was going to make its way to the Czech Republic (a gift for Sarah’s future in-laws), and the bartender says “OMG” and then tells me that her best friend’s grandmother was from the Czech Republic and that they went to visit the country just recently to trace her escape from Communist controlled Czechoslovakia to the States.  In honor of that friendship, the brewery made a Czech Pilsner, so I had to at least sample it.  Turns out it was outstanding, so I bought a growler of it with the intent of drinking it with Sarah’s fiancée, Martin, when he came into town.  So, that was a pleasant surprise and definitely added to the value of driving an hour out of the way to get to Caseville.

Overall, our visit to the Lexington Brewing Company and Wine House was very enjoyable.  The food was good, the wine was great, the service was really good, and we all loved the atmosphere.  I especially enjoyed that fact that we were eating and drinking in an historical building.  Looking at my watch, I was surprised to see that it was 3:00 pm so it was time to go outside and read the historical marker about the building we just spent an hour and a half in!!!  It was also looking like our goals for the day would not be met seeing as it took 2 hours to cover the last two stops.

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

The Oldest Methodist Church Building in Oakland County

Commerce United Methodist Congregation

Date Visited:  August 24, 2019

Stop:  #46

It had been 21 days since our last Wines and Signs Adventure.  It was hard to believe that 3 weeks had passed so quickly, but we had two very busy weekends up in Caseville enjoying the Cheeseburger in Caseville Festival, so this was our first weekend home in over a month.  And the reason we were home was to go to a birthday party for the first grandchild of one of our closest friends.  So many memories flooded back as the day approached given that we have known the mother (our friends’ daughter) since the day she was born.  The party was being hosted by her in-laws, who lived in Commerce Township, so seeing as we very rarely have the opportunity to visit that part of town, I thought it would be a great opportunity to visit some historical markers and wineries in the area.  So, the night before the party, I mapped out the possibilities, and was disappointed to learn that, although historical markers were abundant in the area, there were no wineries around.  Fortunately, Kathy was still willing to visit a few markers, so I mapped out the ones that were closest to where the party was located.

The party was in the early afternoon, and we had a very nice time there.  The food was great (lots of finger foods, Jet’s pizza, and antipasto), and we not only got to hang with our good friends, but we also met so many nice people.  The party began to break up after the gifts were opened, and looking at my watch, noted that it was about 4:30.  There would be plenty of sunshine left to visit several historical markers, so saying our “good-byes,” we headed out to our first destination, the Commerce United Methodist Congregation historical marker located at the Commerce United Methodist Church.

We drove north and west to the site that our gold source coordinates indicated, and as has been the case several times already, we could not find the church, let alone the historical marker.  We drove up and down the road a couple of times, thinking that the sign may be located in an area where there is no actual church anymore.  But all we saw were private residences.  We drove down a residential street thinking maybe we would see something beyond somebody’s backyard, but we saw nothing.  We drove into the Detroit Medical Center Huron Valley-Sinai Hospital campus, hoping that the hospital may have replaced the church but still commemorated it with an historical marker, but again, we could not locate it.  So, we turned to modern technology to give us some help – our cell phones.  Of course, we could not get a good connection, so accessing our map apps and Google became a challenge.  Finally, we got a signal strong enough to find out that the actual location of the marker was over 0.6 miles away on a totally different road than the one we were on.  We finally arrived at the marker a few minutes before 5:00 pm, located on the west side of North Commerce Road, about 0.3 miles north of Commerce Road. 

The church is hard to miss – it is massive.  Its most prominent feature is its towering steeple, which is a replica of the original one.  In fact, this is not even the original location of the church – the original location was at the northwest corner of Commercial and Ponderosa Streets, about 0.4 miles southeast of its current location.  This modest, Greek Revival frame church was constructed in 1842.  The historical marker states that logs for the church, which included oak for the frame, were hauled over 40 miles to Lapeer to be sawed.  The land for the church had been purchased in 1841 for $75, and the total cost for the church was $1,200.

The original structure was moved to its current location in 1957.  At that time, it was enlarged.  The old church became the main chapel for the new location, and is recognized as the oldest Methodist church building in Oakland County and one of the oldest in the state of Michigan.  The church has gone through extensive renovations to get to its current appearance. 

The second side of the historical marker provides the history around Methodism in the Commerce area.  A Methodist Episcopal class, which later became a church society, was organized in Commerce in 1838.  For many years, it was part of the Farmington Circuit and the Reverend Daniel C. Jacokes was the church's first circuit minister.  Religious meetings were held in a schoolhouse until the society erected its first church in 1842.  Commerce, with its seventy-one members, became the head of the circuit in 1854.  The congregation organized a Sunday School in 1855 and an Epworth League (a Methodist young adult association for people aged 18 to 35) in 1891.  The Ladies Aid Society, organized in 1885, hosted maple sugar and lawn socials to supplement its dues of five cents a month.  By 1915, the local Presbyterian and Baptist congregations had disbanded, leaving the Methodist society as the sole church in Commerce.  Today, the church holds two services each Sunday (9 am for a Traditional style worship with songs from the UMC Hymnal and traditional organ music, and at 11 am for a Contemporary worship featuring a Praise Band).  The church is available to rent for weddings or as a service venue with a maximum seating capacity of 85 people.

We spent less than 10 minutes here, finding it hard to get good quality pictures looking into a blinding late afternoon sun.  Both Kathy and I had to position ourselves with the sun hidden by the steeple or by the tall pine trees growing in front in order to get any pictures at all.  So, unfortunately, our pics do not do justice to the beauty of this building.

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

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

The Middle of No Where

St. Mary of Czestochowa Roman Catholic Church

Date Visited:  August 3, 2019

Stop:  #29

Kathy, Sarah, and I had been mulling over the possibility of another quest when the opportunity presented itself.  We were going to spend a weekend in Caseville and the weather was supposed to be perfect. It seemed like the perfect time to set out on our next adventure.  I put together a plan that would basically take us on a loop of the eastern half of the Thumb, from Kinde, Michigan, to the eastern shoreline, down to Lexington, and then across to Marlette and back to Caseville.  If everything went to plan, we would hit 17 historical markers and 5 wineries. This was an extremely aggressive endeavor, and realistically, probably not possible, but we set out early in the morning under cloudless skies feeling like anything seemed possible.

Our first stop was a church – St. Mary of Czestochowa Roman Catholic Church.  We headed east on M-25 to Port Crescent Road, making our way to M-53. From there we headed south to Stoddard, where we headed east again until we got to Hellems Road.  We traveled south again for 3 miles until we got to Moeller Road, made a left and drove 0.43 miles to the marker. It was not difficult to find the church. As we made our way east and south through the Thumb, the landscape seemed to be as flat as the eye could see with nothing but farmlands in any direction.  Then, out of nowhere, there was this massive structure, with several smaller buildings clustered about, dominating the landscape.

St. Mary's Church is located 3 miles northeast of Kinde, Michigan in what is called Dwight Township.  Dwight Township is a civil township of Huron County comprising an area of 35.74 square miles and a population of 715 (as of 2017).  This area was heavily settled by Polish refugees who immigrated here in the 1840’s from Prussia. Many of the refugees were of Catholic faith and worshiped at St. Michael’s Catholic Church in Port Austin.  In 1903, in an effort to hang onto their Polish customs and traditions, these immigrants created their own parish and built St. Mary’s Church, named after the Queen of Poland. The original church was constructed of wood and was built by the parishioners on land purchased by Frank and Rose Koroleski.  

Tragically, the original wood frame church burned to the ground on May 29, 1932, which was also the day that the Catholic Church celebrated the Feast of Corpus Christi.  Fr. Henry Podsiad directed the building of the new church, which was dedicated on May 28, 1933. It was built in the Polish Romanesque style and was constructed of brick and cobblestone.  The church is known for the interior beauty of its murals on the ceilings, as well as other outstanding decor of the church. On December 8th, 1982 the parish of St. Mary of Czestochowa and the parish of St. Edward the Confessor merged into one parish.  On July 1, 2013 the parish of St. Michael of Port Austin joined St. Mary of Czestochowa and St. Edward the Confessor and merged into one parish known as the Annunciation of the Lord Parish.

We tried to go inside the church and see the beautiful murals, but unfortunately the front doors were locked.  We wandered about the grounds for a bit taking pictures and soaking in the sunshine, and Sarah even explored the cemetery which is located to the east of the church.  The historical marker describes much of the early history of the church (as outlined above), but the unique feature about this sign is that the backside is all written in Polish.  Just beyond the marker, surrounded by a cove of trees and shrubs, is a beautiful statue of the Virgin Mary and baby Jesus. It was such a beautiful and serene place smack dab in the middle of nowhere.

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

A Retrospective – Our First Fifty

We started our Michigan Wines and Signs Quest on June 2, 2019.  On August 24, 2019 (84 days later) we visited the 50^th site on our quest to visit every Michigan Historical Marker and every Michigan Winery and Tasting Room.  We did not know what to expect when we set out on that day back in June, but what we have found out since is that it has been more interesting and fun than we expected.  We have met so many interesting and wonderful people.  We have encountered obstacles along the way – signs not located where they were supposed to be, signs missing altogether – and we have tasted some remarkable wines.  To celebrate our first 50, I thought I would provide some facts/stats/opinions about what we have seen so far.

The breakdown of the sites we have visited looks like this:

• 9 wineries/tasting rooms
• 41 historical markers
• 12 historical buildings
• 10 churches
• 5 cemeteries
• 4 Points of Interest
• 2 historical towns
• 2 schools
• 1 golf course
• 1 historic city block
• 1 historic monument
• 1 historic storm site
• 1 library
• 1 missing sign

Our longest quest was one we embarked on back on August 3, 2019.  We visited 15 historical markers and 2 wineries over a span of 9 ½ hours and covered 164.7 miles.

We have been as far north as Caseville, as far east as Lexington, as far south as Commerce Township, and as far west as Hartland, and a whole lot of places in between.

Total miles covered during our first 50 sites – 428.4 miles.

Most Pleasant Surprises: 

• Sage Creek Winery.  We had never heard of Memphis, Michigan, but we sure know it now, thanks to Sage Creek Winery.  What a great place.  A diamond in the rough.  Great wine, great selection, cool atmosphere.
• Hoffman Farms Winery.  A winery located on an historic horse farm.  The wines and ciders were awesome, the hospitality was wonderful, and we met some really interesting people.
• 3 North Vines Winery.  We could have sat there all day – perfect weather, sitting under a tree overlooking the vineyard, and drinking incredible wine, with the most friendly staff taking unbelievable care of us (and everyone else).
• Unwined Winery.  Located in the most unusual place (a strip mall in a large city), but with the most interesting owners regaling us with their story all the while drinking from a large selection of wines that just happened to be excellent.  Their ports are to die for.

Biggest Disappointments:

• Any historical marker that had nothing to show for it!! (The Thing, The Village of Cash)
• The missing historical marker at Byers Homestead
• Spicer Orchards Winery.  Understaffed, long waits in between pours, curious pay-before-you-get policy – chalking it up to a bad day, so will revisit, but we had high expectations and they were truly not met.
• Improperly documented coordinates for many historical markers, most notably the Old Prospect Hill Cemetery and Commerce United Methodist Congregation.

The Most Fun Historical Places We Visited:

• Dibbleville.  Timing is everything.  We were there during Fenton’s annual River Fest, with music wafting in the air from across the street.  And a live volcano just across the parking lot!
• Loop-Harrison House.  Again, timing is everything.  We just happened to stop the same weekend as their annual Civil War Festival.  It’s like walking around a mini-Greenfield village!
• Old Town Hall and Masonic Temple in Lexington.  Let’s see – an awesome winery, and a brewery, and a restaurant, all inside an historic building with lots of character.  It was like hitting the lottery!
• HONORABLE MENTION:  Byers Homestead.  Although the historical marker no longer exists on this site, it was a lot of fun walking the grounds and soaking in the history.

Special Moments:

• Crawford Settlement Burying Ground.  Our very first stop on our quest.
• Watching the sunset over Saginaw Bay with our son, David, after visiting the Methodist Episcopal Church marker in Caseville.
• Our marathon tour of the eastern part of the Michigan Thumb with our daughter, Sarah.
• The Stoney Creek and Rochester tour with both David and Sarah joining us.
• Exploring Mill Race Park with Kathy after visiting the Commerce Roller Mill historical marker.

Our next 50 promises to be more exciting and adventurous as we start to expand further out from our home base, and we have a big trip to the Petoskey and Traverse City regions where we visited 30 or so wineries.  If you’re into wine more that history, then the next 50 will be more up your alley.  But, history buffs, do not lament, because there are still plenty of historical markers to whet your whistle.

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

Deja-vu

Trinity Church

Date Visited:  August 3, 2019

Stop:  #40

Our Michigan Wines and Signs quest, Eastern Thumb Loop, was progressing just fine, but after nearly an hour and a half at the 3 North Vines Winery, we had little chance left of hitting all the targets on our list for the day.  We had decided we would continue heading west until we got to Marlette, and then head back to Caseville from there.  But there were still six historical markers to see on our way to Marlette.  As we pulled out of the winery, we continued driving west on Peck Road (M-90) towards Croswell, the city that is home to our next historical marker.  We were in search of Trinity Church.  Yes, you read that right and No, this was not deja-vu.  We were actually going to another church called Trinity Church. 

We drove 1.37 miles to Croswell Rd., turned right, and headed north.  We drove a mile to Harrington Road and made a left-hand turn, now heading east again until we got to Howard Street (about a half mile).  At this point, the coordinates on our map instructed us to turn right and head north on Howard St.  Unfortunately, there were nothing but houses where the coordinates said a church should be.  Foiled by incorrect coordinates again.  We turned around and headed south and eventually found what we were looking for – about 800 feet south of Harrington Rd. (or 0.85 miles north of Peck Rd.) on the east side of Howard St.

I have looked all over for any history about this church, but I have not been able to find anything other than what is written on the historical marker.  Even the person who wrote the history of Trinity Church in Lexington stated in her opening paragraph “It is the writer's fond hope that someone who has been associated with the former Croswell parish will undertake the writing of a suitable history.”  She could not find any history either.

The sign explains that the church was built in 1898 and was originally called Christ Church.  It replaced the county’s first Episcopal church building which was erected nearby in 1870.  The new building was known for its unique cobblestone construction, and its interior features wooden arches and a rood screen between the nave and the chancel.  Over time, the Church became the Croswell chapel of the Trinity Episcopal Church and today it is the home of the Croswell Swinging Bridge Community Center.

So, with nothing more about this historical building to write about, I will provide a short history of Croswell instead!  Currently a city of 2,288 (as of 2017), it was first settled in 1845 and was known as Black River, the name of the river on whose banks the settlement first sprung.  Like most settlements in this area, lumber was the main industry, and the first sawmill was built in 1845 by Ephraim Pierce.  The settlement continued to grow, and its first schoolhouse was built in 1851.  Later, the settlement was renamed Davisville, named after Randall E. Davis, the settlement’s first Postmaster (appointed in 1857) and Ephraim Pierce’s partner in the sawmill.  In 1877 the settlement was renamed Croswell, in honor of Governor Charles Croswell (1877-1878). Croswell was incorporated as a village 1881 and it became a city in 1905.

The fire of 1881 destroyed all the natural resources that accounted for Croswell’s lumber industry.  The area stayed relevant by turning to farming.  The community developed their own water plant in 1895 and their own electric plant in 1896. The sugar beet industry was secured with the completion of the sugar plant in 1902.  Today, Pioneer Sugar is the biggest employer in Croswell.

The city is best known for 2 major landmarks and one major event.  The first landmark is the Croswell Theatre, built in 1883 and still in operation today.  It is known for being the oldest theater in Michigan and one of the oldest continuously operating theaters in the United States.  To read about the very interesting history of this building, please click on this link:  https://croswell.org/history.  The second landmark is the "Be Good to Your Mother-In-Law" footbridge, which runs across the Black River. The cable and wood plank suspension bridge is known locally as the "Swinging Bridge" and is the setting of the annual Swinging Bridge Festival held the second weekend of August and features cardboard boat races down the Black River.  The bridge was built in 1905 and it spans 139 feet.  Finally, the most famous event is the Croswell Agricultural Society Fair (est. 1884), one of the oldest fairs in Michigan and held each summer at the Croswell Fairgrounds.

So that wraps up our visit to Croswell and to Trinity Church.  Like the history of the church, our visit was short and sweet.  It was time to visit yet another church, so find out which one in my next blog.

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