Category Archives: Miscellaneous

In Brunswick, Georgia’s Old Town Historic District, a testament to time and local folklore stands in the middle of Albany Street: the Lover’s Oak. This Southern live oak tree is estimated to be around 900 years old, placing its origin in the 12th century. Its immense size is striking, with a trunk diameter of approximately 13 feet that branches into ten major limbs.

The tree’s name is steeped in local Native American legend. The most popular version suggests the tree was a sacred meeting place where young Native American braves and maidens would gather to profess their love for one another. Another, more tragic, tale claims that a young couple, banished after being caught kissing, took their own lives by hanging themselves from the tree’s branches. Folklore says that on a Friday night at midnight, you can still hear the cries of their spirits searching for each other.

The Lover’s Oak has stood as a quiet witness to centuries of history, from the Native American communities that lived there to the establishment of the United States. In 1987, the National Arborist Association and the International Society of Arboriculture honored the tree with a plaque, recognizing its significance and noting that it had already been alive for 200 years when the U.S. Constitution was signed in 1787.

Despite its age and historical importance, the tree is not immune to modern-day hazards. In 2015, a truck struck the tree, causing one of its major limbs to be removed. This incident was a reminder of the delicate balance between preserving this living landmark and the development of the city around it.

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Mill Creek flows north into the Mahoning River in Youngstown Ohio. The creek cascades down a rocky ledge to create a beautiful waterfall. Next to the falls is the historic Lanterman’s Mill. It is an impressive structure built in 1845 by German Lanterman and his brother-in-law Samuel Kimberly. The mill was originally powered by a large wheel but converted to a turbine for water to pass through. It processed grain from local farms using three different grinding stones. By the 1890s, roller mills were a more economical means of grinding grain, and the Lanterman Mill shut down its operations. In 1891, Youngstown attorney Volney Rogers purchased large tracts of land along Mill Creek.

After acquiring land from more than ninety land owners, Rogers had the land declared as a park by the state legislature. The Mill Creek Park was officially opened in 1893. The old mill was used as a facility for the new park. It had a bathhouse, concession stand and a ballroom. During the winter months, it was used for storage. In the 1930s, the first floor was converted into a nature museum. Visitors could look at the many mounted birds and animals on display along with other exhibits.

In the 1980s, the mill was restored back to its original use as a grain mill. The interior beams were repaired or replaced, and the exterior was given a facelift and new windows. The original equipment was gone, but new grinding stones and replica machinery was constructed and installed. A new observation deck was added to the outside for visitors to view the creek and falls. The building is now operating as it did over a century ago and is a gem in Mill Creek Metropark. If you visit, the parking lot for the mill can be found off E. Park Drive a few hundred yards north of State Route 62.

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The town of Mountain, Wisconsin sits at the southern end of the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest. About two and a half miles from town is a fire lookout tower that visitors can climb. The tower was built in 1935 by the Forest Service and the Civilian Conservation Corps. It stands one hundred feet tall, and on the top is a lookout cab that rangers would use to look for smoke. It was one of fourteen towers in the region and placed on the National Register of Historic Places. In 2015, Oconto County Economic Development Corporation and donations from local businesses, organizations, and residents raised money to restore the historic tower.

Employees from the Lakewood-Laona Ranger District worked more than 500 hours doing the restoration work. The tower is open for visitors to climb during daylight hours from May to November. I had to climb the tower while I was there. I am not as young and energetic as I used to be, so I only climbed the stairs to the first platform. It still had an amazing view, and on the way back down I was glad I did not go up any further. I noticed on the way down how much steeper the stairs are than a typical stairway in a modern building. It would have been a long way down and challenging if I had gone all the way to the top. I have seen a lot of old fire towers, but this is one of the few that I have seen open for people to climb up it.

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Camp Washington Carver, was named after Booker T. Washington and George Washington Carver. It is located in Clifftop, West Virginia and holds a significant place in the state’s history. Originally established in 1942 as the first statewide 4-H camp for African American youth, it served as a vital space for education, recreation, and cultural development during a time of racial segregation. The camp’s creation was the result of dedicated efforts by African American leaders who recognized the need for equal opportunities for young people in the state. The site’s historical importance is further emphasized by its well-preserved structures, including the impressive Great Chestnut Lodge, a testament to the craftsmanship of the Works Progress Administration (WPA) era.

Today, Camp Washington Carver has transitioned into a vibrant cultural arts center, continuing to serve the community through diverse programs and events. It hosts festivals like the renowned Appalachian String Band Music Festival, attracting visitors from across the region. The camp’s grounds are also available for private events, such as reunions and weddings, allowing people to experience the unique atmosphere of this historical landmark. By preserving its past and embracing its role as a cultural hub, Camp Washington Carver remains a valuable asset to West Virginia.

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The village of Lake Linden, on Michigan’s Keweenaw Peninsula in the Upper Peninsula, suffered a devastating fire in May 1887 that destroyed 75% of its structures. Although the frame village hall survived, the village leaders believed a new fireproof structure with space for a fire station would be in the community’s best interest. In 1901, the village requested architectural designs and chose one submitted by Charles K. Shand of Calumet. Built by local contractor L. F. Ursin, the hall opened in 1902 and served as village offices, a fire station, a polling place, and a public meeting hall.

A propeller from the Lady Be Good, an American B-24 Liberator lost in the Libyan Desert in April 1943, is on display in front of the village hall. Crew member T/Sgt. Robert E. LaMotte of Lake Linden was a radio operator aboard the aircraft. His remains were found in the desert in 1960.

The Lady Be Good mysteriously disappeared without a trace on its first combat mission during World War II. The plane, from the 376th Bomb Group, was on a bombing raid to Naples on April 4, 1943, when it was lost. Although the aircraft was presumed to have crashed into the Mediterranean Sea, with the loss of its nine-man crew, it was eventually found 440 miles inland in the Libyan Desert in 1958. The remains of all but one crew member have been recovered.

It was accidentally discovered by a BP oil exploration team in 1958. Investigations concluded that the crew failed to realize they had overflown their air base in a sandstorm, possibly mistaking the moonlight reflecting on the wavy sand dunes for the sea. After continuing south into the desert for many hours beyond their estimated time of arrival, they bailed out when the plane’s fuel ran out. The survivors then died in the desert attempting to walk to safety.

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Deep in the Green Swamp Wilderness Preserve in central Florida between Tampa and Orlando Is the dilapidated remains of an old shack. A nearby make-shift cemetery and headstone is evidence of a tragedy that occurred here. Hand carved in the tombstone is RIP 1917 Mr + Mrs Stewart.

It is unclear how the Stewarts came to homesteading in the middle of the swamp. Born in 1860 Ishom Stewart was a bachelor and horse farmer most of his life. He married Sarah, who was known as Sallie. She was 15 years older than Ishom, and had four children by a previous husband. The two of them never had children of their own together.

In May of 1918 their bodies were discovered in their small wooden home. It was a gruesome scene and they had died a horrible death. As the sheriff started trying to figure out what had happened. Ishom, had recently withdrew all of his money from the bank because he did not trust it in the volatile economy of the time.

It did not take the Sheriff long to figure out that Sallie’s grandson Josh Browning and his friend, John Tucker had recently came into some money. Browning had purchased a brand new car.  Tucker’s had given $121 to one of his relatives and witnesses claim both of the men had been seen talking to each other at the train depot shortly before the murders happened. Joshua Browning’s mother told the Sheriff that he had asked if his grandparents withdrew all their money from the bank. Both men were tried and convicted of the murders and each were sentenced to 20 years in prison.

I find it interesting that their murder is referred to as an “axe murder.” Without a confession how would it be known how Ishom and Sallie died unless it was a grizzly scene when the bodies were found. Shortly after their remains were discovered they were buried in a grave near their home.  One more strange thing is the tombstone was marked 1917 and the murders took place in 1918. I am thinking maybe the tombstone was placed years after the murders occurred and the date was not remembered correctly. In the mid 2000’s A plaque marking the tragic event was placed on a rock near the tombstone.

If you want to visit the old shack in the Green Swamp Wilderness Preserve, it is about 8 miles down Cumpressco Grade Rd. east of 471.  If you do visit  please be respectful so that other generations may experience it.

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What looks like a medieval stone castle stands in the North Chagrin Reservation, which is part of the Cleveland, Ohio Metroparks. It was built as a gatehouse for a mansion that was never constructed. I can only imagine how large and opulent the mansion would have been considering how ornate the gate house was.

Feargus B. Squire was an executive with the Standard Oil Company and former mayor of Wickliffe, Ohio. Around 1890, he purchased about five hundred acres of land east of Cleveland. He planned to build a large English style country estate, and in 1895 he had this stone gatehouse constructed. Taking three years to build, the walls were quarried from local sandstone, and the building originally had three floors. Having difficulty in finding labor for the remote location at the time, Squire gave up building a mansion on the site. He used the gatehouse as a cottage, but his wife did not like staying there. The gatehouse-turned-cottage did not have electricity, natural gas, running water, or sewer. I can see why his wife, being accustomed to the modern conveniences of Cleveland, did not enjoy living in the cottage.

Squire rarely used the cottage, and he sold it and the property to developers in 1922. Shortly afterwards, the developers went bankrupt and the Cleveland Park Board purchased the property in 1925. The old gate house was vandalized over the years, and the structure was renovated in 1995. The upper floors were removed and the basement filled in. It was not what it used to be, but at least a portion of it was saved for park visitors to enjoy.

A false legend has it that Squire’s wife fell down the stairs and died in the old gatehouse. They say her spirit haunts the structure, but that is not true because she died at their family home in Wickliffe, Ohio in 1927.

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Hills and Dales MetroPark spans sixty-three acres in the community of Kettering, which is situated south of Dayton. It’s a beautiful natural oasis that was created when the founder of National Cash Register Company, John H. Patterson, donated the land to the city in 1907. He hired John Charles Olmsted and Frederick Law Olmsted Jr. to design hiking trails and landscape the park. The two men were the nephew and son of Frederick Law Olmsted, who designed New York City’s Central Park. The park is home to pavilions, ponds and natural settings for visitors to enjoy. But it is a stone tower that stands on a hill in the south end of the park that captures many visitors’ attention.

The tower does not have an official name, but it is mostly known as the Witches Castle Stone Tower. It also has other names such as Frankenstein’s Castle, Kettering Tower, or simply The Stone Tower. Urban legend has it that the medieval looking structure is haunted and has several wild myths behind the strange hauntings. One such story is that a young woman, learning of her lover’s death in the Civil War, climbed to the top of the tower. She jumped off and committed suicide to end her grief. This story is not true because the tower is not that old. The 56 foot tall tower was constructed in 1940 by the National Youth Administration. It was part of President Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal, and stones from recently demolished buildings were used to construct the tower.

For decades, it stood on the hill and visitors could climb it and look out over the park until one tragic day in 1967. Teenager Peggy Ann Harmeson and her boyfriend took shelter in the tower during a storm. The tower was struck by lightning and Peggy was killed, and her boyfriend badly burned. Since that horrific event, the tower has been closed off. I am thinking that is when the rumors of it being cursed began. The tower stands as a reminder to enjoy the surrounding beauty and that life is a fragile thing, and we must enjoy it while we can.

If you thought this post was interesting, you will enjoy reading my Lost In Ohio book available on Amazon HERE

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I enjoy watching the treasure hunting shows such as The Curse Of Oak Island on TV. I am not sure they will ever find any gold or silver but it is interesting to watch. I am on a epic quest in search of treasure but it is not for fortune or fame. It is a quest in search of knowledge to satisfy me curiosity. As I learn about interesting places I add a mark to my map so I can see it for myself.

With a new year comes new plans. I am not sure how many of my goals I will accomplish because life always seems to get in the way but I gotta try. I am finishing up my most recent book Lost In Indiana and plan on having it published by spring. The next state will be Illinois, and I am looking forward to exploring the Land of Lincoln this summer. I am not sure what the next state will be after that.

I hope you have a happy and prosperous New Year and get a chance to go exploring, and learn something new. I think knowledge is the greatest treasure of them all.

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I have been exploring my home state of Michigan for almost 10 years and sharing my stories at www.LostinMichigan.net.  I still have more to see in the Great Lakes State but I figure it is time for me to start exploring beyond the two peninsulas and see what I can discover in the the other 49 states. I have been researching locations around the USA for the past few years and figure It is time for me to set sail on the asphalt sea and explore this beautiful country exploring back roads visiting ghost towns, natural wonders and forgotten historic sites. I enjoy looking for those out of the way, often overlooked places, that have a unique story. I hope you will enjoy my journey around America as I explore the states traveling through small towns looking for interesting stories and locations.

I like to visit all the places I post about and experience these interesting locations for myself. Because of all the places I want to visit, and the time it will take to travel to see them, I will probably be posting stories of locations I have visited and ones I want to visit until I get a chance to travel more. My posts will probably be uploaded rather sporadic for a while but I hope to at least post once a week. I recently made a trip to Florida to visit relatives and stopped at a few interesting places along the way. In my mind this seems like an overwhelming task but I know I have to start sometime and I think you will enjoy following my journey through the states.

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