The Classic Point of Pines Hotel and Summer Resort in Port Austin, MI – 1898

Do a bit of research on Port Austin, and you can’t help but run into this picture of a large building, the Point of Pines Hotel. Postcards indicate it was active from 1898 until 1935. But little else is recorded. I saw that an original hotel registry was for sale on eBay. Someone found the registry at a flea market in Chicago. Today, that original hotel registry can be seen at the Port Austin History Center.

Founding and Construction (Late 1890s)

The Pointe of Pines Hotel was established in the late 19th century as a summer resort at the tip of Michigan’s “Thumb” region. It officially opened around 1898, during an era when the Port Austin area was beginning to attract vacationers. The hotel’s founders were John W. Buttars and his wife Mary (Maxwell) Buttars, members of a pioneering local family – the Buttars had arrived in the Port Austin vicinity as early as 1852.

John Buttars, born in 1840, was a Civil War veteran and long-time resident who saw the potential for a lakeside resort in Port Austin. The hotel was constructed as a grand wooden structure amid a grove of pine trees (hence its name), featuring a multi-story design with gabled roofs and expansive porches. Its original purpose was to serve as a summer resort hotel, offering lodging, recreation, and a cool lakeside retreat for travelers from cities such as Detroit and Bay City. Contemporary accounts and postcards describe the Pointe of Pines as a “large lakeside hotel” – a picturesque destination where guests could escape the summer heat.

Some prominent people stayed at the hotel, including Hazen S. Pingree. Pingree stayed at the hotel as the 24th governor of the State of Michigan from 1897 to 1901. He was also a four-term Republican mayor of Detroit.

Then I found this ad with the name “M.M. Buttars, Proprietor.” The Buttars were a prominent pioneer family in Port Austin and Port Crescent. It turns out that M. M. was Mary Maxwell Buttars. Not only did she own and run the resort, but she also sold cloth and picture frames.

Owners and Management Over the Years

John and Mary Buttars operated Pointe of Pines in its formative decades. Mary K. Buttars managed the day-to-day running of the resort until her death in January 1911. After Mary’s passing, John Buttars continued ownership of the hotel; he remained involved with the property until he died in 1927. Under the Buttars’ stewardship, the hotel earned a reputation for warm hospitality – Mary Buttars was remembered as an attentive hostess to the summer visitors. Little is recorded about major changes or expansions during this period; the hotel likely maintained its original Victorian-era charm throughout the early 1900s.

The ownership looks to have passed to James Cartwright in December 1911. The “Journal for Retail Merchants” noted that Cartwright was retiring from his retail business to run the Point of Pines with his son.

Following John Buttars’s death in 1927, management shifted to new hands. In mid-1930, a Mr. Herman Kleinschmidt (originally from Detroit) and his sisters took over the operation of the Pointe of Pines Hotel. Local newspaper notes from July 1930 report that the Kleinschmidt family “took possession” of the hotel, indicating a change in ownership or at least in on-site management. The transition suggests that by the late 1920s the founding family had stepped away, and fresh operators attempted to keep the business going. The Kleinschmidts ran the hotel through the early 1930s, though details of their tenure are sparse. No other major proprietors by name are well-documented in surviving records – a reflection of the fact that “little is known or recorded” about the hotel’s internal history beyond its founders.

In 1931 the hotel looked to have been owned by William Dormey, a prominent area businessman who operated the Dormey’s Blue Water Inn in Caseville starting in 1932. His Whitefish and Chicken dinner combination looks famous in the area.

Notable Events and Community Role

During its heyday in the 1900s and early 1910s, the Pointe of Pines Hotel was one of Port Austin’s social and commercial hubs. Summer tourists from around Michigan (and beyond) would arrive to enjoy the cool breezes off Lake Huron. The hotel not only provided lodging but also hosted community events, banquets, and meetings. For example, in September 1919, a regional baseball league held its season banquet at the Pointe of Pines – an event complete with a formal dinner and speeches by league officials and local dignitaries. The hotel’s dining room would be arranged for such occasions, underscoring its capacity to serve as a gathering place for the community and visitors alike.

In the 1920s, Pointe of Pines continued to play an important role in local tourism and civic life. On July 24, 1928, the hotel hosted a notable dinner meeting of the Port Austin Exchange Club, attended by representatives of the East Michigan Tourist Association. At this gathering, tourism promoters and local businessmen discussed initiatives to advertise the “recreational and scenic beauties” of Michigan’s Thumb region. The club’s president, Ted Schubel of nearby Pointe Aux Barques, presided over the meeting, and various speakers extolled the growth of regional tourism efforts. That such a meeting was held at Pointe of Pines underscores the hotel’s stature – it was evidently the premier venue in town for important functions, comfortably hosting large groups for dinner and discussion. Local newspaper coverage praised the event as one of the best the club had held, “marked by a spirit of enthusiasm,” further indicating how the hotel provided an atmosphere conducive to community celebration and cooperation.

Throughout its operation, Pointe of Pines also served ordinary travelers and vacationing families. Guests could spend their days boating or fishing in Saginaw Bay, visiting the nearby lighthouse, or taking excursions to natural attractions like Turnip Rock. Evenings at the hotel might feature informal entertainment – perhaps piano music in the parlor or social dances. While specific entertainment events at Pointe of Pines are not well documented, the era’s resort culture suggests the hotel likely offered leisure activities for guests. Newspapers in the 1900s occasionally noted gatherings at the hotel: for instance, local service clubs or school alumni groups sometimes chose Pointe of Pines for reunions and banquets, given its ample space and pleasant setting. In this way, the hotel contributed to Port Austin’s economy not only by attracting tourists, but by providing a venue for local social events, fundraisers, and club meetings that brought business to town.

The Hotel’s Decline and Closure

By the early 1930s, the Pointe of Pines Hotel began to feel the effects of changing times. The Great Depression significantly reduced travel and leisure spending; fewer urban vacationers could afford summer holidays on Lake Huron, and local businesses suffered. After roughly three and a half decades of operation, the Pointe of Pines Hotel closed its doors around the mid-1930s. Postcard evidence and local lore indicate the hotel was active until about 1935 before ceasing operations. Unlike some grand resorts that met a dramatic end (such as catastrophic fire), Pointe of Pines seems to have closed quietly and simply faded away as a business. Contemporary sources do not report any single closing event, suggesting the hotel might have shut down gradually – perhaps closing for a season and never reopening as economic conditions worsened.

With the hotel closed, the landmark building stood empty for a period of time. Eventually, the historic structure was demolished in the mid-20th century to make way for newer developments. As Port Austin evolved, the prime lakefront property on which Pointe of Pines sat was repurposed for “more modern lakeshore properties,” likely private cottages or homes built after World War II. Longtime residents recall the hotel’s location on Spring Street near Prospect Street, and how the old building was torn down once it was no longer viable. By the 1940s and 1950s, automobile travel and modern motels/cottages were the norm, and the era of the sprawling Victorian resort hotel had passed. The Pointe of Pines Hotel, once a bustling summer haven, was gone.

Legacy and Historical Records

Though the building no longer exists, the Pointe of Pines Hotel left behind a legacy in local memory and a paper trail in archives. The Port Austin History Center today holds artifacts from the hotel, most notably the original hotel register from its inaugural season in 1898. This guest register provides a tangible link to the past – one can imagine the names of early visitors carefully inscribed in 1898 when John and Mary Buttars welcomed their first guests. Such artifacts help historians piece together the story of the hotel’s clientele and operations. The local historical society also preserves photographs and other ephemera related to the hotel and Port Austin’s resort era. For instance, a hotel ledger, old postcards, and even pieces of hotel furnishings (like dishes or linens) may survive in their collections, offering a glimpse into the daily life of the resort.

Local collectors and history enthusiasts have also contributed to preserving the hotel’s memory. Postcards contributed by residents like Paul Petosky (to sites such as Genealogy Trails) offer additional views, such as a 1913 photograph of the hotel. These postcards were often unposted souvenirs, but their existence “indicates it was active from 1898 until 1935” as one historical summary notes. Even though interior photos are rare or nonexistent, the consistency of the exterior images helps us imagine the scene inside – likely wood-paneled walls, wicker lounge chairs, and rooms lit by oil lamps in the early years (later electricity as Port Austin modernized).

The search is on to find more about this exciting piece of Port Austin history. We bet there are great stories and photos about this resort buried in a file cabinet about the Point of Pines Hotel.

*Cover Image Courtesy of the Burton Historical Collection, Detroit Public Library

History of Michigan For Kids on Amazon

Sources

Historical postcards and images from the Detroit Public Library and U-M Clements Library;

Bay City Times (July 25, 1928) article on Port Austin Exchange Club dinner.

Cass City Chronicle archives; Huron County View (Port Austin Historical Society notes)

Pioneer History of Huron County.

All records consistently paint a picture of Pointe of Pines as a once-beloved, now vanished landmark of Michigan’s shoreline history.

Related Reading to the Point of Pines Hotel

The Bay Port Hotel – The Bay Port Hotel was a resort. Using rail as transport, guests could get to the calm waters of Wild Fowl Bay in a 1/2 a day, yet still have all the amenities of a big city hotel. The days of frontier resorts would soon end in the early 1900s as lumbering ended in Michigan.

Indian Villages and Sites in Huron County, Michigan – Upon its ninety miles of shoreline were numerous Indian villages and camps. These were found due to the debris left by the dwellers. The Indians in Huron County, Michigan, had a village site every few miles along the shore of Saginaw Bay.

Caseville Harbor History Compared to Fishtown – It’s only been in the last 60 years that Caseville was known as a sport fishing and pleasure boat vacation spot. Before the marinas and boat slip, it was just docked along the Pigeon River. Buildings from the iron foundry, sawmill, and salt block stood as an industrial powerhouse from Caseville’s Days.

The Corner Drug & Jewelry Store, Harbor Beach, Michigan – This iconic Harbor Beach store continues today as a unique retailer with a wide range of products. The Corner Store in Harbor Beach offers vinyl records, CDs, posters, memorabilia, magazines, and entertainment collectibles. It also has a selection of vintage, collectible books focused on Michigan and the Thumb region.