Ann Arbor in Washtenaw County, Michigan — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
The Last Deposit
On a hot August night in 1927 four fully loaded interurban freight cars, parked near the County Fairgrounds (out Jackson Ave., where Veterans Park is today), broke loose from their couplings and began rolling back to town. Gaining momentum with every downhill turn of the wheels, they screeched around the Jackson-Huron bend, and careened through residential areas and under the Ann Arbor Railroad viaduct over Huron St. Climbing the grade toward Main St., the freight cars lost little speed. Where the tracks made a 90-degree turn onto Main St., the cars leaped the rails at forty miles an hour and smashed into the lobby of the Farmers & Mechanics Bank.
Late diners at Prochnow's Dairy Lunch next door were thrown from their seats by the tremendous impact. The walls bulged and bricks flew into the streets. Late patrons at Candyland on Huron St. and the Sugar Bowl Restaurant on Main St. rushed into the street and were showered with particles of dust and brick settling from the air.
Amazingly, nobody was seriously hurt. A director of the bank was on the scene afterward comforting officials and stockholders. "This is the largest deposit in the history of Farmers and Mechanics Bank," he declared. "I hope we shall never have another like it."
Sponsored by National City
Photos courtesy of the Bentley Historical Library
Erected by Ann Arbor Historical Foundation.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Disasters • Railroads & Streetcars. A significant historical year for this entry is 1927.
Location. 42° 16.88′ N, 83° 44.901′ W. Marker is in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in Washtenaw County. Marker is at the intersection of East Huron Street (Business Interstate 94) and Main Street, on the right when traveling east on East Huron Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 101 South Main Street, Ann Arbor MI 48104, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Hospitality on Courthouse Square (a few steps from this marker); Architecture & Business on Courthouse Square (a few steps from this marker); A Landmark of Civic Pride on Courthouse Square (a few steps from this marker); Michigan Becomes a State (within shouting distance of this marker); Building New Around Old: The Construction of the Present Courthouse (within shouting distance of this marker); Departing Heroes and the Home Front (within shouting distance of this marker); Courthouse Square: A Center of Civic Life (within shouting distance of this marker); Politics and Processions on Courthouse Square (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Ann Arbor.
Credits. This page was last revised on March 31, 2021. It was originally submitted on March 31, 2021, by Joel Seewald of Madison Heights, Michigan. This page has been viewed 128 times since then and 13 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on March 31, 2021, by Joel Seewald of Madison Heights, Michigan.