This Victorian structure built in the early 1890s houses the Detroit chapter of the first national Greek letter fraternity established at a Negro University. Omega Psi Phi was founded in 1911 at Howard University in Washington D.C. The Greek . . . — — Map (db m84636) HM
Robert Pauli Scherer (1906-1960) was a native of Detroit and a graduate of Detroit's public schools. In 1930, at the age of twenty-four, he invented the rotary die encapsulation machine in a workshop located in the basement of this structure. The . . . — — Map (db m84640) HM
Founded in 1907, the Scarab Club is one of Michigan's oldest arts organizations. Originally called the Hopkin Club after Detroit marine painter Robert Hopkin, it was renamed in 1913. The scarab, an Egyptian symbol of rebirth, represents the club's . . . — — Map (db m84639) HM
No hostile shots have ever been fired from this star-shaped fort built in the 1840s to guard against a British invasion from Canada which never came. This third bastion to protect the river approach to the city was named for General "Mad" Anthony . . . — — Map (db m14292) HM
Temple No. 1
The Workman’s Circle, a Jewish Labor Fraternity, erected this building in 1940. Temple No. 1 of the Nation of Islam purchased it in the 1950s. By then, the Nation of Islam, led by the Hon. Elijah Muhammad, had established temples . . . — — Map (db m175037) HM
Los Angeles artist Robert Graham (born 1938) Is well-known for his sculptures based on the human form. This monumental bronze, a tribute to the great boxer Joe Louis, is a gift from Sports Illustrated to the people of the City of Detroit, the . . . — — Map (db m236316) HM
Older than the state of Michigan, the Detroit Free Press began publishing as the Democratic Free Press and Michigan Intelligencer May 5, 1831. The Free Press supported the drive for statehood, helped establish the Associated . . . — — Map (db m91347) HM
Marshall Fredericks Jan. 23, 1908 - Apr. 4, 1998
Dedicated by
the members of the Detroit Athletic Club
to the brave Americans who,
to assure the freedom and safety of
our nation & community,
have put their lives in harm's way
as police, . . . — — Map (db m208272) WM
Historian, activist, and playwright, Beatrice M. Buck made it her life's
work to preserve the history and culture of the great Paradise Valley in
Detroit, Michigan.
In Detroit's Paradise Valley, individuals, families, businesses, the . . . — — Map (db m209229) HM
This marker commemorates the birthplace of the Ford Motor car. Here in 1892, Henry Ford began experimenting with the motorized vehicle in his workshop, a small one-story brick structure, once located on this site. His invention was quite simple . . . — — Map (db m174295) HM
Lewis Cass, governor of the Territory of Michigan, approved a constitution for the First Methodist Episcopal Society May 17, 1822. This church, a direct successor, was designed by Gordon W. Lloyd. It was completed in 1867 by the combined efforts of . . . — — Map (db m42313) HM
Alexander Chapoton built this Queen Anne style townhouse in the early 1870s. Chapoton, a builder, was one of the contractors for the state capitol in Lansing. A descendant of one of Detroit’s oldest families, he was a state legislator and a member . . . — — Map (db m174292) HM
The Great Sauk Trail, the most important Indian trail in the Great Lakes region, was used later by French explorers, fur traders, missionaries, and soldiers. After the 1760's the trail became a major road for British and American travelers. In the . . . — — Map (db m42298) HM
This plaque is issued by the
Historical Society of Michigan
in recognition of
Comerica Incorporated
Founded in 1849
For more than 100 years
of continuous operation in service
to the people of Michigan
and for . . . — — Map (db m91682) HM
David Dunbar BuickDavid Dunbar Buick, for whom the Buick automobile is named, came to Detroit from Scotland with his parents in 1856 at age two. A plumbing inventor and businessman, Buick turned to building gasoline engines for boats on the . . . — — Map (db m180137) HM
Opened in 1915, this building was named for David Whitney, Jr. (1830-1900), a Detroit lumber, real estate and shipping magnate. During construction, the Detroit Free Press called it the “finest in the country.” Daniel H. Burnham and Company . . . — — Map (db m174309) HM
The office of the Plaindealer, Detroit’s first successful black newspaper, was located on this site. Founded in 1883 by five young men, it served as an advocate of black interests in Michigan and throughout the Midwest. Especially concerned . . . — — Map (db m174296) HM
Detroit Club
712 Cass Avenue
Has Been Placed On The
National Register
Of Historic Places
By the United States
Department Of The Interior
1892 — — Map (db m174308) HM
This plaque is issued by the
Historical Society of Michigan
in recognition of
Detroit Free Press
Founded in 1831
For more than 150 years
of continuous operation in service
to the people of Michigan
and for . . . — — Map (db m91356)
For centuries, Native People used the Detroit River for travel, trade, and food. From 1701 to the mid-19th century, French, British, and American settlers used the River the same way. After 1870, companies that processed steel, chemicals, . . . — — Map (db m33419) HM
This tablet marks the site of Detroit's "Underground Railway Station"
A large brick building known as "The Finney House Barn," was located here and used as a depot for helping slaves gain freedom into Canada from 1833 until the Civil . . . — — Map (db m91616) HM
Erected by
The People of the City of Detroit
In commemoration of the achievements of
Thomas Alva Edison
In the realm of electricity — — Map (db m211354) HM
Seymour Finney conducted one of the principal passenger depots of the underground railroad in the Detroit area. Finney, a tailor by trade, later became a hotel-keeper, and it was in this capacity that he assisted fugitive slaves in the era prior to . . . — — Map (db m41190) HM
Near this site, in 1850, a small group of German-Jewish immigrants gathered at the home of Isaac and Sarah Cozens and formed the Bet El Society. Here Marcus Cohen, a layman, conducted the first Jewish religious service in Detroit. The following . . . — — Map (db m174196) HM
Among Detroit’s first skyscrapers, the nineteen-story Ford Building was built between 1907 and 1909. The Chicago architectural firm Daniel H. Burnham and Company designed it and two other Detroit buildings, the Majestic and the Dime. One of the . . . — — Map (db m90780) HM
Ford Motor Company was incorporated as an automobile manufacturer on June 16, 1903. The articles of incorporation were drawn up and signed in the office of Alexander Y. Malcomson, who operated a coal yard once located on this site. Henry Ford gave . . . — — Map (db m33525) HM
This marks the site of the southwest bastion of Fort Lernoult. It was here, on July 11, 1796, that the American flag was first flown over Detroit. The fort was built by the British in 1778-79 to protect Detroit against the possibility of attack by . . . — — Map (db m21736) HM
The first permanent French settlement in the Detroit region was built on this site in 1701. The location was recommended by Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac, who wished to move the fur trade center south from Michilimackinac. Cadillac's plan was . . . — — Map (db m21853) HM
Second Presbyterian Church was organized in 1849 by the Reverend Robert K. Kellogg and twenty-six charter members. The present limestone building, dedicated in 1855, was designed by Octavius and Albert Jordan in Gothic Revival style. Renamed in 1859 . . . — — Map (db m91345) HM
In the home of William Webb, 200 feet north of this spot, two famous Americans met several Detroit Negro residents on March 12, 1859, to discuss methods of abolishing American Negro slavery. John Brown (1800-1859), fiery antislavery leader, ardently . . . — — Map (db m168910) HM
This monument to General Casimir Pulaski, who on Oct. 11, 1779 gave his life at Savannah, Georgia, in the cause of America independence, is a gift to the city of Detroit from the Central Citizens Committee in behalf of 400,000 Americans of Polish . . . — — Map (db m21877) HM
George DeBaptiste, a long-time Mason, and one of Detroit's most active and impassioned black community leaders, lived on this site during the 1850s and 60s. Born in Virginia about 1815, he moved to Madison, Indiana in 1838 and became involved in the . . . — — Map (db m14479) HM
Germantown
Fleeing political unrest in their homeland, Germans began arriving in Detroit during the 1830s. Lured by state of Michigan recruiting pamphlets, German musicians, teachers and professionals joined increasing numbers of immigrants . . . — — Map (db m208159) HM
The citizens of Michigan
erect this monument to the cherished memory of
Hazen S. Pingree
A gallant soldier,
an enterprising and successful citizen,
four times elected mayor of Detroit,
twice governor of Michigan.
He was the . . . — — Map (db m237853) HM WM
This plaque is issued by the Historical Society of Michigan in recognition of Henry the Hatter. Founded in 1893, for more than 100 years of continuous operation in service to the people of Michigan and for contributing to the economic growth and . . . — — Map (db m42316) HM
The glow of the Penobscot Beacon has been a symbol of light and in Detroit since 1908. Beginning
in 1813 when the community of Detroit began to gain headway as a trading center, the corner of Fort and
Griswold has been home to individuals and . . . — — Map (db m211423) HM
In the early twentieth century immigrants from southern Italy and Sicily settled in Detroit’s northeast side. They first worshipped in a chapel at Saints Peter and Paul Church. In 1907 Father Giovanni Boschi arrived in Detroit and began a campaign . . . — — Map (db m172521) HM
Circus entrepreneur James A. McGinnis was born near this site on July 4, 1847. At fourteen he joined a circus and adopted the name "Bailey". Developing a striking talent for advertising and management, he bought the Cooper & Bailey Shows which . . . — — Map (db m90963) HM
Sebastian S. Kresge established the S.S. Kresge Company
on Woodward Avenue in 1899. Ten years later he moved his
store to the corner of Woodward and State and named the
spot "Kresge Korner.” At that time, this was considered the
northern edge . . . — — Map (db m208627) HM
L.B. King and Company headquartered here from 1911 to 1932, and Annis Furs occupied the building from 1932 to 1983. Constructed in 1911 to the designs of James S. Rogers and Walter MacFarlane, it exemplifies the Chicago commercial style popular in . . . — — Map (db m173147) HM
This tablet is a tribute to
Maj. General Anthony Wayne U.S.A.
to whom as general in command-the English
surrendered this region July 11th 1796.
The county of Wayne was created
and named in his honor
August 15, 1796.
As then established the . . . — — Map (db m209230) HM
Mariners' Church In 1842, according to the will of Julia Ann Anderson, Mariners' Church was organized to serve the spiritual needs of Great Lakes seamen. Anderson had come to Detroit in 1818 with her husband, John, a brevet lieutenant colonel . . . — — Map (db m208188) HM
Michigan's First Capitol
At noon on September 22, 1823, citizens and dignitaries joined a Masonic procession to place the cornerstone for the capitol of the Michigan Territory on this site. The red brick building, designed by Obed Walt, . . . — — Map (db m91622) HM
Originally called the Wilson Theatre, this building was completed in 1928 with funds provided by Matilda Wilson (Mrs. Alfred G.), William E. Kapp of Smith, Hinchman & Grylls, an architectural firm whose works dominated the city's skyline of the . . . — — Map (db m91730) HM
On this site stood the Detroit
College of Law from 1935 to 1997.
Established in 1891, it was the first
law school in the Detroit area. The
college opened in 1892 with sixty-nine
students and was incorporated in
1893. Among the first students . . . — — Map (db m209233) HM
As Detroit’s manufacturing base boomed during two world wars (1917-18 and 1941-45), large numbers of African Americans moved here to work in the factories. Detroit’s African American population increased from 5,000 in 1910 to 300,000 by 1950. . . . — — Map (db m174568) HM
After the devastating fire of 1805, Detroiters, ever resilient, set out to rebuild the city. Vital to this pursuit was an emerging black community that within a generation would eradicate slavery and begin establishing its mark on the city's social, . . . — — Map (db m181903) HM
This is a replica of an original bronze tablet placed at this historic site by the Catholic Study Club of Detroit on July 26th, 1926.
"This tablet marks the site of
Sainte Anne's Catholic Church
The erection of which was begun July 25, . . . — — Map (db m212020) HM
Near this site, on February 26, 1906, some 3,000 spectators watched the nation's first Shrine Circus. Detroit's Moslem Shrine temple's one-ring show was the beginning of a major fund-raising venture for Shrine temples throughout the country. In 1907 . . . — — Map (db m23804) HM
The inscription on the symbol wall is from II Corinthians, 3:17 "Now the Lord is that spirit and where the spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty."
The sculpture by Marshall Fredericks was designed to continue the thought conveyed by the . . . — — Map (db m42317) HM
This is the oldest extant church in Detroit. Designed by Francis Letourno in the basilica form, it was built between 1844 and 1848 and served for twenty-nine years as the cathedral of the Detroit diocese under Bishop Lefevere. In 1877 Bishop Borgess . . . — — Map (db m174307) HM
St. John’s Episcopal parish, established in December 1858, served what was then a rural area of Detroit. Albert Jordan designed the original church (now St. John’s Chapel), which was built in 1859. Henry Porter Baldwin, a former United States . . . — — Map (db m174569) HM
This structure, designed by Pius Daubner, was completed in 1868. It is one of the oldest Catholic school buildings in the state and the third in the history of St. Mary's. At the first school, built in 1844, laymen were the original instructors. In . . . — — Map (db m168953) HM
The Mission Work of the Protestant Episcopal Church among Blacks in
Detroit commenced with the Reverend William M. Monroe, First Pastor of
Second Baptist Church, who left, and along with William Lambert, an
abolitionist and a conductor on the . . . — — Map (db m190556) HM
Completed in 1900, this is Michigan's preeminent example of design by the internationally renowned architects, McKim, Mead and White of New York. The three-story Neoclassical structure features a white marble exterior with bronze window units. Among . . . — — Map (db m42265) HM
On September 22, 1877, a Bell telephone was installed on this site in the drugstore operated by Frederick Stearns. An iron wire strung along the rooftops connected the store with the Stearns laboratory a half mile away at the foot of Fifth Street. . . . — — Map (db m91388) HM
(English side)
The Cadillac Convoy In recognition of the courage, perseverance and expertise of the French-Canadians who brought Antoine de Lamothe Cadillac to establish the first permanent settlement at Le Détroit du Lac Érié. . . . — — Map (db m33687) HM
On August 23, 1873 James E. Scripps began publishing The Evening News, one of the first popular, low-priced evening newspapers in Michigan. The News specialized in short, local, human interest stories. Resolutely independent, it has . . . — — Map (db m91352) HM
This corner stone of Michigan's First capitol building was laid September 22, 1823 and the structure was completed five years later. It housed the county courts for a time and later was given over to legislative sessions. The building was burned on . . . — — Map (db m91624) HM
Until Emancipation, Detroit and the Detroit River community served as the gateway to freedom for thousands of African American people escaping enslavement. Detroit was one of the largest terminals of the Underground Railroad, a network of . . . — — Map (db m33459) HM
(side 1)
The Iron Brigade
The Iron Brigade became one of the most celebrated military units of the American Civil War (1861-1865). It was composed of five volunteer infantry regiments (2nd, 6th & 7th Wisconsin, 19th Indiana, and . . . — — Map (db m42264) HM
"I'll meet you under the Kern Clock" was a common Detroit expression for almost a century. The Kern Clock was originally located on Kern's Department Store at the corner of Gratiot and Woodward.
In recognition of the importance of this . . . — — Map (db m211418) HM
The Landing of Cadillac
After departing Montreal June 5, 1701, Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac and his convoy of 25 canoes sailed down this river and on the evening of July 23 camped 16 miles below the present city of Detroit on what . . . — — Map (db m33522) HM
Founded by William Booth in London, England. The Salvation Army came to Michigan in 1883. When organizing the Detroit corps in 1887 Captain Fink wrote to her British superiors: "This is the Metropolis of Michigan … a beautiful city, but oh, the sin . . . — — Map (db m23805) HM
The War of 1812 in Detroit On June 18, 1812, the United States Congress declared war on Great Britain. William Hull, Michigan’s first territorial governor, was selected to lead the U.S. army at Detroit. He invaded Canada on July 12, but soon . . . — — Map (db m172526) HM
Built in the "Roaring Twenties", Detroit's Theater District, surrounding Grand Circus Park, is the second largest in the world in total number of seats. Only the Broadway area in New York City is larger.
The movie palaces built in this time were . . . — — Map (db m173564) HM
This historic Tyrus Raymond Cobb bronze plaque was originally mounted outside the Administrative Offices at Tiger Stadium on July 17, 1963. It was installed and rededicated here at Comerica Park on July 1, 2005 and is on loan from the City of . . . — — Map (db m173100) HM
When Michigan became a state in 1837, the Detroit office of the U.S. Topographical Engineers was headquartered on this site. The topographical engineers helped transform Michigan from a wilderness into a prosperous state. They also played a vital . . . — — Map (db m42294) HM
The Catholepistemiad, or university, of Michigania resided in a building near this site from 1818 to 1837. Conceived of by the Reverend John Montieth, Father Gabriel Richard and Judge Augustus Woodward, the university was established by territorial . . . — — Map (db m23662) HM
Without the Civil War, there would be no Vernor's.
Before the conflict began, James Vernor, a pharmacist, had concocted a new drink. It was a mix of 19 ingredients including ginger and vanilla.
When Vernor was called off to war in 1862, he stored . . . — — Map (db m173563) HM
The Veterans Memorial Building, completed in 1950, stands as a monument to those Detroiters who gave their lives and services in war for our country. It was the first of the civic center’s buildings to be erected. The soaring carved marble eagle . . . — — Map (db m42266) HM
Hardship struck soon after American troops regained Detroit on Sept. 29, 1813, during the War of 1812. Soldiers' quarters were lacking, and food supplies became desperately short. Then a disease resembling cholera broke out among the soldiers. By . . . — — Map (db m172528) HM
Born in Detroit November
20 1848. Educated in her
public schools and
university of Michigan.
City attorney of Detroit
1876 1880. Representative
in Congress from the First
Michigan district 1883 1887.
Mayor of Detroit 1897 1905.
Died in . . . — — Map (db m209232) HM
William B. Stratton designed this building for the Women’s City Club of Detroit--founded in 1919 “to promote a broad acquaintance among women” and to further civic and cultural activities. The club, which grew to be one of the largest women’s clubs . . . — — Map (db m174293) HM
In the earliest days of Detroit, Campus Martius, which means "military ground," served as a drill ground for militia. When Judge Augustus Woodward created his street plan for Detroit in 1807, he began at Campus Martius.
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 . . . — — Map (db m173099) HM
Pewabic Pottery In 1903 Mary Chase Perry (Stratton) and Horace Caulkins founded Pewabic Pottery in a stable near downtown Detroit. Four years later, the present building was constructed – a pottery works designed in the style of an . . . — — Map (db m172638) HM
Erected in 1875, this building was originally a German Catholic church. As the social and ethnic composition of the neighborhood changed, so did the membership of the church. Many of the founding German parishioners moved away. Finally in 1938 the . . . — — Map (db m172653) HM
Trinity Lutheran Church, one of the oldest of this denomination in Detroit, was founded in 1850. The Reverend Gottlieb Schaller conducted the early worship services, which were held in the former Mariners Church on Larned Street. In 1866 the . . . — — Map (db m182457) HM
Lisette gained freedom from slavery by escaping to Canada with family. Returning she became a longtime domestic caretaker, investor, stockholder, and the first Black female landowner in Michigan.
Founder of St. James Episcopal Church. . . . — — Map (db m245337) HM
In 1846 when this was a farm on the outskirts of Detroit, a group of gentlemen formed a corporation and purchased the land for use as a public cemetery. The trustees patterned the grounds after Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge, Massachusetts, . . . — — Map (db m21845) HM
Beth El, the first Jewish congregation in Michigan, was organized in Detroit on September 22, 1850, by 12 families. This half-acre cemetery, dedicated on January 1, 1851, was known then as “The Champlain Street Cemetery of Temple Beth El” because . . . — — Map (db m180884) HM
Elijah McCoy, the noted black inventor, lived on this site for much of his adult life. Born in 1844 to fugitive slaves residing in Canada, McCoy was trained in Scotland as a mechanical engineer, and came to Michigan after the Civil War. . . . — — Map (db m172647) HM
The First Michigan Colored Regiment was organized at Camp Ward, which originally stood at this location. Formed from August through October 1863, a year of draft riots and protests against the war, this Negro regiment consisted entirely of . . . — — Map (db m14889) HM
On April 27, 1919, thirty-nine people met in the First Presbyterian Church on Woodward Avenue and organized St. John's Presbyterian Church. Reverend John W. Lee, a field missionary, led the formation of the church to serve Detroit's growing black . . . — — Map (db m106394) HM
Near this site, in late July 1763, the British and Indians fought the fiercest battle of Chief Pontiac's uprising. As Captain James Dalyell led about 260 soldiers across Parent's Creek, the Indians launched a surprise attack which devastated the . . . — — Map (db m21846) HM
The Players, a Detroit gentlemen’s amateur theatre club founded in 1911, opened this playhouse in 1926. The handsome building was created by club members William E. Kapp, architect, Corrado Parducci, stone sculptor, and Paul Honore, muralist. The . . . — — Map (db m172567) HM
Jefferson Avenue Presbyterian Church was founded in 1854 when the growing First Presbyterian Church divided into three congregations. Jefferson Avenue Presbyterian built its first church at Jefferson and Rivard. U.S. Senator James McMillan; . . . — — Map (db m176939) HM
Polish immigrants arrived in Detroit as early as the 1850s, but not until the Reverend Simon Wieczorek founded St. Albertus Roman Catholic Parish in 1872, did their community have a center. In 1885 the present Gothic Revival building replaced the . . . — — Map (db m67632) HM
During the late nineteenth century many Polish immigrants fleeing oppression came to Detroit. In 1886 a group of them organized the school that was the beginning of Sweetest Heart of Mary Parish. On December 8, 1888, the Reverend Dominic H. . . . — — Map (db m172658) HM
Duane Doty School first opened its doors in the fall of 1909. It was built as Detroit grew north along Woodward Avenue in the first quarter of the twentieth century. The school was named for Duane Doty (circa 1836-1902), an early Superintendent of . . . — — Map (db m180910) HM
This flagpole erected by
the ship's company
Naval Training School
Naval Armory
Detroit, Michigan
May 26, 1942
In honor of
the Commanding officer
Captain R. Thornton Brodhead
U.S.N.R. — — Map (db m239959) HM
During the early 1850s, the growing number of Catholic families of German and Alsatian descent on Detroit's east side necessitated the establishment of a new Catholic parish. The new congregation was originally founded as a mission church of St. . . . — — Map (db m170446) HM
The Annunciation (Evangelismos) Greek Orthodox Church was founded in 1910. It became the center of Detroit’s Hellenic community, which dates back to the early 1890s. The first liturgy was held in a rented hall on Miami Boulevard (now Broadway). By . . . — — Map (db m172522) HM
Founded in 1836 by thirteen former slaves, the is the oldest black congregation in Michigan. From its beginnings the church has occupied a prominent place in Detroit's black community. In 1839 it established the city's first school for black . . . — — Map (db m102493) HM
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