All over the state you can stay in homes built by 19th Century lumber barons that are now bed and breakfasts, thanks to people with vision, money, and a deep appreciation for Michigan history who have rescued them from uncertain fates.

Who are these passionate preservationists who have repurposed, renovated, restored and, in many ways, redefined these grand old homes?

They are people of many past professions who decided to become #MichBnB innkeepers.

Let’s hear it for the efforts these intrepid innkeepers have made to provide guests with today’s comforts — plumbing, lighting, central heat and air, WiFi — while preserving the past glory of their homes.

Of course, it isn’t only lumber barons who built these Queen Anne, neoclassical, Italianate, and Greek Revival homes between the 1860s and into the first quarter of the 20th Century:

• Kalamazoo House was built by a cigar maker at a time when Kalamazoo was known for that industry.
• Dempsey Manor Inn in Manistee was built in the French Neo-Renaissance style for lumber baron James Dempsey.
• In nearby Onekama, Canfield House B&B was originally the summer home of another lumber baron.

• Saravilla in Alma was built by a wealthy man who wanted to keep his married daughter close to home.
• In Fennville, a university agricultural researcher who identified Southwest Michigan’s soil and climate as ideal for apple and peach orchards built what is now Kingsley House B&B.
• A more modest iteration of the massive mansion that is now Nordic Pineapple B&B in St. Johns was built in 1861 by an attorney who had served with distinction in the Civil War and later was a U.S. Congressman and a Michigan Secretary of State.
• The summer retreat for the family of the man who innovated the semi-trailer is now Maple Cove B&B in Leonard.

And the list goes on… Beautiful homes. Fascinating stories.

Why have so many of Michigan’s grand old homes become B&Bs? Three reasons:

• Because ordinary people just don’t need 12 bedrooms and butler’s pantries anymore
• Because it seems criminal to divvy up these classics into apartments
• And because you need a very cool Michigan history getaway.

Take your pick….