Miscellaneous Musings

Emmett Till ~ July 25, 1941 - August 28, 1955

2026-07-01T11:23:37.224-07:00

Fourteen year old Emmett was brutally murdered and mutilated on August 28 by white supremacists Roy Bryant and J.W. Milam in Drew, Mississippi. His body was dumped into the Tallahatchie River and was found three days later with a cotton gin tied around his neck. Roy Bryant's wife, Carolyn, alleged Emmett had touched or flirted with her when he stopped in the Bryant's store. Roy and J.W. then kidnapped him from Emmett's grandfather's house where he was staying and committed this horrendous crime. An all white jury later acquitted the men. These two then later admitted to the crime in a paid interview with Look magazine. They were never punished.

Carolyn recanted her testimony in 2017 and then denied she had done so. J.W. died in 1981, Roy in 1994, and Carolyn in 2023.

The Chicago History Museum had a small Emmett Till exhibit last year.

Medgar Evers was a pivotal figure in the investigation of Emmett's murder and a crucial voice in publicizing the murder and calling for justice. Evers was a Civil Rights Activist and NAACP's first field secretary in Mississippi. As an attorney, the Till murder was his first case. He was later assassinated in his driveway by KKK member, Byron De La Beckwith. After two earlier trials, Beckwith was finally convicted of murder in 1994 and died in prison in 2001. Justice arrived for Evers but never did for Emmett Till.

Emmett's mother insisted on a open casket at the funeral so people could see her son's mutilated body. That horrid sight helped galvanize the Civil Rights Movement.

Emmett is buried in Burr Oak Cemetery in Alsip, Illinois, and we stopped to pay our respects in June, 2026.

Medgar Evers is buried in Arlington National Cemetery and we found his gravesite in October, 2024.

In 2023, President Joe Biden signed legislation commissioning three Till sites as a National Monument.

Rest in Peace, Emmett Till and Medgar Evers 💔

James Lovell ~ March 25, 1928 - August 7, 2025

2025-08-10T16:09:00.000-07:00

One of my all time favorite astronauts died at age 97 on August 7, 2025. He was part of the "New Nine" and was the last of them to pass away.

Lovell flew two Gemini missions (7 and 12) and two Apollo missions (8 and 13). He may be most remembered for the Apollo 13 flight but Apollo 8 was an incredible mission. It was the first crewed mission to orbit the moon and Lovell, Borman, and Anders took this flight with great risk and many unknowns. They were the first to see the dark side of the moon and returned safely to talk about it. The famous "Earthrise" photo was taken by Anders on this flight. Apollo 11 pushed Apollo 8 out of the limelight but it was a historic mission in so many ways. You can read about all of his missions elsewhere, however.

Lovell is one of three astronauts who flew to the moon twice (Young and Cernan were the others) but he is the only one of the three who didn't get to walk on the moon.

We never got to meet Jim Lovell but have met his spacecraft 😊

Gemini VII is held in the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum in Washington D.C.

Gemini XII is displayed in the Adler Planetarium in Chicago, Illinois.

The Apollo 8 capsule is housed in the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago.

The famous Apollo 13 capsule is in the Cosmosphere Museum in Hutchinson, Kansas. It was difficult to get good photos of it with so much glass and so many reflections but we were still thrilled to see it.

Mission Control for the Apollo missions was located at the Johnson Space Center in Houston. We took a tour in 2024.

Here are a few Lovell items we found in the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

I have one Jim Lovell book which I treasure.

And "Earthrise" has been hanging in my office for many years.

RIP Captain Lovell. You were one of the best 💗

Ernest Miller Hemingway, July 21, 1899 - July 2, 1961

2025-07-17T17:51:00.000-07:00

"The world breaks everyone and afterward many are strong in the broken places."

Hemingway sites visited:

His birthplace in Oak Park, Illinois.

Ernest lived with his family lived at 600 N. Kenilworth in Oak Park from 1906-1920.

Kalkaska, Michigan.

The General Store and Red Fox Inn in Horton Bay, Michigan, are full of Hemingway memorabilia. The General Store was recently remodeled and the second floor was turned into a rental space.

Petoskey, Michigan.

The Pere Marquette Railroad Station is a little iffy but here it is.

Hemingway stayed at the Perry Hotel in 1916.

City Park Grill was known as The Annex when Hemingway hung out there as a young man.

Jesperson's restaurant is an alleged Hemingway hangout.

A nearby statue.

Ernest married his first wife, Hadley Richardson, in Horton Bay in 1921 and they honeymooned at Windemere Cottage on Walloon Lake, the Hemingway family cottage. Ernest never returned to Michigan after that but Michigan continues to make the most of the time he did spend here. Here's the cottage on Walloon Lake, which is still owned by family members.

After their honeymoon, Ernest and Hadley lived in this 4th floor apartment at 1239 N. Dearborn in Chicago on 1921. They shortly afterward (about 3 months later) moved to Paris.

Ernest and his second wife, Pauline Pfeiffer, first stayed in Key West at the Trev-Mar Hotel in 1928 where he wrote "Farewell to Arms" from his second story room.

Ernest and Pauline lived in this house in Key West, Florida 1931-1939 and tours are provided of the home.

The famous six-toed cats still roam the place.

Ernest's study was my favorite part of the tour.

The current Captain Tony's Saloon location was where the original Sloppy Joe's was (1933-1937), 428 Greene Street. In 1938 Sloppy Joe's moved to Duval Street and the Greene Street location is now the less famous and much smaller Captain Tony's Saloon.

Hemingway probably spent more time at the first location but the second location is where everyone goes, including us.

Joe Russell owned Sloppy Joe's and was a fishing buddy of Ernest. We found his grave in the Key West cemetery.

We visited the JFK Museum in Boston in 2025 and found a small Hemingway exhibit.

I'm glad JFK was a fan of Hemingway's writing because I sure am.

There are plenty of books written about him by relatives and others, many obviously slanted and not objective but judge for yourself 😊

Marriages:

Hadley Richardson 1921-1927, one son, Jack (father of Margaux, Mariel, Joan)

Pauline Pfeiffer 1927-1940, two sons, Patrick (one wife, one child) and Gregory/Gloria (4 wives, many children)

Martha Gellhorn 1940-1945

Mary Welsh 1946-1961, until his death by suicide.

RIP Ernest Hemingway.

"All you have to do is write one true sentence. Write the truest sentence that you know."

Stanley Ketchel ~ September 14, 1886 - October 15, 1910

2025-05-30T15:44:00.000-07:00

Stanley Ketchel was born Stanislaw Kiecal in Grand Rapids, Michigan, to Polish immigrants and became a middleweight boxing world champion. But before that, he was a teenage runaway, worked as a bouncer in Butte Montana, and started boxing in backroom matches. In 1903, he began boxing professionally, at age 16. He famously fought Jack Johnson and in 1910 he fought his last six fights. Stanley was recovering from those fights on a friend's farm in Missouri when he was robbed and murdered by a ranch hand. Read about his short and tragic life story in this well-written book.

Grand Rapids remembers him with a sculpture by Ann Hirsch (erected in 2015) on Bridge Street, part of the Community Legends Project.

The now defunct Rocky's Bar had this hanging on a wall.

Stanley's funeral was the largest in Grand Rapids until Gerald Ford's in 2007. He is buried with members of his family in Holy Cross Cemetery in Grand Rapids. When we first visited the grave some years ago, boxing gloves were hanging on the headstone and the base was clearly crumbling.

Today we visited and found a repaired grave site and members of Stanley's family nearby.

His father and mother:

His brothers, John and Alexander, and Alexander's wife, Ethel.

His brother, Leon, appears to have died in World War II in 1942 but details are scant.

Someone laid flowers on the grave of the "The Michigan Assassin" and boxers who come to town continue to pay their respects. RIP Stanley, the first middleweight champion to regain the world title after losing it. He packed a lot of living into his short life.

NASA Day of Remembrance ~ January 23, 2025

2025-01-20T11:49:00.000-08:00

Each year on the 4th Thursday in January, NASA remembers the crew who perished in the Apollo 1 fire (1967), and the space shuttle crews who died, Challenger in 1986 and Columbia in 2003.

This is the Space Mirror Memorial at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida from one of our earlier visits.

The names of the Apollo 1 astronauts.

Grissom and Chaffee are buried in Arlington National Cemetery (White is at Westpoint) and we paid our respects at their graves last year.

Martin Luther King, Jr. ~ January 15, 1929 - April 4, 1968

2025-01-18T17:34:00.000-08:00

"We shall overcome because the arc of the moral universe is long but it bends toward justice."

Martin Luther King, Jr. sites visited:

The Lorraine Motel where MLK was assassinated is now the National Civil Rights Museum, 450 Mulberry Street in Memphis. We visited in 2016. The museum makes you relive the tragedy of 1968 but also honors the brave and courageous, short life that Martin Luther King, Jr., lived.

The boarding house from which James Earl Ray fired the fatal shot was made part of the museum.

For more of his history, this is an excellent book based on Martin's writings.

The sister cities of Benton Harbor and St. Joseph in Michigan each have a sculpture memorial. "A Seat at the Table" is in Dwight P. Michell City Center Park, 127 Pipestone Street in Benton Harbor. Both were erected in 2024 as part of the Unified Civic Monuments Project.

"The Mountaintop" can be found in Margaret B. Upton Arboretum, 601 Water Street, St. Joseph.

We found a tribute to Martin in the Empire State Plaza Concourse on the way to the New York State Capitol building in Albany.

This photo is located in the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum in Hyde Park, New York.

The Chicago History Museum in Chicago had this small tribute in 2025.

MLK was arrested and jailed in Albany, Georgia on December 16, 1961. He was held in a jail in Americus, Georgia, and the Visitor Center has the jail cell door on display.

Georgia State Capitol in Atlanta honors Martin with a painting and a statue.

In 2024, we visited Washington D.C. and walked to the Martin Luther King, Jr, Memorial in West Potomac Park. Completed in 2011, it stands 30 feet tall and is inscribed "Out of the mountain of despair, a stone of hope."

Views from across the bay.

In May, 2026, we toured the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute in Alabama and these are the MLK photos and artifacts we saw which includes the Birmingham jail cell where he wrote his famous "Letter from a Birmingham Jail."

We also toured Montgomery, Alabama. This is the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church where MLK served as pastor from 1954-1960. This is also where the Montgomery bus boycott was organized on December 2, 1955.

This is the Ministers' Home for the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church. Martin lived here while pastoring this church. On January 31, 1956, someone bombed the house, damaging part of it although no one was hurt.

At the Alabama State Capitol, markers note the famous Civil Rights march from Selma to Montgomery.

The Rosa Parks Museum (252 Montgomery St) has a few MLK and bus boycott things.

St. Augustine, Florida, has the "honor" of being the location of the motel whose manager dumped acid into the motel pool when African-Americans took a swim. The Accord Museum (79 Bridge St.) has the old motel sign and other civil rights artifacts.

The motel was demolished but the motel steps where MLK was arrested were preserved. He was arrested for trespassing by trying to eat at the motel whites-only restaurant. The steps can be found on the grounds of the Hilton.

His fingerprints and jail photo can be found in the Accord Museum.

The jail in which he was held is noted by a historic marker.

There was also a Woolworth lunch counter sit-in in St. Augustine and the museum has one of the stools and the Woolworth sign.

This little museum has limited hours but is well worth a visit.

Across the street is a historic home where MLK stayed.

In March of 2026, we visited the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Park. The Visitor Center was closed for a remodel so we missed a lot.

I got photos of Ghandi through the fence.

A temporary visitor center was set up in the old Fire Station No. 6 and had a few things on display.

Part of the International Civil Rights Walk of Fame was accessible.

MLK's birth home was just down the street from the Fire Station and was closed for restoration.

Freedom Hall had a few small exhibits and a gift shop.

The historic Ebenezer Baptist Church is where MLK Jr. was baptized, co-pastored with his father, and it was the location of his funeral on April 9, 1968.

The cart that carried MLK Jr's coffin is held in the basement of the church.

In 1999, a new church was built across the street and its current pastor is Reverend Raphael Warnock, PhD, who also serves as a U.S. Senator.

This monument by sculptor Patrick Morelli is called "Behold" and was unveiled by Coretta Scott King in 1990.

Martin Luther King, Jr. and Coretta Scott King rest in a granite sarcophagus surrounded by a beautiful reflecting pool.

A guard told us he has to repeatedly tell people to get out of the pool 😕

It's a lovely setting befitting the stature of these two people.

The eternal flame did not appear to be working.

We were honored to visit and pay our respects to this great man who did so much for civil rights, at the expense of his life.

"Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere."

"True peace is not merely the absence of tension; it is the presence of justice."

"The end of non-violent action is reconciliation; the end is redemption; the end is the creation of the beloved community."

RIP Martin 💗

Neil Armstrong ~ August 5, 1930 - August 25, 2012

2024-12-05T11:46:00.003-08:00

Armstrong is arguably the most famous astronaut in the world but he started as a naval aviator and test pilot. He was chosen by NASA in the second group of astronauts in 1962 as part of the "New Nine."

Here they are standing behind the original Mercury 7.

The Maps Air Museum in North Canton, Ohio, has a plane that Armstrong flew.

Armstrong flew with David Scott on the Gemini 8 mission in 1966. The Armstrong Air and Space Museum in Wapakoneta, Ohio, has the Gemini 8 capsule.

We visited the museum in 2017.

There's a small memorial to the fallen astronauts.

There are a couple of statues of Armstrong outside the museum.

Here are a few things in the museum.

Here's the most fun ladies room found in any museum to date 😊

Apollo 11 is represented in the New Mexico Museum of Space History in Alamogordo.

The museum at Meteor Crater in Winslow, Arizona, has astronaut memorabilia of the NASA astronauts training inside the crater.

While driving through Warren, Ohio, we spotted Armstrong Park, the site of his first flight. There are models of the LEM, the Titan rocket from Gemini 8, and the Saturn V rocket from Apollo 11.

In 2018, the traveling Destination Moon exhibit was at the St. Louis Science Center so we made a trip to see it.

Here's the same plate in my office 😊

This is the Apollo 11 hatch.

This is the Apollo 11 capsule that Armstrong commanded in 1969. Michael Collins stayed in the capsule while Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin entered the LEM and landed on the moon. Armstrong emerged from the LEM and became the first person to walk on the moon.

These two photos are hanging in the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.

Wapakoneta, Ohio, is Armstrong's hometown and fittingly there's a statue of him downtown.

Nearby is the famous Alpha Cafe, opened in 1893, a place Neil Armstrong may or may not have stopped in 😉

Although Armstrong was not from Michigan, the Michigan Heroes Museum in Frankenmuth, Michigan, has a small remembrance.

All of the Apollo missions were launched from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

This is my only book about Neil Armstrong and it's a great read.

Some souvenir coins from the Kennedy Space Center:

From our stamp collection:

The Adler Planetarium, Chicago Illinois:

The Cantigny Museum, Wheaton Illinois:

In the fall of 2024, we visited the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington D.C. and got to see the Apollo 11 capsule again.

After his death, Neil Armstrong's ashes were dropped into the Atlantic Ocean.

RIP Neil Armstrong.

Alan B. Shepard ~ November 18, 1923 - July 21, 1998

2024-12-04T15:56:00.001-08:00

Alan Shepard was a naval aviator, a test pilot and one of the original Mercury 7 astronauts. He was the first American to go to space (1961), and the only Mercury astronaut who also went to the moon (1971). He missed flying in the Gemini program due to developing Meniere's disease but continued to serve with NASA. He later had corrective surgery and was able to return for the Apollo 14 mission. Shepard is currently the oldest man to have walked on the moon and the first to hit a golf ball there.

This is the famous photo of the group in pressure suits with Slayton and Glenn wearing work boots painted silver because not all the customized boots were ready yet.

Shephard was born in New Hampshire and the State House in Concord has a memorial for him.

Here's a photo of Shepard (near the middle with a cigar) in the Control Room at the Johnson Space Center in Houston (date & mission unknown).

There are a few photos of Shepard in the New Mexico Space Museum in Alamogordo.

The Smithsonian Air and Space Museum in Washington D.C. has Shepard's Mercury capsule, Freedom 7, named 7 for the Mercury astronauts. We visited the museum in 2024.

We've visited the Kennedy Space Center in Florida twice, once in 1990 and again in 2017. This is a photo from 1990 of a memorial to the Mercury 7.

The rest of the photos are from 2017.

Seeing one of the Apollo capsules is always a thrill and here is Apollo 14 which flew to the moon with Alan Shepard as Commander.

President Lyndon B. Johnson collected autographs at his ranch in Stonewall, Texas, and Shepard signed one of LBJ's Friendship stones.

These are two books by Shepard, et al, from my spaceflight library.

Shepard's ashes were dropped from a helicopter over the Pacific Ocean so there's no grave to visit. But there is a family plot in Forest Hill Cemetery in East Derry, New Hampshire. And there's a cenotaph remembering Alan and his wife, Louise (photo from the internet).

RIP Alan B. Shepard.

Roger B. Chaffee ~ February 15, 1935 - January 27, 1967

2024-12-01T13:08:00.003-08:00

Roger B. Chaffee was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and was an American naval officer, aviator, aeronautical engineer, and astronaut. A statue was installed in his honor in 2018 on the corner of Fulton St E and Sheldon Ave NE, downtown Grand Rapids.

Chaffee attended Central High School in Grand Rapids and became an Eagle Scout. There's a historical marker in front of Trinity United Methodist Church, 1100 Lake Drive SE, Grand Rapids.

After Chaffee's death, the Grand Rapids Public Museum renamed its planetarium after him.

The museum maintains a small exhibit with Chaffee memorabilia.

In 1963, Chaffee was selected as a NASA astronaut as part of the Third Group.

Because they perished together, Roger Chaffee will always be intertwined with Gus Grissom and Ed White. Here are some photos from the Grissom Air Force Base Museum in Peru, Indiana.

Grissom has a Memorial Museum in Mitchell, Indiana.

There's also a small space museum in Bonne Terre, Missouri.

In Frankenmuth, Michigan, you can find the Michigan Heroes Museum.

The Air Zoo in Kalamazoo, Michigan, has a plaque for Chaffee.

In 2017, we visited the Kennedy Space Center where 50 years after the Apollo 1 fire, the center put the hatch doors on display. Chaffee, Grissom, and White were sitting in the capsule on the launch pad for pre-launch testing. A fire broke out and all three were asphyxiated before they could get out of the capsule.

The Kennedy Space Center has a memorial to those who lost their lives in service to flight.

The Armstrong Air and Space Muesum in Wapakoneta, Ohio, has a small memorial to the fallen astronauts.

In 2024, we visited Arlington National Cemetery and walked up a hill to find the astronaut's grave. We were honored to pay our respects. RIP Roger B. Chaffee.

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Gus Grissom Blogpost

NASA Day of Remembrance

Virgil I. "Gus" Grissom ~ April 3, 1926 - January 27, 1967

2024-11-13T17:52:00.005-08:00

Gus Grissom, air force pilot, test pilot, and astronaut, died tragically in 1967.

Grissom was a member of the Mercury 7, the first group of NASA astronauts. He was the second American to fly in space and the first NASA astronaut to go to space twice. And sadly, he was the first Mercury astronaut to die.

We've visited his museums, boyhood home, gravesite, and other places holding Grissom memorabilia.

This is his boyhood home in Mitchell, Indiana (715 W. Grissom Avenue).

The Grissom Rocket Monument was built on the site where Grissom attended school (407 S. 6th St, Mitchell, Indiana).

Also in Mitchell, Indiana, is the Virgil I. Grissom Memorial Museum (3333 IN-60 in Spring Mill State Park). It holds many artifacts, including the Gemini 3 capsule, the Molly Brown.

There is a lot to see at the Grissom Air Museum located at the Grissom Air Reserve Base in Peru, Indiana, but we concentrated on the items pertaining to Gus.

The Mercury 7 and the New Nine.

John Young, Gus Grissom, Wally Schirra, Thomas Stafford suited up for their Gemini flights.

John Young and Gus Grissom

Photo of Apollo 1 capsule after the deadly fire.

Ed White, Gus Grissom, Roger B Chaffee, crew of the fateful Apollo 1.

There's an outdoor viewing platform for a great view of the base.

There is a small space museum in Bonne Terre, Missouri, called The Space Museum and Grissom Center (118 E. School St.).

In 2017, the Liberty Bell was on loan from the Cosmosphere in Kansas to the Children's Museum of Indianapolis so we took a trip down to see it. It was the second Mercury flight and after re-entry, the door blew open, Grissom almost drowned, and the capsule sank. For many years, Grissom was accused of panicking and blowing the door open prematurely. Being the seasoned pilot he was, this was unlikely but he had to live this down the rest of his life. The capsule was recovered in 1999, long after his death.

Frankenmuth, Michigan, has a Michigan Heroes Museum (1250 Weiss St) where the Apollo 1 mission is remembered because Roger B Chaffee was from Michigan.

Sometime later we made a trip to the Cosmosphere in Hutchinson, Kansas, where the Liberty Bell had not yet returned.

The Air Zoo in Kalamazoo, Michigan, remembers the Mercury 7.

President Lyndon B. Johnson collected autographs at his ranch in Stonewall, Texas, and Gus Grissom signed one of LBJ's friendship stones.

These are four books by or about Grissom from my space flight library.

The Armstrong Air and Space Museum in Wapakoneta, Ohio, has a small memorial to the fallen astronauts.

In 2017, we visited the Kennedy Space Center where 50 years after the Apollo 1 fire, the center put the hatch doors on display. The astronauts, Grissom, White, and Chaffee were sitting in the capsule on the launch pad for pre-launch testing in 1967. A fire broke out and all three were asphyxiated before they could get out of the capsule.

The Space Center has a memorial to those who lost their lives in service to flight 😢

Our final Grissom site was visiting his humble grave in Arlington National Cemetery in 2024. It's not on the tram tour and it is a long walk up a hill. We were honored to pay our respects.

RIP Gus Grissom.

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Roger B Chaffee Blogpost

NASA Day of Remembrance

The Edmund Fitzgerald, November 10, 1975

2024-11-10T15:08:00.000-08:00

(1975 Photo by Bob Campbell, Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum)

We all know the story, and the song, and it's still an incredibly sad event that happened November 10, 1975.

The year before, in 1974, the S.S. Edmund Fitzgerald was anchored in the Detroit River just east of the Renaissance Center. When the crew went to lift the anchor, the chain broke leaving the anchor at the bottom of the river. In 1992, divers retrieved the anchor and it can now be found at the Dossin Great Lakes Museum on Belle Isle in Detroit.

The next year the ship and crew went down in Lake Superior.

The SS Valley Camp was a lake freighter now turned into a museum, the Museum Ship Valley Camp in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. Among their exhibits is an Edmund Fitzgerald lifeboat.

The Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum in Whitefish Point, Michigan, has the ship's bell on display. It was brought up from the depths in 1995.

Besides the museum, the oldest lighthouse on Lake Superior is here. The Light Station was established in 1849 and the current light tower was built in 1861.

It's estimated that there are at least 550 shipwrecks in Lake Superior, many undiscovered.

In a musty old hall in Detroit they prayed

In the maritime sailors' cathedralThe church bell chimed 'til it rang twenty-nine timesFor each man on the Edmund FitzgeraldThe legend lives on from the Chippewa on downOf the big lake they call Gitche GumeeSuperior, they said, never gives up her deadWhen the gales of November come early.

For all the ships at sea 💗

Langley Covered Bridge, 21959 Schweitzer Road, Three Rivers MI

2024-07-07T15:33:00.000-07:00

This is Michigan's longest wooden covered bridge still in existence. It was built from white pine in 1887 using Howe-truss construction. When the Sturgis Dam was built in 1910, the bridge had to be raised eight feet.

The bridge and the causeway cross the St. Joseph River. In 1950-51, a new under structure was installed and in 2008-09, the roof was replaced; asphalt was removed and returned to wood planking. Steel underpinnings were replaced in 2023.

The bridge is 282 feet across and consists of three 94 foot spans. There are height (7 feet), weight (3 tons), and width restrictions (one lane). And no trucks are allowed as per the signage ("Your GPS Is Wrong").

Traffic was fairly constant so we didn't have much time to walk onto the bridge. Being a one lane bridge, cars have to take turns crossing and we finally did the same. Langley Bridge doesn't have the charm of say Fallasburg Bridge but it is certainly historic and in a pretty setting.

The Builders, 20745 M-60 East, Cassopolis MI

2024-07-07T12:40:00.000-07:00

This eye-catching sculpture complex sits right on M-60 and we did a quick turn around in the car to see what it was. It stands next to K & M Machine Fabricating, whose employees did all the fabricating of this work designed by Kirk Newman.

The tallest steel pieces stand 50 feet high and the bronze figures are life-sized and represent a welder, a machinist, a foreman, and a manager.

The plaque is hard to read but it states that "The Builders" is dedicated to the people of the metal working industry. (The name Earl G. Marhanka is beneath the inscription; Marhanka was the founder of K & M Machine Fabricating, Inc.)

It's a striking and impressive work of art, and very accessible so don't pass it by.

A Christmas Story ~ a 1983 Film

2024-07-01T17:04:00.000-07:00

What is now a Christmas classic was filmed in part in Cleveland, Ohio. The house at 3159 W. 11th St was used for exterior shots of the Parker's home, and an entrepreneur has since reconfigured it to match the interior sound stage sets. It's open for tours and there is also a gift shop across the street. If you're a fan of the film, this is a great stop in Cleveland.

The backyard is complete with shed and fence.

Interior photos

You might wonder why the crate says "His End Up" if you noticed 😊

The crate had to be trimmed while filming in order to get into the house. There you have it.

After we toured the house, we walked across the street to the gift shop.

The movie is based on some of the short stories by Jean Shepherd, published in 1966 as "In God We Trust: All Others Pay Cash." The stories are somewhat autobiographical but fiction is mixed freely with fact. In 2003, four of the stories used for the movie, plus one story from Shepherd's second book, were published together as "A Christmas Story."

The screenplay for the movie was written by Jean Shepherd, his 4th wife Leigh Brown, and the movie director, Bob Clark. And all three of them had cameos in the movie. Jean and Leigh were the man and woman in the Santa line when Jean directs Ralphie & Randy to the back of the line. Jean is also the adult Ralph narrator. Bob Clark is the Swede who is admiring the leg lamp with the Old Man. There is a bench outside of the gift shop in Clark's honor.

Jean Shepherd grew up in Hammond, Indiana, and the Welcome Center there has a complete map to Shepherd sites. We just took in the Welcome Center, featuring Flick and the flagpole (7770 Corinne Drive).

For a fun read about the movie, pick up this book by Quentin Schultze. You'll find tidbits like the "His Side Up" mentioned earlier, and much more from the author who knew Jean Shepherd.

Movie fans will enjoy visiting both locations ~ we sure did

(frah-JEE-lay) 😊

The Big Strawberry Barn, Nunica MI ~ 12/14/23

2023-12-14T14:04:00.001-08:00

Update 11/30/24: The remains of the barn have been removed and the old silo is the only thing left standing.

Update 2/11/24: We heard that the barn had collapsed at the end of the year and February 4 we took a ride past. These are photos from its very sad, current, and collapsed state.

RIP Big Strawberry.

12/14/23

We've driven past this barn countless times on our way to Grand Haven and today we stopped for photos because the barn is rapidly deteriorating. I could not find information on it but it is clearly old and abandoned.

Gene Taylor, a member of the West Michigan Genealogy & History facebook group, let me know that his grand parents, George & Florence Clover owned the barn from the 1930s to the 1950s. Nature is now taking it over so see it while you can. Find it on M104 just west of the I96 ramp as you head towards Spring Lake.

Your best days are obviously behind you 😟

Pleasant Hill Farm, 5859 124th Ave, Fennville MI ~ 6/8/23

2023-06-08T14:49:00.001-07:00

What a feast for the eyes. This four acre parcel is filled with poppies and other wildflowers and is breathtaking.

The parcel is owned and managed by the owners of the blueberry farm nearby and the story behind the field is one of sadness, the death of their son. He is buried in Fennville Cemetery next to the flower field and the flowers were planted to honor him. It's a beautiful memorial.

You can't walk through the field but just around the perimeter, which we did.

We found an artist trying to capture the magic.

Make your way to flower field in the next few weeks if you want to see the poppies before they are finished for the year. The field is located just west of Fennville Cemetery and I've included maps at the end. Rest in peace, Sgt Donaldson, and much appreciation to your parents for creating such a lovely, peaceful place in your honor.

A few photos from our June 2024 return visit:

Maps

The red dot is the address of the farm. The flower field is just west of the cemetery.

Short Video

West Michigan Covered Bridges in Fall ~ October 13, 2022

2022-10-17T14:41:00.004-07:00

The 125-foot Ada Covered Bridge spans the Thornapple River and was originally built in 1867 by William Holmes. It closed to vehicle traffic in 1930 and became a pedestrian bridge. In 1979 it was destroyed by fire and this replica bridge was completed in 1980.

The Fallasburg Covered Bridge is 100 feet long and spans the Flat River. Originally built in 1871 by Jared N. Bresee, the bridge is still open to vehicle traffic.

Repairs and modifications have been made over the years to maintain the structure (in 2013 the bridge was damaged when a cement truck drove on it). Of the three bridges visited today, this is the only one that can claim to be original.

Whites Bridge is 120 feet long, also spans the Flat River, and was built in 1867 by Jared N. Bresee (spelled here as Brazee) and J.N. Walker.

In 2010, a person drove through the side of the bridge (I took this photo in 2012).

And in 2013, the bridge was completely destroyed by fire. It took years for it to get rebuilt but this replica bridge finally opened in 2020.

All three bridges were built with the truss system patented by Josiah Brown and are known as Brown Truss bridges. Happy Fall, y'all!

The Tridge, Midland MI

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You will find one of the coolest bridges ever in downtown Midland. The three-way arch wooden foot bridge spans the confluence of the Chippewa and Tittabawasee Rivers. It opened in 1981 and its total length is 541 feet.

This couple views the bridge from an adjacent park.

At the end of one of the other spans is another park with a sculpture depicting a family heading for a swim but the woman is in a slip?

Nonetheless, the bridge is the draw and it needs to be explored and appreciated from all angles.

In 2020, when two nearby dams failed, Midland was flooded and these are photos (from the internet) of the flooding at the Tridge (you can see the couple sculpture surrounded by water).

Here are two maps for the Tridge location.

It's worth a stop!

21 Seconds from the Center of the Tridge

Grand Haven State Park ~ 1/25/22

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There is some serious ice at the pier right now and we had to see it 😊

Since last year, the town has installed a gate on the pier to prevent people from walking on it in dangerous conditions so we didn't get far (unlike these folks 😉).

We then drove around to the other side of the channel, slipped on some more ice, and called it a day, a beautiful winter day.

Click for last year's visit when we could get on the pier.

International Memorial to the Underground Railroad, Detroit MI ~ September 2021

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Installed in 2001 on the Detroit River, the Gateway to Freedom sculpture was created by Ed Dwight and stands 10 x 12 feet. It depicts eight escaping slaves guided by a conductor, modeled after George DeBaptiste. George was born free in Virginia to African-American parents and as an adult moved to Indiana and helped bring escaping slaves to Kentucky. Later he moved to Detroit and assisted freedom seekers across the river to Canada (his life story is fascinating, fyi).

Historians estimate that about 45,000 escaping slaves passed through Detroit on their way to Canada, Detroit serving as one of the last terminals of the Underground Railroad.

There is a companion sculpture (Tower of Freedom) across the river in Windsor, Canada, also by Ed Dwight, that we haven't had the pleasure of visiting yet.

(Besides being a well-known sculptor, Dwight was an air force jet pilot in 1962 when President Kennedy nominated him as an astronaut trainee. Dwight would have been the first African-American astronaut. After Kennedy was assassinated in 1963, NASA dropped Dwight from the program.)

Ed Dwight has two other well-known sculptures in Michigan: Rosa Parks in Grand Rapids and an Underground Railroad sculpture in Battle Creek.

Battle Creek

Today it's more important than ever to remember our history.

(See the link below for photos and information on the largest Underground Railroad Sculpture in the U.S.)

Underground Railroad sculpture visit - Battle Creek

Fantasy Forest, 922-970 W. Michigan Avenue, Battle Creek MI

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We found this place by accident last winter while driving to Battle Creek last February. What the heck was it? The snow was so deep we could only take a few photos from afar.

In May we stopped again for a more thorough visit. The small park is located in the larger Leila Arboretum and these ash trees were killed by the emerald ash borer. In 2015, a sculpture competition was held and this creative fantasy forest is the result. It's a great use of dead trees 😔

(The emerald ash borer was first discovered in southeast Michigan in 2002. It is now found in at least 35 states and has killed hundreds of millions of ash trees in North America. Eradication of the beetles is no longer feasible.)

Look at these amazing owls and owlets!

I am Groot 😊

Family Tree

Gnome Village was super cute.

Several sculptors carved out photo opportunities because who doesn't love those 😉

This charming park is free of charge.

Ransom Eli Olds ~ June 3, 1864 - August 26, 1950

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We've visited some R.E. Olds historic sites, mostly random finds during our travels 😊

He was born here in Geneva, Ohio in 1864. The house is gone.

He came to Lansing in 1880.

In 1899, Olds opened the Olds Motorworks in Detroit and tested the Curved Dash Oldsmobile Runabouts on Belle Isle.

The Lansing factory built on this site was later designated a National Historic Landmark but that wasn't enough to save it from the wrecking ball in 1979.

Along with the factory, the REO Clubhouse was also razed. It sounds like it was an amazing place and a wonderful community hub.

This mural is located across from the museum.

The small museum was really fun and informative.

The home in which Olds was born was apparently once commemorated.

This is the famous curved dash mobile that gave rise to the "In My Merry Oldsmobile."

I never knew that the band REO Speedwagon got its name from this 😊

What a beauty.

Who never wanted to ride along on a running board 😊

The Toronado

Win this car.

The museum has acquired a few historical artifacts, not necessarily related to RE Olds.

That wrapped up our museum visit.

Olds has a family mausoleum in Mount Hope Cemetery in Lansing.

He and his wife, Ursula Woodward, had four children, only two of whom lived to adulthood. Ralph lived one day, Mildred lived 12 days, and Gladys lived until she was 89 years old. They all reside here. Gladys' son, RE Olds Anderson, also rests here with his wife, Doris. The fourth child, Bernice, had three children of her own and is buried elsewhere.

RE Olds certainly left his mark on this country.

Chief Noonday (aka Noahquageshik or Nawquageezhig), 1755 - 1855 or 1770 - 1840

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His history is as murky as the dates he lived and there are no known photos of him. There is no disagreement that Noonday was the Chief of the Grand River Band of the Ottawa Nation, spending most of his life in what is now Yankee Springs Township in Michigan. He may have allied with Tecumseh during the Battle of the Thames in the War of 1812. It seems likely that he was converted to Christianity, and Noonday did establish trade with early European settlers/colonizers.

As part of the Grand Rapids Community Legends series, the city erected a seven foot statue of Chief Noonday on the west side of the Grand River in front of the GVSU Eberhard Center by the Blue Bridge. The statue was sculpted by Antonio Tobias Mendez and was installed in 2010. The details of the sculpture are impressive, especially considering the details of Noonday's life are so lacking.

Last winter we found the Chief's gravesite on Cressey Road (8839-8601) in Plainwell, Michigan.

Photos from a summer visit.

Rest in peace, Chief.

Underground Railroad Sculpture, 256 W Van Buren, Battle Creek MI ~ May, 2021

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Our first attempt to see the sculpture took place last February 😊

We returned last May and had a much better visit.

Erastus and Sarah Hussey were Quakers and abolitionists who started hiding escaping slaves in 1840. Their home became one of the main stations on the Underground Railroad in Battle Creek. Erastus and Harriet Tubman are featured on the front of the monument. There is no evidence Tubman ever set foot in Michigan but the contributions of the "Black Moses" are well-known and made her a national hero.

One side of the monument depicts the Husseys helping escaping slaves into their home, and the details of the entire sculpture are impressive.

Harriet Tubman is shown on the other side leading slaves to their freedom.

The sculpture is 14 feet tall land 28 feet long and is the largest Underground Railroad Sculpture in the U.S. It was designed by Ed Dwight and dedicated in 1993. Besides being a well-known sculptor, Dwight was an air force jet pilot in 1962 when President Kennedy nominated him as an astronaut trainee. Dwight would have been the first African-American astronaut. After Kennedy was assassinated in 1963, NASA dropped Dwight from the program.

Ed Dwight has two other well-known sculptures in Michigan: Rosa Parks in Grand Rapids and another Underground Railroad sculpture in Detroit.

Ed Dwight may not have made history with NASA but he's doing his part to help us remember our history.

Woodlawn Cemetery, 19975 Woodward Avenue, Detroit ~ September 1, 2021

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Established in 1895, the cemetery holds many prominent Michigan citizens. Rosa Parks rests in the lovely chapel that now bears her name.

A short hall leads into the chapel.

At the rear of the chapel is a wall of urns.

Rosa lies to the right of the pulpit.

A code is necessary to enter the chapel so stop at the nearby office beforehand for a cemetery map and the code.

Aretha Franklin reposes in the main mausoleum.

Her father is nearby.

The Dodge brothers, Horace (1868-1920) and John (1864-1920), rest here along with other family members.

John Lord Booth (1907-1994) founded one of the first FM radio stations in the country.

The Grinnel Brothers music company produced pianos and other music related items.

Ernest Kanzler was a Vice President at the Ford Company and was close with Edsel Ford and his family. Ernest's wife, Josephine was a sister of Edsel Ford's wife, Eleanor.

Edsel Ford and his family can be found across from the Main Mausoleum.

To see the names and dates, you have to walk behind the sarcophagi.

Edsel and Eleanor

Edsel's son, William, is here but William's wife, Martha Firestone, born in 1925, is still alive. William was Henry Ford's last surviving grandchild.

Edsel's son Benson and his wife Edith.

We had only about an hour to spend here today and would love to return and explore more. It's a beautiful setting and its 140 acres are home to many Motown musicians as well as other well-known Detroit people.