Musical accompaniment: Bluebird by Blanche.
Check out these pictures from Michigan!
This photo was taken in 1892 in the town of Munith. It seems like it might have been summertime based on the man not wearing a jacket and the plant. Every store should have a friendly dog to greet people. I like how slow and lazy this looks!
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Seibert’s Central Drug Store, located at the northeast corner of South Stephenson Avenue and East Hughitt Street, Iron Mountain. Note the board sidewalks, striped awnings, window displays and the Seibert name outlined with light bulbs. If you zoom in, you can see the sign was lit with tiny light bulbs.
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This picture may have been taken prior to the 1890s even. It’s a photograph of the townspeople walking to church. The town isn’t listed.
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I don’t know what kind of equipment meteorologists use today, but I can guess it’s probably upgraded from this weather station at the Michigan Agricultural College (MAC), East Lansing, Michigan, taken around 1900. A recording device and several thermometers are seen.
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The Washington Bennett Home, 659 Ann Arbor Trail in Plymouth. Pierre Bennett is seated in the buggy. Alas, the house has been torn down to make way for a parking lot.
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old spirituals 
Munith, MI, is equidistant between Ann Arbor and Lansing, the home cities of The University of Michigan and Michigan State University.
Iron City, MI, is in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, the “UP” in local parlance. U. S. Steel mines iron ore in that area converts it onto pellets.
Plymouth, MI, is east of Detroit off of State Road 14 that leads into Ann Arbor. My guess that the Bennett house on Ann Arbor Trail today would be State Road 14.
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The geography of Michigan is very unusual. Alaska and Hawaii have islands but I think Michigan is the only state that isn’t connected together by land.
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I love the Gingerbread Trim on the Bennett house. Simpler times, but hard work.
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Hard word to make the gingerbread trim, you mean? I imagine it would take a very long time to do anything so ornate… but you’d value it more because you worked so hard on it.
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I was actually referring to people working so hard everyday even with what looks to us as simpler times than we have. It really did take craftsmanship to make that Gingerbread trim, though.
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A reference from Centuryhomesamerica.com:
Victorian grillwork, known for its intricate lace-like patterns in wood, cast iron, or brass, adds both beauty and function to historic homes. Found in transoms, staircases, radiator covers, and even exterior porches, these delicate designs often showcase floral, geometric, or scroll motifs inspired by Gothic, Eastlake, and Queen Anne styles. Wooden grillwork, crafted using fretwork techniques, allowed for light and air circulation between rooms, while cast-iron versions provided durability for exterior railings and gates. Whether painted in rich Victorian hues or left in a natural finish, Victorian grillwork remains a hallmark of 19th-century craftsmanship, adding elegance and refinement to both the interiors and exteriors of historic homes.
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I love this! I wonder if anyone does this today or if it’s a lost art. When Notre Dame was damaged by fire, we realized the damaged part couldn’t be recreated as it was made because so many of those techniques are lost. No one knows how they were made.
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There are small boutique shops throughout the Country that make a myriad of speciality and custom products. In doing a home remodel some years ago we designed an interior footprint and decor different than that found in our area. We often searched for custom manufacturers and shops. Our designed is an open-concept living-kitchen area with a 12 foot island that has a cantilevered, banana-shaped glass bar height surface on one side. I designed a modern bracket I wanted made of stainless steel to support the banana shaped piece of glass. After weeks of searching, I found a small manufacturer in Ohio that worked from my sketch, converted it to a CAD drawing for digital controlled cutting and, after some modifications the the CAD drawing by me, manufactured the 3 brackets I needed. The price was also very reasonable. That bracket design was added to its catalog for sale to the public.
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How cool! I wonder how many people have benefitted from your idea!
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Oh I see. I agree on both points! I’ve always had jobs where I think, write, and speak for a living. I have so much admiration for people who can do and create things with their hands. I wish I had some of those skills!
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My escape from the stresses of my career was working with my hands. DIY was my weekend agenda for decades. Yard work was an enjoyable release. I taught myself how to wallpaper, do basic electrical work and even sweat-fit copper pipe. I installed Judges Paneling in a large family room. My last project was a 8 foot long outdoor bar with 3 sets of doors and a granite top for my outdoor lanai. I can say without reservation that creating something with my own hands is the most satisfying work a person can do. I am now considering trying oil, acrylic or pastel landscape art as a hobby.
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Wow! That’s very impressive! Gardening might also be fun. I know what you mean about the satisfaction of creating something
Last year I garbage picked a planting bench with a shelf. It was unfinished pine. I sanded it and stained it and I’m so proud of it!
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There is nothing better than refurbishing something that was headed to the city trash mound. I admire those who use such items in creating art.
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another solid music choice! it’s hard to see the objects for sale at Seibert’s. I’m curious what that tower structure in the right window is
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I can’t tell what’s in that window, either, but I’ll bet there was a wonderful soda fountain inside!
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It may be a book rack. Read this history of Siebert’s.
https://www.ironmountaindailynews.com/news/local-news/2020/02/ims-seibert-drug-store-became-cudlips-in-1922/
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Judy was right! There’s a soda fountain!
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