Houses – Pure Saginaw

The Oldest House in Saginaw

Posted on April 7, 2020 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Houses

The oldest house in Saginaw is the Cushway house. It stands across the street from the YMCA. It originally stood near the corner of Court and Hamilton when it was first built in 1844. Territorial Governor Lewis Cass appointed Benjamin official blacksmith to the Chippewa Indians at the Saginaw Indian Agency. Benjamin Cushway served in that capacity until 1866 and was highly popular with the Indians, due to his standing up for them, and for his ability to tell stories in their own languages. In 1844 the Cushways built their home on the site of what was once Fort Saginaw. I am sure this old house has seen a lot of good times and bad but it has managed to survive.

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The Blue Carriage House

Posted on February 10, 2020 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Houses

This beautiful blue house that sits on Fayette Street was the carriage house for the Davis Mansion that sat on Michigan Avenue.

The House was turned into the Saginaw Osteopathic Hospital and eventually raized for the hospital building that stands there today.

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The Cat Lady’s House

Posted on November 13, 2019 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Houses

It has been a while since I took a photo of Rosemary’s house or for many long-time residents of Saginaw, it’s known as “the cat lady’s house” I took some photos of it about 7 years ago shortly after the city purchased it before the windows were covered up with boards. After being threatened with demolition a few times it is nice to see the boards are gone and the house is being transformed back into the historical landmark it is. You can follow the restoration on their facebook page HERE

Reminder: I will be at Zauel Library on Tuesday, November 19th at 7:00 giving a presentation on why I started Pure Saginaw and Lost In Michigan. I will also be sharing some of my photos and stories. I hope you can join me next week

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The Hill House

Posted on October 19, 2019 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Houses

I have taken a lot of photos of the Hill House on Jefferson Ave over the years. I drove past it the other day and it looked nice in the autumn sunshine so I figured why not one more photo.

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The Two Houses on M-46

Posted on February 4, 2019 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Houses, People

As thousands of cars and trucks zoom down M-46 aka Gratiot Road, I wonder how many people notice the two somewhat ordinary houses between Sandra Court and Larch Street. A green Michigan historical marker stands in front declaring their significance, but it is almost impossible to stop and read it on such a busy road. In case you have never read it the sign reads.

Distinguished poet Theodore Roethke (1908 – 1963) was born in Saginaw and grew up in this house. The house was built around 1911 for his parents, Otto and Helen Roethke. Otto’s brother Carl lived in the adjacent fieldstone house. Together, the brothers managed the William Roethke Floral Company, founded in 1880 by their father, Wilhelm Roethke, a Prussian immigrant. The company’s extensive greenhouses once stood on the land behind these two houses. Theodore worked in the greenhouses with his father and his experiences inspired many of his poems Roethke attended local schools and the University of Michigan, obtaining a masters degree in literature in 1936, and he taught at universities throughout the country.

Theodore Roethke (1908 – 1963) wrote of his poetry: The greenhouse “is my symbol for the whole of life, a womb, a heaven-on-earth.” Roethke drew inspiration from his childhood experiences of working in his family’s Saginaw floral company. Beginning in 1941 with Open House, the distinguished poet and teacher published extensively, receiving a Pulitzer Prize for poetry and two National Book Awards among an array of honors. In 1959 Yale University awarded him the prestigious Bollingen Prize. Roethke taught at Michigan State College, (present-day Michigan State University) and at colleges in Pennsylvania and Vermont, before joining the faculty of the University of Washington at Seattle in 1947. Roethke died in Washington in 1963. His remains are interred in Saginaw’s Oakwood Cemetery.

I recently read that Theodore’s uncle’s house has problems with the roof and foundation and the organization that maintains the two houses is considering demolishing it. Unfortunately, I do not have the money to do the repairs, but I hope money can be found to save the home. You can read more about what is happening with the old house in an article by Review Magazine HERE

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The Montague Inn

Posted on January 10, 2019 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Houses

Its been a cold and dreary winter with little snow so I thought I would post this pic of the Montague Inn from a few years ago. Here is some history I found out about the grand estate on their website.

The mansion was built in 1929 for Mr. Robert Montague and his wife Edwina. They had two children, Mary Sage and Robert. The property is nestled among eight acres and borders on Lake Linton, the mansion consists of over 12,000 square feet and cost $125.000 to build during the great depression. It was an enormous undertaking for the time and employed hundreds of local tradesmen for over two years.

Mr. and Mrs. Montague were from Caro. Mr. Montague was a local businessman who made his fortune by devising a formula from a common sugar beet by product to make hand cream and soaps. After his death in the early 1950’s the family sold the business to the Andrew Jergen’s Company.

The home was always well maintained. Mrs. Montague was known to take in the injured World War 11 soldiers coming in from the Potter street station and bandage and care for them until they were well enough to travel. Since the Red Cross had a strict limit on bandages during the war; she had to sneak the injured into the house and draw the curtains. The secret rooms in the library were used to harbor valuables and liquor during prohibition and for an emergency escape route.

If you like history and traveling Michigan I am doing a book giveaway on my lost In Michigan website. if you want a chance to win a copy of Lost In Michigan CLICK HERE to learn how you can enter

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The Snow Covered Hill House

Posted on November 17, 2018 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Houses

I went out for a drive to enjoy the fresh snow and although I have a lot of photos of the Hill House I had to stop and take another pic.

I am doing a book giveaway on my Lost In Michigan Facebook page. you can enter for your chance to win HERE

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The Brownstones in Old Town

Posted on January 24, 2017 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Houses, old town

I was driving around in the fog the other night and I came across the new Brownstones Condominiums on Hamilton Street in Old Town and had to stop and get a pic. I wish I had taken a pic of the old Jackson Church steering gear factory before it burned down to compare too. It’s nice to see this beautiful new construction on that lot that was empty for so many years.

I still have a few BEANS t-shirts left, If you want one while they are on sale you can order them HERE

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The Majestic Caskey Home

Posted on November 25, 2016 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Houses, Saginaw History

In 500 block of South Jefferson, are two beautiful old Queen Ann style homes, one is the well known Hill House that Lumber Baron C.M. Hill built, but the other house was built by Hill’s business partner J.C. Caskey and his wife Jennie Caskey. Built in 1886, Caskey purchased the lot for $6000 and built the house for $10,000. at one time there were houses between Caskey and Hill house, but like several other Saginaw homes, they are gone now. Caskey’s wealth was short lived and he sold the house a few years later after constructing it and moved his family to the west coast.

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The Wolfarth House in Autumn

Posted on November 10, 2016 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Autumn, Houses

I was in the neighborhood, and the Wolfarth house was looking spectacular in the Autumn sunshine, so I had to stop and get a pic of it. I think its one of the most beautiful houses in Saginaw, and I love the dark color scheme. if you wanna know more about the house you can follow their Facebook page HERE

I finally got more Pure Saginaw shirts back in stock and they are on SALE, if you want one before they are gone again you can order them HERE

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