Cynthia Sorensen on the
Frank Lamb History
By Cynthia Sorensen
(Cynthia Sorensen, Frank Lamb’s cousin,
adds the following to the Frank Lamb
History.)
Franklin Ensfield Lamb
Frank’s mother, Emily, was born in
Traverse City, MI. She graduated from
Traverse City Central High School and
had played basketball on the Traverse
City H.S. team that won a state title.
After graduation she worked in the
Traverse City Chamber of Commerce.
Emily decided to move to southern
Michigan, perhaps to South Haven
where a niece was teaching school.
When the Greyhound bus stopped in
Saugatuck, she liked the looks of the
town and decided to stay, as it turns out,
the rest of her life.
At this time, the Butler Hotel was open
all year and rented rooms to people who
worked in town. Emily lived there,
becoming good friends of the owners,
the Redebaughs. She worked in Edson
Crow’s restaurant, The Green Candle,
located north of the Sand Bar. At the
same time she worked for Mrs. Damouth
across the street where the Art Glass
Alcove is now located. Soon she opened
a small gift shop on Lake Mactawa
around 64th and South Shore Drive.
Eventually she took an office job with
Lawrence Lamb’s heavy construction
company. His company built the present
bridge connecting Saugatuck and
Douglas in 1936.
It was during this time that she met
Lawrence Lamb’s brother, Leonard,
1938. Leonard was a local real estate
broker and hunting guide. He was a
guide for Franklin Leach of Castle Park,
who was on the board of Quaker Oats.
Frank was named after him. Frank’s
middle name, Ensfield, was his father’s
mother’s maiden name, a name well
known in the Ganges area. Frank’s
father, Leonard, was born in Ganges
where his family had a farm on old US
31. I believe the buildings are still there.
Frank was born in 1940 in the
Community Hospital that is now the
Kirby House B&B. Leonard and Emily
had an apartment on Butler Street above
the building where the Sand bar is now
located. They soon bought the house on
Water Street where Frank grew up. The
house is now part of Marro’s restaurant.
The original house had an open porch
with a large maple tree growing up
through the porch floor.
In the middle 40’s, Emily worked for her
brother-in-law, William Sorensen, who
had a sandwich shop on Mason St. It
was a one story red brick building in
back of Marro’s building. William
Sorensen and John Ball were the cooks;
Emily was the waitress, Emily’s sister,
Anne Sorensen, was the dishwasher and
Clarice Ball made the pies. Later in the
40’s Emily decided to open her own
restaurant, “The Hollyhock House”. The
Balls opened a restaurant on Butler
Street and William Sorensen went into
the home construction business. The
building on Mason Street was sold to
Fred and LaVonne Davis. They added a
second story and had a restaurant called
“Chicken As You Like It”.
Emily had
enclosed to
dinner. She
hard at that
her porch remodeled and
serve breakfast, lunch and
decided breakfasts were too
time and ended up serving
dinners. She was the best cook in town
and there were lines waiting to get in to
eat. She was only open during the
summer season: Memorial Day to Labor
Day. Her older sister came down from
Traverse City to bake the pies, cakes and
homemade rolls. Various friends were
dishwashers and the waitresses were
college girls who had rooms in the house.
Local girls who worked in town during
the summer also rented rooms in the
house. One famous renter was Joe
Gerkin the organist from “The Dock” in
the Big Pavilion.
Leonard Lamb died in 1953 when his
son, Frank, was 13.
Emily eventually added an addition to
the porch which allowed her to be open
year around serving breakfast and lunch.
She was open when the Big Pavilion
across the street burned in May, 1960. It
was the noon hour and the restaurant was
full. No one wanted to leave. They had
a ringside seat to watch the excitement.
Eventually everyone left. The firemen
did a wonderful job of keeping the hose
on the house to keep it from burning.
The front plate glass window cracked
and the plastic covers on the sugar
shakers melted from the heat of the fire.
After the fire was out, Emily opened up
and served sandwiches and coffee to the
firemen. Frank was in college in East
Lansing and someone called him to tell
him to come home. Friends of his who
were in town came over to carry
valuables out of the house and into the
back yard.
John R. Shack (editor) 929-08