Spring Cleaning Begins!

A gang of FOHR members started some exterior debris pick-up around the barn on Sunday April 27th. Some interior work was continued also.

This weekends' activities felt like the first gathering of the Spring/Summer as the weather and temperatures were nice for working outside.

We used the "treasure" display to create an info. table for passers-by. The HUGE dumpster is getting filled (again) from all of the clean-up efforts!

March Arrives Like a White Lion!

And the barn is covered in another white blanket of snow!

The DNR rangers were plowing this Saturday... check out these great shots of the plow and the truck roaring by!

Eva and I drive into the Highland Recreation Area fairly often because we live nearby and love the outdoors. March 1st several folks were getting outside to go skiing and hiking even at 8:30 in the morning. Interest and use of the area seems high/good to me.

Haven Hill Lodge Ruins

Well I finally did it... I grabbed the dog and we headed over to the rec. area and hiked up to the ruins of the Edsel Ford Haven Hill lodge. Beautiful in winter, the ruins seemed kind of pristine covered by a blanket of snow. This was my 1st visit to the ruins - I had heard of the site that is inside of the Highland Recreation Area in Southeast Michigan several years ago. From the parking area the hike appears to be just at or under a mile (I'm guessing) until you come upon the "carriage house" or what appears to have been the "welcoming building" for guests.

This is an amazing little cabin - the only remaining structure from Edsel's day.

I am told that this carriage house is an excellent example how the lodge was constructed - solid stacked logs and a wonderful stone chimney.

From the backside it's obvious that vandals have broken into the old building - a gaping hole in a plywood board covering the window to a bathroom. Shame.

Here's a great photo (below) of the Haven Hill Carriage House - larger size. Click to view the full-size image.

As you look North and slightly west you then see what appears to be the remnants of an arched entranceway to what I assume was a walkway to the lodge's front door.

Then a large fireplace/chimney appears and you can begin to understand the actual size of the lodge by the ruins of the foundation. I wish I had seen the actual building before it was burned to the ground in 1997.

This day in mid February the snow was obscuring the ground all around and inside the foundation.

The building must have been truly amazing in it's hay day! And to think that the likes of Thomas Edison, Admiral Bird, and other famous figures have stood right there many years ago!

PRESERVATION: Sometimes I wonder if the information that I'm posting on this website might result in those with "ill-wills" damaging a historic site like this. I hope not. As a matter of fact, I believe that by sharing this information maybe attention can be drawn to this amazing location that might inspire caring persons to visit the area and be a part of its' preservation. Come and see and join the forces for good will!

Barn in a Deep Freeze

The only thing nice about today in Michigan was the sunshine managed to make it out between the clouds of blowing snow.  Eva and I went over to the barn inside of the Highland Recreation Area at about 10:30 am and the temperature was nearly only 4 Degrees! Wind chills are well below zero - and the wind has been blowing over 30 miles per hour all day! This photo gives the viewer a good perspective of how large the barn really is...

I took the photo looking to the North East down the hill. Click to see the full-sized picture. Is this picture "cool" or what? lol

Barn in a Blanket

The other day we received another 6 - 8 inches of snow. The barn seemed to be sleeping under a white fluffy winter blanket.

Barn Preservation/Renovation Goes High Tech!

I'm doing some experiments with PC software that can assist with interior and exterior design projects. Here's a start at re-creating the barn inside of a computer.

Pretty slick. This new way of looking at things really opens up the creative possibilities for the renovation/restoration. The graphics are 100% "fly-by" tourable. You can fly around and through the building!