The Chicago Road was the way to go west from Detroit.
After the Erie Canal in New York state opened in 1825, great numbers of Americans searched for their future to the west across the Great Lakes. Many of them traveled on the Chicago Road, . . . — — Map (db m96775) HM
During spring 2020, an unprecedented infestation of Oystershell scale caused dieback among the Persian Lilacs and Bladdernut shrubs. Based on recommendations from MSU Plant and Pest Diagnostics and other lilac experts, we removed all deadwood . . . — — Map (db m213707) HM
The Wright Cycle Shop is considered the "birthplace of aviation." this is the original building where the Wright Flyer was made. Besides their bicycle business, Wilbur and Orville Wright did much of the hands-on work on their airplane here. The . . . — — Map (db m66351) HM
Wyoming Avenue has a vivid industrial history.
Brick-making flourished in the 1800s as companies like Clippert, Haggerty and Mercier took advantage of the area's rich clay deposits. Automakers competing with Ford later came to this east . . . — — Map (db m120434) HM
From 1942 to 1945, Ford Motor Company
completely shut down vehicle
manufacturing at The Rouge and
dedicated all its resources to military
production to support the war effort.
The giant complex produced the jeeps,
tanks, and trucks, as well as . . . — — Map (db m165402) HM
The Model A was the first passenger
vehicle produced at The Rouge. As the
replacement for the Model T, the
Model A was an instant hit. When the
car hit dealer showrooms, an estimated
10 million people stood in line for two
days just to get a . . . — — Map (db m165393) HM
A group portrait of the Ford
negotiating team in Washington D.C.
June 1941. Ford's first collective
bargaining agreement with the United
Auto Workers was considered to be
groundbreaking because it explicitly
prohibited discrimination based . . . — — Map (db m165391) HM
Henry Ford began construction of this complex on the banks of the River Rouge in April, 1917. Here, the Ford Motor Company built World War I submarine chasers known as "Eagle" boats. By the mid-1920s this plant was the largest manufacturing center . . . — — Map (db m85592) HM
Henry Ford began construction of this complex on the banks of the River Rouge in April, 1917. Here, the Ford Motor Company built World War I submarine chasers known as "Eagle" boats. By the mid-1920s this plant was the largest manufacturing center . . . — — Map (db m85810) HM
In the midst of the Depression,
unemployed autoworkers, their
families and union organizers staged a
"Hunger March” down Miller Road
demanding job and benefits from
Henry Ford. The event turned violent
when marchers clashed with . . . — — Map (db m165400) HM
The Rouge Complex, hailed as the
"icon of twentieth century manufacturing"
was the realization of Henry Ford's
innovative vision of vertical
integration... "A continuous, nonstop
process from raw material to finished
product with no pause even . . . — — Map (db m165398) HM
The pedestrian bridge is where the
famous 1937 "Battle of the Overpass"
occurred but it's also renowned for
being the well-traveled entry to the
Rouge Complex. The Miller Road
Overpass has been the main gateway
for autoworkers since 1923 . . . — — Map (db m165392) HM
Left to right from center of picture
are UAW-CIO officials: Robert Kanter,
Walter Reuther, Richard T. Prankensteen,
and J.J. Kennedy.
On May 26, 1937, Walter Reuther and three
fellow union organizers attempted to
enter The Rouge via the . . . — — Map (db m165396) HM
United Auto Workers distributing
flyers at the Rouge's Miller Road
Overpass in the late 1930s. a new era
in labor relations began in 1941,
when Ford and the UAW signed their
groundbreaking labor agreement. — — Map (db m165394) HM
During the World War II, women made
up a large number of the Rouge and
Willow Run plant's work force.
in fact, it's here where the term
"Rosie the Riveter” came from. — — Map (db m165401) HM
Nowlin Cemetery This cemetery was created around 1853 by the Nowlin family, which owned this land and lived on a nearby farm. The first person buried here was James A. Nowlin, the ten-year-old son of William and Adelia Nowlin. Other . . . — — Map (db m182462) HM
Constructed in 1824 as a church, the original log building on this site was the first school in Bucklin (later Dearborn) Township. In 1829 the building became a public school. When John B. Wallace donated the land and building to the school . . . — — Map (db m32530) HM
The S.S. Edmund Fitzgerald known as one of the largest ships on the Great Lakes, passed by this location transporting taconite iron ore to ports in Detroit, Toledo and beyond.
November 10, 2015 marked 40 years since this 729-foot . . . — — Map (db m120848) HM
The flagship of the Oglesbay-Norton fleet sailed for 6,857 days on the Great Lakes carrying iron ore to feed the steel mills of Michigan and Ohio. She was built at the Great Lakes Engineering Works at River Rouge, Michigan- Nine miles west of here. . . . — — Map (db m120859) HM
One evening in 1974, the S.S. Edmund Fitzgerald anchored at the Detroit
River's Belle Isle Anchorage, 800 feet off Riopelle Street, east of the
Renaissance Center. The next morning, as the crew worked to raise the
starboard bow anchor, . . . — — Map (db m183917) HM
S.S. William Clay Ford
Pilot House
The S.S. William Clay Ford provided years of reliable service transporting iron ore and coal from the upper Great Lakes to the River Rouge Steel Plant, a subsidiary of Ford Motor . . . — — Map (db m183921) HM
Front:Cuba
Porto Rico
Erected by the people of Wayne County in commemoration of the services of her volunteer sons in the Army, Navy and Marine Corps of the United States during the war with Spain 1898-1902 Reverse:
China . . . — — Map (db m26655) HM
In the year 2011 the Detroit Yacht Club was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Construction began on this facility in 1921 with Commodore Gar Wood laying the cornerstone. This clubhouse, our fifth, was completed and dedicated on May . . . — — Map (db m208106) HM
This flagpole was donated to the Dossin Great Lakes Museum by the Detroit News in 1960. The arrangement of yardarm and gaff spar is referred to as a Navy or Yacht Club rig, with the American flag hoisted on the gaff, as it would have been . . . — — Map (db m183919) HM
1923. This tablet is dedicated to Gen. O. M. Poe Post No. 433, Grand Army of the Republic, by its auxiliary, Gen. Poe Woman's Relief Corps No. 8. "Not for selfish gain or applause, but for honor and the glory of the cause they did that which will . . . — — Map (db m26657) HM
There are now forty-eight reasons why we will always remember the Grand Army of the Republic. Erected by Department of Michigan, Woman's Relief Corps, auxiliary to the Grand Army of the Republic. Dedicated November, 1948. — — Map (db m26656) WM
The City of Detroit purchased Belle lile in 1879, with the intention of turning the former livestock range and private estate into a park. Frederick Low Olmstead, the landscape architect best known for designing New York's Central Park, was hired . . . — — Map (db m212272) HM
South Face:
With this everlasting witness we keep
peace with our neighbors as they have
kept peace with us through the years
North Face:
Dedicated to the glory of God
and in the hope of everlasting
peace between the peoples of
the . . . — — Map (db m212336) HM
These 100 Japanese cherry trees
planted around the Scott Lagoon
have been donated to the people of Detroit
as a token of our friendship and goodwill jontly by
The Japan Business Society of Detroit, and
The citizens of Toyota, Japan
A . . . — — Map (db m183863) HM
As two "motor cities", Detroit and the
Japanese city of Toyota became sister cities
in 1960. To commemorate their 25-year
anniversary, on September 21st,
1985, the City of Toyoto presented
Detroit with a granite lantern, or
"Tohro", located in . . . — — Map (db m212337) HM
Hero of two wars. Judge. Editor. Postmaster. Diplomat. Member of Congress. An untiring servant of the people. An honor to the City of Detroit.
The Michigan Commandery of the Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States and citizens . . . — — Map (db m183859) HM WM
During the early twentieth century, Detroit police and their criminal foes both adopted the automobile as their preferred means of transportation. To regain an advantage, Detroit police pioneered a novel use for radio. In 1921, under Commissioner . . . — — Map (db m106391) HM
In Lansing, on August 21, 1897, Ransom E. Olds (1864-1950) founded the Olds Motor Vehicle Company, the precursor to Oldsmobile. He produced four vehicles that year. In 1899, Olds relocated to Detroit, opening the Olds Motor Works on West Jefferson . . . — — Map (db m14362) HM
Dedicated to the Ralph C. Wilson J Foundation,
The Dancer stands in recognition of the generous
support for much-needed repairs to the Anna Scripps
Whitcomb Conservatory. The Albert Kahn designed
conservatory is one of Belle Isle Park's . . . — — Map (db m212335) HM
These cannons were used aboard ships in the pivotal Battle of Lake Erie
during the War of 1812. After this 1813 American victory, Master Commandant
Oliver Hazard Perry sent the famous message to his commander, "We have
met the enemy and they . . . — — Map (db m183853) HM
Henry and Clara Ford lived here from 1908 to 1915. The Fords were the first of a community of automobile magnates to reside in the Boston-Edison neighborhood. The Italian Renaissance Revival house, designed by Malcomson, Higginbotham and Clement of . . . — — Map (db m177724) HM
Between 1910 and 1940 Detroit’s African American population increased dramatically. Faced with restrictions on where they could live, many African Americans were forced into substandard housing. In 1935 First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt broke ground for . . . — — Map (db m172651) HM
Founded in 1881 by the Reverend John Wills, this is Detroit’s second-oldest African-American Baptist congregation. Carlos N. Stokes, an African-American draftsman, designed the church in 1920. Although his plans were modified two years later by the . . . — — Map (db m172652) HM
Designed by Harry J. Rill in 1897 for the Detroit Cornice and Slate Company, this building features a finely crafted facade of galvanized steel. The use of sheet metal in commercial buildings evolved from the cast iron structures built in New York . . . — — Map (db m172520) HM
Built about 1918, this Neoclassical-style structure houses Gamma Lambda Chapter, third graduate chapter of the first black national Greek letter fraternity in the United States: Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. Founded in 1906 at Cornell University, . . . — — Map (db m172650) HM
The Detroit Urban League began in 1916 with Forrester B. Washington as executive director, and Henry G. Stevens as president. The organization’s initial purpose was the improvement of the social, moral, and material status of the large number of . . . — — Map (db m172648) HM
On March 7, 1932, in the midst of the Depression, unemployed autoworkers. their families and union organizers braved bitter cold temperatures and gathered at this bridge, intent on marching to the Ford Rouge Plant and presenting a list of demands to . . . — — Map (db m147218) HM
Approximately 3,000 unemployed workers and labor activists braved bitterly cold weather and mobilized in Oakwood on March 7, 1932, for the first Ford Hunger March.
The men and women crossed the old Fort Street drawbridge chanting and . . . — — Map (db m146711) HM
This mansion was once described as "an American palace enjoying the distinction of being the most pretentious modern home in the state and one of the most elaborate houses in the west." David Whitney, Jr. (1830-1900), its owner, was one of the . . . — — Map (db m84641) HM
This concert hall was built in 1919 as the home of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. It was constructed to satisfy the demand of its music director, the internationally esteemed Ossip Gabrilowitsch, that a suitable hall be built. Architect Charles . . . — — Map (db m172642) HM
This Victorian structure was completed in 1884. It was named for wealthy Detroit businessman David Thompson. In his will Thompson instructed his wife Mary to use part of his estate to found a charitable institution. She commissioned George DeWitt . . . — — Map (db m84419) HM
Mexican Detroit
In the late 1910s and early 1920s
Detroit became a hub for Mexican and
Tejano migration. Many came to work
on sugar beet farms before taking
factory jobs. Those born in Texas that
were of Mexican descent identified . . . — — Map (db m239857) HM
On July 4, 1926, Pastor John Seth Bailey (1896-1984) founded the McKinley Avenue Church of God in Christ. The church held services in a tent here, then moved to a nearby store in the winter. They built a brick church in 1928 and lengthened it by . . . — — Map (db m172687) HM
Blocks of limestone that once formed the old Detroit post office were used to construct the Zion Lutheran Church in 1933. This Neo-Gothic-style church, designed by the firm of Maul & Lentz of Detroit, was dedicated on May 27, 1933. In 1882 West . . . — — Map (db m172689) HM
This tablet marks the site of the first theatre in Michigan.
In the top story of a government warehouse on this site, in the year 1819, was located Michigan’s first theatre. Amateur performances were given by officers stationed at Fort . . . — — Map (db m41849) HM
Conant Gardens reflects black settlement in Detroit's northeast side during the first of two large migrations of blacks to Detroit after World War I . The neighborhood was originally designed as a community for white collar employees of the Ford . . . — — Map (db m170435) HM
In 1839 a group of black Detroit citizens formed the Colored Methodist Society, which became the core of the Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church. The group held meetings in a hall which was donated by the Detroit Common Council. The Society . . . — — Map (db m32496) HM
Charles Lang Freer House
Detroit industrialist Charles Lang Freer prospered primarily as a railroad car manufacturer. This house, considered Michigan's finest example of the Shingle Style, was designed by Wilson Eyre Jr. of Philadelphia and . . . — — Map (db m84630) HM
The Detroit Association of Colored Women's Clubs was organized on April 8, 1921, with eight clubs. This association reached its peak membership in 1945 with 73 clubs and 3,000 members. Affiliated with the Michigan and National Associations of . . . — — Map (db m84638) HM
International Institute Of Detroit The International Institute of Detroit was founded by the Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA) in 1919. It was one of fifty-five institutes across the United States that developed after 1911, when Edith . . . — — Map (db m172692) HM
This Colonial Revival structure was built in 1910 for James F. Murphy, Treasurer of the Murphy Chair Company and a future director of the Murphy-Potter Company. In 1941 it became the office of the Lewis College of Business. Violet T. Lewis had . . . — — Map (db m84637) HM
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
