East Village in Detroit in Wayne County, Michigan — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

Ossian Sweet House
⎯⎯⎯
Dr. Ossian Sweet

Photographed by J.T. Lambrou, May 5, 2021

1. Ossian Sweet House / Dr. Ossian Sweet Marker

Side 1

Inscription. Ossian Sweet HouseAfrican American physician Ossian Sweet and his wife, Gladys, purchased this house in May 1925. When the Sweets moved into their home on September 8, white residents who objected to blacks moving into the neighborhood formed a crowd on the street. The next day hundreds of people converged on the corner of Charlevoix and Garland Streets intent on driving the Sweets from their home. The mob threw rocks and bricks at the house while the Sweets and nine others took refuge inside. In the evening shots rang out and a white man was killed. The police charged the people inside the Sweet house with murder. The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People hired attorney Clarence Darrow, who argued that people, regardless of their race, have a right to protect their homes. Dr. Ossian SweetThe murder trial of Dr. Ossian Sweet, his wife, Gladys, and nine others was one of the most celebrated cases in Detroit’s legal history. The Honorable Frank Murphy, a future Michigan governor and U.S. Supreme Court justice, presided, and eminent attorney Clarence Darrow defended. The trial ended in a hung jury with

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the judge declaring a mistrial. Sweet’s brother Henry was tried separately and acquitted. After the trial, Ossian returned to the medical practice he had started in 1921 following graduation from Howard University in Washington, D.C., and study in Vienna, Austria. His wife and daughter died of tuberculosis in 1926. In 1929 Sweet co-founded Good Samaritan Hospital, which became a tuberculosis hospital in 1936. Ossian Sweet lived in this house until 1944. He died in 1960.

Erected 2004 by Michigan Historical Commission - Michigan Historical Center. (Marker Number S461.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Civil Rights. In addition, it is included in the Michigan Historical Commission series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1925.

Location. 42° 22.211′ N, 82° 59.06′ W. Marker is in Detroit, Michigan, in Wayne County. It is in East Village. It is at the intersection of Charlevoix Street and Charlevoix Street, on the right when traveling west on Charlevoix Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 2905 Garland St, Detroit MI 48214,

Photographed by J.T. Lambrou, May 5, 2021

2. Ossian Sweet House / Dr. Ossian Sweet Marker

Side 2

United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Southeast Michigan.

It is also in the American Midwest.

Globally, it is in North America,

on the Great Lakes,

in the Western Hemisphere,

in the Western World,

and in the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Viceroyalty of New France

and also the Northwest Territory.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: The Spiritual Israel Church and Its Army (approx. 0.4 miles away); Pewabic Pottery / Mary Chase Perry Stratton (approx. 0.6 miles away); Eastern Liggett School / Detroit Waldorf School (approx. ¾ mile away); Indian Village (approx. 0.9 miles away); Jefferson Avenue Presbyterian Church (approx. 1.1 miles away); Setting the Stage (approx. 1.4 miles away); Detroit Yacht Club (approx. 1.6 miles away); Last Tollgate in Detroit (approx. 1.6 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Detroit.

Also see . . . Encyclopedia of Detroit. Excerpt:

In 1925, Dr. Ossian Sweet, a prominent African American physician, purchased a home in an
Photographed by J.T. Lambrou, May 5, 2021

3. Ossian Sweet House NRHP Marker
The Ossian Sweet House was added to the National Register of Historic Places April 4, 1985.
all-white Detroit neighborhood. The result was a mob scene, a murder charge, and a landmark lawsuit that helped define Detroit race relations.

(Submitted on May 11, 2021, by J.T. Lambrou of New Boston, Michigan.)

Photographed by J.T. Lambrou, May 5, 2021

4. Ossian Sweet House / Dr. Ossian Sweet Marker

Intersection of Charlevoix and Garland as discussed on marker

Credits. This page was last revised on February 12, 2023. It was originally submitted on May 11, 2021, by J.T. Lambrou of New Boston, Michigan. This page has been viewed 945 times since then and 54 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on May 11, 2021, by J.T. Lambrou of New Boston, Michigan. • Mark Hilton was the editor who published this page.

Ossian Sweet House⎯⎯⎯Dr. Ossian Sweet

Ossian Sweet House
⎯⎯⎯
Dr. Ossian Sweet