PRESQUE ISLE COUNTY HISTORICAL MUSEUM    

                               THE BRADLEY HOUSE  & THE HOFFMAN ANNEX        

 

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History
 

A Century In Stone
Calcite Quarry History

 

November Requiem
Carl D. Bradley

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

JUST PUBLISHED!
 

     MOLITOR 

    Produced in advance of the 2021 150th anniversary of both Presque Isle County and Rogers City, MOLITOR: The Murder of a Northern Michigan King is the story of Albert Molitor, the man most responsible for the founding of both the county and city.  In 1875, he was murdered by a large group of farmers from the area around Rogers City, but it took sixteen years before anyone was charged with the crime.

            “Everything about the murder was a little bizarre,” says author Mark Thompson.  “There were 15 local men involved in killing Molitor, almost all of whom were hard-working, God-fearing farmers from the surrounding area.  There were 13 in the actual ‘murder squad’ that came into town to kill him on the evening of August 23, 1875.  That’s fairly unusual as murders go, but even more unusual is the fact that while evidence suggests that a couple of Boy Scouts working on ‘crime prevention’ merit badges could probably have rounded up at least a few of the guilty party before the sun came up the day following the murder, nobody was charged with the crime for 16 years.  The whole affair was sort of frontier justice at its worst.”

            Thompson says that he is particularly proud of the amount of new information included in the book, especially from European sources.  He credits a group of “avid amateur genealogists” who formed a closed Facebook group to help him track down information from government agencies, churches, and other sources, mainly in Germany.  The group included Julian Hoppe, Christopher Paul, Tammy Szatkowski Reeves, and Brad Tadajewski, all natives of the area.  Christopher Paul’s mother Lisa, a native of Germany, also aided in translating a lot of the documents.  “All I had to do was put my questions on the Facebook site and they would go to work,” said Thompson.  “They were able to find answers to a lot of questions that were previously unanswered.”

            The Molitor book is the eleventh in the museum’s Local History Book Series that was started in 2006 by Thompson and the late James Hopp.  It is available for $20 in the museum gift shop in the Hoffman Annex, across the street from the Bradley House, at Radio Shack in Rogers City, or online at www.thebradleyhouse.org.  All proceeds from the sale of the book go to fund the museum’s programs and activities.

Now available in the Gift Shop $20.00

or

order online $20.00 + $6.65 shipping!

 

 

 

Early Histories of:

Hagensville • Hawks • Metz

Millersburg • Onaway • Posen

Also Including:

Providence • Polaski • Case

Liske • Ocqueoc • Orchard

Bunton • Hurst • Crow Dam

 

     They were all lumber towns during the last years of Michigan’s great lumber boom.  Some were small settlements; some were large.  For most of these inland settlements, their prosperity was dependent not just on the forests, but on the Detroit & Mackinac Railway.

     Most were “boom towns.”  Like shooting stars they emerged from virtual obscurity and flashed into prominence almost overnight.  Unfortunately, their lights dimmed almost as fast.

    When the speculators...and the lumberjacks...and the failed business owners left, it was the stalwart farmers who allowed the communities to survive.

       While a few became ghost towns, most still exist, but in a dramatically altered state, their “golden years” now generations in the past.

 

Now available in the Gift Shop $20.00

or

order online $20.00 + $6.65 shipping!

 

             
 


                     The Museum Store
          

   
"Almost an Island"

A New Local History Book By
Gerald Micketti & Mark Thompson

 
• The Real Story of the Founding of Rogers City

  The Most Complete Story of the Murder
of the Notorious Albert Molitor,
the Self-Appointed “King of Presque Isle County”

• Stories of the Ghost Towns of Bell, Thompson’s Harbor, Crawford’s Quarry, Spensville, Clay Banks, Hammond, and Grace

Price:  $20.00
Plus Shipping : $
6.65 in the continental U.S.
   

 

 

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Michigan Historical Society award winner
 

"Calcite and the Bradley Boats "
                A Pictorial History

Centennial Edition

By Gerald Micketti and Mark Thompson

             In celebration of the 100th anniversary of the start of production at
Calcite and the launching of Steamer Calcite, local historians Jerry Micketti
and Mark Thompson have teamed up to produce the definitive history of the
Calcite Plant and the Bradley Transportation fleet.  In text and photos, they
trace the history of Calcite from the incorporation of Michigan Limestone &
Chemical Co. in 1910 to the plant’s recent purchase by Carmeuse Lime & Stone.
            Much of the material in the book has never appeared in print before,
including insider details from the early days of the company that were gleaned
from minutes of the corporation’s Board of Directors.  The text is profusely
illustrated with historic photos, primarily from Calcite’s own massive
photographic collection, now in the historical museum’s collection.

            Anyone with ties to Calcite, the Bradley boats, or the Rogers City area
will want this book in their collection. 

 412 pages, 494 photos

$25.OO + $6.65 SHIPPING in continental U.S.

 

 

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"HARRY"

TEACHER
PRINCIPAL
SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS

 

The book is based on 21 tape recordings that Grambau made between
1994 and his death in 1997.  Grambau was a native of Rogers City who
earned a teaching degree at Michigan State College and returned to his
hometown to teach.  In 1944, he was appointed high school principal and
in 1950 he became Superintendent of Schools.  He held that position until
his retirement in 1973.  An inveterate local historian, Grambau’s tapes
recounted his memories of growing up in the Rogers City area and provide
many unique insights into the history of the community.  To publish the
book, Hopp and the staff of the Presque Isle County Historical Museum
spent a year editing a transcript of the tapes and adding illustrations to the
text.

$20.00 + $6.65 shipping in continental U.S.

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"Mayday!  Tragedy at Sea"

By Jim Hopp

The Sinking of the SS Carl D. Bradley and SS Cedarville

Click Here to learn more

 $20.00 + $6.65 shipping in continental U.S.   


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EXCELLENT READING!

 

 

 



"BABY BOOMER II"
$20.00 + $6.65 shipping in continental U.S.

Click Here to learn more about the new
BOOMER'S BOOK

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Learn More

 

 

 

 

NOW IN A BOUND VERSION WITH THE
ORIGINAL NINA FERDELMAN LETTER!

"Virgin Forest to Modern Homes"

A History of Rogers City, Michigan, 1870-1947 

                Simply the best early history of Rogers City.  What makes it
remarkable is that it was written in 1947 by Mrs. Nina Ferdelman’s
7th grade class.  Based on interviews of early  residents, the book
contains fascinating stories from the early history of our community. 
142 pages.  89 illustrations. 

 $20.00 + $6.65 shipping in continental U.S.   

 
OUT OF STOCK


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"The Metz Fire of 1908"

Nothing better captures the horrors of the Metz Fire than the words of Pastor
Ernest Thieme of St. Peter’s Lutheran Church:

Sunday, I buried, at one funeral service, ten of the
members of our church who died in the fire.  It was a
strange worship service, which I conducted with a loudly
sobbing congregation alongside a church in ashes,
conducted over open graves.  I never experienced such
despair in my whole life.  At first, I could not even begin. 
I leaned against a lonely standing fence post and wept,
perhaps the first time since I was a child.”
   

$20.00 + $6.65 shipping in continental U.S.


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Other Books by Local Authors


Rogers City:  It First 100 Years by the Rogers City Centennial Committee

1903 Plat Book of Alpena, Presque Isle and Montmorency Counties

 

Local and Regional History Publications


Millersburg United Methodist Church

Village of Millersburg Centennial Book

Mail by the Pail (Children)

Eight Steamboats

Copper-Toed Boots (Children)

Paddle to the Sea (Children)

Tin Stackers, a History of the Pittsburgh Steamship Fleet

Iron Fleet, Great Lakes Shipping During World War II

Freshwater Fury, the Best Account of the Great Storm of 1913

Deep Woods Frontier (Children)

Legend of Michigan (Children)

The Cedarville Conspiracy

Great Lakes Bulk Carriers, a Complete Guide to All the Bulk Freighters Built on the Great Lakes, 1869-1985

Black November, the Sinking of the Steamer Carl D. Bradley

 

Historical Photos

 

                We carry a large selection of historical photos from the museum’s various
photographic collections.  We carry photos of all of the ships of the Bradley Fleet, the
Great Lakes Fleet, and most other fleets that have employed sailors from our area.  If you
don’t find a photo of the ship you’re looking for in our collection, we can get one for you! 
These make great gifts for the sailors and former sailors in your family.

                Many photos from The Calcite Collection are available for purchase.  Included is
a series of photos that includes images of all the “company houses” on Lake Street,
First Street, Second Street, Tank Addition, Woodward, and Ira. 

                We are in the process of adding many photos by Ferris Parsons to our gift
shop inventory.  Included are numerous photos of confirmation classes, first
communion groups, school classes and activities, service clubs, church events
and activities throughout Presque Isle County.  Look through the photos, you may
find a picture of yourself!

 

Other Items

 

I Went to the Old Yellow School” T-Shirts

Bradley House—Presque Isle County Historical Museum” T-Shirts

Old Museum Calendars Containing Historic Photos

 

   
 

                                                                                                               Webmaster  Rich Warwick