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To the rag bag

June 24, 2010 in History | No comments

Hey, friends. Last week we grumbled about our dismay that Fort Wayne might close. Then we had a nice afternoon in Palmer Park, and it saved the day.

Today, the Bing administration released a list of 77 parks slated for closure on July 1. Among them: Palmer Park.

Remember when we shared that poem about the demolition of the Lewis Cass house, written in the 1880s?

Here’s General Friend Palmer on the former Territorial Governor’s home:

At the time of the demolition of the Cass [House], it was suggested by some one that the City of Detroit buy it and remove it to East Grand Circus Park, but no one in authority took any interest in the matter, the idea died out and the old historic relic when to the rag bag, so to speak.

What an attraction it would be at the present day, not only to our own citizens, but to the citizens of the entire country as well. Just witness in the season how the crowds of visitors from abroad press and crowd through the rustic log cabin at Palmer Park, a structure so suggestive, in a way, of the early days, and besides it is situated quite near (little over a stone’s throw) Mad Anthony Wayne’s road through the woods to Pontiac, over which his army marched with its artillery and wagon train so long ago.

There are many things that vex me about the closure of some of these parks. (Like the 1200-acre Rouge Park. Which is 40% bigger than Central Park.)

  • Wait, really?
  • How is this even going to work? Will there be fences? Patrols?
  • Is there anyone with the will and the capital to stop any of these parks from closing? If there were, would the City let them step in and take over?
  • What kind of collateral damage could this cause in communities served by the parks?
  • Can we do anything?

The City Council has a job to do and I respect that. It pains me, but I do.

But because I am who I am and I do what I do, I’m also pretty worried about the potential loss of these tremendous natural and historical resources. Because as the General observed in 1906, when they’re gone, they’re gone, and not just for us, but for everyone downstream of our moment in time who looks back and wonders why we didn’t have the foresight to take care of what we had when we had it.

Anyway. We’ll be keeping up on it.

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Michigan Military Figures: THE ANSWERS EDITION

June 2, 2010 in Uncategorized | No comments

After days! of suspense! Here are the answers to our special Memorial Day Michigan military figures trivia game. We might do this again sometime. We might not. It was a little silly, but we had fun.

#1

The one & only … General Mad Anthony Wayne.

#2

Colonel Jean-Francois Hamtramck. When Mad Anthony was struck with gout and returned to Pennsylvania (where he died), Hamtramck raised the flag over Fort Lernoult on July 11, 1796. He remained in Detroit until his death in 1803. He’s buried at Mt. Elliott.

#3

Alpheus Starkey Williams, a Union General in the Civil War and the subject of a huge, striking equestrian statue on Belle Isle. Williams served as a Democratic U.S. Congressman from Michigan from 1875 until his death in the U.S. Capitol building in 1878. He’s buried at Elmwood. Curious? There’s tons more to know and love about Alpheus Starkey Williams here.

#4

General George Custer.

“We all know Custer died at Little Big Horn. What this book supposes is … maybe he didn’t?”

#5

General (and Governor of the Michigan Territory) William Hull. Hull’s infamy was a result of his flabbergasting surrender of Detroit to the British during the War of 1812. Even the British were surprised. Wrote President Madison’s comptroller Richard Rush: “The nation has been deceived by a gasconading booby.” Hull was tried by court martial and sentenced to death for his blunder. Madison pardoned him. His successor, Territorial Governor Lewis Cass, likely wanted to see him shot.

#6

General Montgomery C. Meigs was Quartermaster General of the U.S. Army during the Civil War. An early assignment for Meigs? He supervised plans and construction for Detroit’s Fort Wayne. Meigs’s later, more famous projects include the Washington Aqueduct and Arlington National Cemetery.

#7

Sarah Emma Edmonds was a Canadian teenage runaway who, disguised as a man, joined the 2nd Michigan Volunteer Infantry. She served as a nurse, a mail carrier and, most alluringly, an intelligence officer across enemy lines. Learn more about her amazing story here.

#8

Ulysses S. Grant was a Lieutenant at Fort Wayne from 1849 – 1851. He lived in a house near Livernois and Fort. Today, Grant’s house is on the State Fairgrounds. More at detroit1701.org.

#9

Defamed General Justus McKinstry, son of Michigan’s amusement king Colonel David McKinstry.

#10

Russell A. Alger, whose former home in Gross Pointe is now the Grosse Pointe War Memorial and whose commemorative fountain in Grand Circus Park was designed by Daniel Chester French. Alger enlisted as a private solider in the Union Army and left the war a brevetted Major General. Later he became Governor of Michigan.

#11

It’s GENERAL FRIEND PALMER! While I was preparing for this post, I learned that the General was the Quartermaster General of Michigan during the Civil War.

#12

General Alexander Macomb, whose family once owned a sizable chunk of land on Belle Isle. After heroism during the War of 1812, Macomb  served as the commanding general of the U.S. Army from 1828 to 1841. His statue is on Washington Boulevard, across the street from the Book Cadillac hotel.

That’s it! Hope you learned something. I did!

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Detroit history, lost and found: Oliver Hazard Perry, Chevalier de Cadillac and City Hall relics

November 23, 2009 in History | 3 comments

perrys victory

Our Detroit history tour earlier this month left us with some unanswered questions about the fate of several artifacts from old City Hall, which was razed in 1961. We found some! Including a few we weren’t looking for.

Let’s check in, shall we?

I. THE CAMPUS MARTIUS

a. Find cannon from [Oliver Hazard] Perry’s victory.

These have moved to Belle Isle, standing guard in front of the Dossin Great Lakes Museum. These aren’t at all hidden, and it’s pretty common knowledge that they’re out there, but it took me stumbling on their latitude and longitude in the Historical Marker Database while I was looking for something else for the light switch to flip.

two cannons

(Also on Belle Isle: the camera batteries died, which happens a lot. Forgive the phone photography.)

Whilst waiting for some Oliver Hazard Perry admirers to conclude their photo op at the cannons,  we took a walk around the park and stopped to wonder at the tremendous limestone bell tower dedicated to Detroit News columnist Nancy Brown. Surrounded by a moat and a flock of evergreens, a few of which are fallen, behind a flaking iron gate, the structure is stately but gently blighted. I think the bells still ring, though.

nancy brown carillon

Nancy Brown was a beloved advice columnist who once inspired some 35,000 people to visit the Detroit Institute of Arts at the same time — maybe history’s first flash mob, an event the News called “Detroit’s greatest party.” Her bell tower, funded by her fervent readers, was christened in June, 1940. From a 6/24/40 Time article:

… Since 1934, at sunrise on Easter morning, Nancy Brown has sponsored a sunrise service on Belle Isle. Her readers, who flocked to the services in tens of thousands, heard preachers and speakers, but never were allowed a glimpse of her. With the fur collar of her coat turned up around her face, she mingled unnoticed among her admirers, for they had never even seen her picture.

Last week the Peace Carillon was unveiled at a sunrise dedication service on Belle Isle, and with it Nancy Brown was unveiled to her readers. Long before midnight, her audience began to gather in the grassy plaza around the limestone tower. Detroit police estimated that 100,000 people turned out to wait for Nancy.

At 4:45 a.m., as the sun rose over dewy treetops, the chimes pealed out Nearer, My God, to Thee … [and] diminutive Nancy Brown stepped to the lectern, peeped over and in a tremulous voice spoke to her readers for the first time.

c. Council chamber. Look at picture presented to Detroit by French Government, “Louis XIV delivering to Chevalier de Cadillac the ordinance and grant for the foundation of the City of Detroit.”

louis xiv and cadillac

We initially thought this painting, by Fernand LeQuesne, 1902, might be in the collection of the Detroit Institute of Arts, but they told us “No dice!” and recommended we check in with the Detroit Historical Society. Curator Joel Stone says it’s in the collection for sure, but its whereabouts within the museum are still in question — Mr. Stone thinks the painting may be in storage, but his database is behaving curiously, and word on its current location is pending.

A friend recently told me about some “women statues” in a back lot at Fort Wayne, which after trying to track down the LeQuesne painting I found out were pieces of the old City Hall — statues of Art, Commerce, Industry and Justice, plus the building’s cornerstore, cornices, archway pieces and other slabs of sandstone are apparently stacked out in the woods behind the Fort.

Fort Wayne is also home to the building’s clock face and clock tower bell. I learned more at Buildings of Detroit and detroitblog, and you can too! A field trip is, obviously, in the works.

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