Michigan State Historic Preservation Office

09/11/2026

As we reflect back on the tragedy of 9/11 and the strength of American resilience, perhaps you didn't know that the World Trade Center was actually designed here in Michigan, or that the State of Michigan actually owns the plans for the original World Trade Center. How did this come to be? Be sure to watch the video! 👇

(Viewers who do not wish to see scenes from 9/11 can skip ahead to the 2:00 minute mark in the video.)

You may have heard his name mentioned during one of the darkest periods in American history

09/10/2026

Attention historic Michigan lighthouses! 📣 We are now accepting applications for the 2027 Michigan Lighthouse Assistance Program (MLAP) grant. Apply for up to $60,000 for preservation planning or rehabilitation ("bricks and mortar") projects. Deadline: Nov. 20, 2026. Application manual & Details: https://mi.gov/saveourlights.

09/07/2026

In honor of 906 Day this weekend, let's check out the Upper Peninsula's native building material - Jacobsville Sandstone, unique to the U.P. and Lake Superior region!

Hundreds of millions of years ago, sediments were deposited in rivers and shallow seas which covered much of what is now northern Michigan. These sediments were compacted over millennia into sandstone, a tough but workable stone with a high endurance to heat and cold. The stone began to be quarried in the second half of the 1800s, a fireproof building material in the wake of fires which in some cases charred entire villages and cities.

A few dozen mines surrounding Lake Superior quarried the stone during a period until the 1910s. Several important quarries were located near Jacobsville, on the eastern side of the Keweenaw Peninsula, giving the stone its name. It is also known as Lake Superior Sandstone, redstone, or brownstone. The deep red hue is its trademark.

Jacobsville Sandstone was used in the construction of important buildings across the U.P. and the Lake Superior region, including courthouses, churches, train stations, and everyday commercial and residential buildings. The stone was so desirable that it was taken by train for projects in major cities like Chicago, Detroit, and even in the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York.

Enjoy a selection of Sandstone photos from our collection.

Is there a sandstone building that stands out to you? Let us know in the comments!

📍 1. former Calumet & Hecla Public Library, Calumet
📍 2. Breitung mausoleum, Marquette
📍 3. Bank, Lake Linden
📍 4. Building side wall, downtown Ishpeming
📍 5. Edison Soo Hydro, Sault Ste. Marie
📍 6. Bosch Brewery Bottling, Lake Linden
📍 7. Calumet Theatre, Calumet
📍 8. Holy Family Orphanage, Marquette
📍 9. Salvation Army, Sault Ste. Marie
📍 10. Old Main, Suomi College, Hancock

09/06/2026

Happy 906 Day! Today we celebrate all things Upper Peninsula on the day of the peninsula's own (906) area code. The U.P. is known for a diverse mix of historic and culturally-significant sites, which drive both tourism and economic opportunity.

We’ll see you soon! Several SHPO staff including state historic preservation officer Ryan Schumaker will be heading to the U.P. later this month to visit places where SHPO projects are underway or recently completed, including sites in Alger, Chippewa, Gogebic, Houghton, Iron, and Keweenaw counties.

What’s your favorite historic place in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula?

09/05/2026

In honor of 906 Day this weekend, let's check out the Upper Peninsula's seven National Historic Landmark-designated sites!

A National Historic Landmark is a historic building, site, structure, object or district that represents an outstanding aspect of American history and culture and embodies national significance. Most of these places are open to the public. You can learn more about each of these sites, including their historic significance at https://www.miplace.org/historic-preservation/programs-and-services/historic-landmarks/

1. Mackinac Island (yep, the whole island!) Historic Landmark District

2. Quincy Mining Company Historic Landmark District, Keweenaw Peninsula

3. Soo Locks/St. Marys Falls Historic Landmark District, Sault Ste. Marie

4. St. Ignace Mission/Museum of Ojibwa Culture, St. Ignace

5. View of Lake Superior from the Minong Mine Historic Landmark District, Isle Royale

6. Calumet Historic Landmark District, Calumet

7. The Grand Hotel, Mackinac Island

09/04/2026

We're coming up to 906 Day, and this weekend we are posting about special historic places in Michigan's Upper Peninsula! Each month SHPO is sharing highlights from an Historic Resource Survey conducted as part of our efforts to identify important historic places around Michigan. Today, we visit the Seney National Wildlife Refuge Area in Germfask, Schoolcraft County.

The Seney National Wildlife Refuge is located near the center of the Upper Peninsula and encompasses over 95,000 acres roughly bounded by M-28 to the north, M-77 and the Manistique River to the east, West Branch Road and Creigton Truck Trail to the west and private property to the south. The refuge was established in 1935 and was the first wildlife refuge in Michigan to create engineered habitat for waterfowl and other wildlife. The landscape contains roadways, bridges, water control structures, dikes, dams and culverts as well as buildings constructed by the WPA and CCC.

In 2020, a Historic Resource Survey was conducted at Seney. A total of 134 buildings and structures were identified that had been constructed between 1935 and 1975. The survey documented each of these and assessed their eligibility for the National Register of Historic Places.

These photos illustrate some highlights!

- with Seney National Wildlife Refuge

09/02/2026

Initial progress is being made with the rehabilitation of the historic Saginaw County Fairgrounds Main Gate! Funded in part by a Certified Local Government (CLG) program grant from MISHPO, the City of Saginaw will complete masonry repair and rehabilitation at the 1929-built entry for the Saginaw fairgrounds, which exhibits Craftsman architectural influences. The gate house served as the main entry to the fairgrounds for more than 70 years. This grant will contribute to ongoing rehabilitation efforts by the City to protect and reinvest in the property, which is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Check out the current photos with the overgrown "before" condition in the last image. Masonry work will kickoff in 2027. Cheers! 🎊

08/28/2026

Earlier this month SHPO staff arrived in Detroit for a tour day to visit several historic sites in the city where we have been involved in recent projects. The day began with a behind-the-scenes tour at the restored Michigan Central Station, a federal historic tax credit project that also received a Governor's Award for Historic Preservation in 2025.

Lunch included a variety of options, several of which are located in the Bagley-West Vernor Historic District, which was recently-listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

In the afternoon, we enjoyed a boat tour on the Detroit River where we viewed progress on the Detroit Riverwalk, numerous historic sites, and Section 106 project locations from the water perspective. We even got a visit from Detroit's mailboat!

It's important to get out there and see "the stuff" in person that we work with every day.

Thanks to The Christman Company, Quinn Evans, and Diamond Jack's River Tours for an informative and memorable day!

08/26/2026

Section 106 success: one bridge, two problems solved!

This 1923-built camelback pony truss bridge on Highway M-86 was listed in the National Register in 2000. By 2011 had become functionally obsolete, but was also the last of its kind on a state trunkline. In planning for its replacement, as part of the Section 106 process MDOT began searching for a county road department in need of a bridge for local traffic, where the M-86 bridge might see continued life.

That partner was found in the Cass County Road Commission, which was seeking to replace an equally elderly bridge where Crystal Spring Road crosses over the Dowagiac River. This limited traffic location allowed the pony truss bridge to be rehabilitated with rivets, in compliance with the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation.

The bridge was carefully disassembled and steel was cleaned or replaced were needed. Skilled riveters replaced nearly 1,400 hot rivets, in the same manner as the bridge was originally constructed. The steel was reassembled on new piers and given a fresh coat of paint. It has become a landmark for both motorists and kayakers who frequent this stretch of the river. In this project, a significant bridge was saved, and given a new home where it will continue to function long into its second century. The project was awarded a Governor's Award for Historic Preservation by the State of Michigan in 2021.

Learn more about the project and watch the short video at: https://www.miplace.org/historic-preservation/programs-and-services/governors-awards-for-historic-preservation/m-86-camelback-pony-truss-bridge-pokagon-township/

08/25/2026

Happy birthday to the National Park Service! On this date 110 years ago, President Woodrow Wilson signed the National Park Service Organic Act into law, creating the modern park system Americans love today. Michigan has five National Park System units - Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, River Raisin National Battlefield Park, Keweenaw National Historical Park, and, the most remote of them all, Isle Royale National Park.

Isle Royale contains a pristine and rugged ecosystem, and is also home to numerous cultural resources and sites showing evidence of more than 5,000 years of human activities on the island, including copper mining, lighthouses, fisheries, and harbors. Isle Royale National Park and partners were recognized earlier this year for their Collaborative Stewardship of Archaeological Resources project with a Governor's Award for Historic Preservation from the State of Michigan. Learn more about that project and watch the video here: https://www.miplace.org/historic-preservation/programs-and-services/governors-awards-for-historic-preservation/isle-royale-archaeological-resources/

Enjoy this album of photos from across Isle Royale.