Have you ever taken the long way around Grosse Pointe so you could drive along the lake? I do it all of the time. In fact, sometimes I do laps. I am not ashamed.  Call me a Lake St. Clair junkie. And if there is a train of down-bound freighters on a sunny afternoon, well then watch out. You might see me drive from Warner to Vernier and back again more times than I would prefer to admit. And with gas prices steadily around $3.50, it’s no longer an inexpensive past time. I know I am not the only one who has a love affair with our pretty lakeside road.  The beautiful roadway has been featured …

The Nun's Walk, which is along Kenwood Road in Grosse Pointe Farms, is made of Silver Maples.  The Silver Maple, or Acer Saccharinum, is one of the first trees to flower in North America, with blooms arriving as early as February.  According to the USDA Forest Service, reports that the Silver Maple has longevity.  "Growth is rapid in both pure and mixed stands and the tree may live 130 years or more." They were originally planted on land belonging to the Convent of the Sacred Heart which was built in 1885. This is now the Grosse Pointe Acadamy's oldest building. No one knows the precise date …

Grosse Pointe Farms is hilly, especially between Lewiston to the south and Moross to the north. This is due to the geology of the region--the hills represent a moraine that was left behind as the glaciers of the last ice age retreated.   The hilly landscape in this area of the Farms is not its only unique feature. A drive north on Charlevoix--which is perfectly straight from Grosse Pointe Park all the way north--changes as you enter the Farms. As if out of no where, the sidewalk ends.  The homes along Charlevoix also come to an abrupt end.  That's because this area of the Farms is home to a …

Cleminson Hall in Grosse Pointe South High School is an impressive space.    The heart of the highschool, with floor-to-ceiling windows that face South's sweeping front lawn, Cleminson Hall, much like the school's cafeteria, are rooms that could easily be transported into a european castle. Once the school's library, Cleminson Hall now serves as a room for more formal school functions.  Students and alumni of South are familiar with the giant murals in Cleminson Hall, which were painted under a division of Franklin Roosevelt's Works Progress Administration, the Federal Arts Project.  Artists …

There have been many "dark days" recorded in history, many of which took place in North America and what is now the United States of America. These dark days have had many explanations. Massive forest fires and volcanoes are usually the culprit. Prior to our modern technology, there was no sure way to tell what was happening--especially if the event that caused a dark day was happening thousands of miles away. On Oct. 19, 1762, a dark day came to the Detroit region. It occured in the morning, and as day break was upon the inhabitants of what is now modern Detroit, Windsor and Grosse Pointe, …

There is an important Native American legend that connects the Sleeping Bear Dunes in Northern Michigan to the Grosse Pointes.  This connection is important because it serves as an explanation for a very important decision made by Chief Pontiac in 1762. First we need to begin with the legend of the Sleeping Bear Dunes, which are sand dunes located in northern Michigan on Lake Michigan.  There many variations and interpretations of the legend, but overall the story is a simple and lovely one. In northern Wisconsin, a mother bear and her two cubs were starving due to a great famine.  Overcome …

Now that the school year is back in full swing, its time to tell a story about a fateful day during my summer hiatus from Patch. To set it up, you’ll need some background on the circumstances regarding this encounter. This summer I spent my weekends flying—usually taking in a lesson in a Cessna 172, but I also focused on gliding. I usually fly out of Grosse Ile to Adrian, Michigan for the day for lessons. When I arrived at Adrian for my lesson, I saw there were a handful of gentlemen at the airport just to take guest rides in gliders—this was their first time trying this sport. I introduced …

The concept of having a community war memorial began after World War II. Some early suggestions involved turning the Pine Woods—the area off of Charlevoix near Lothrop—into a war memorial. Then there was the debate on what the war memorial should be. A statue? A building? If a building, what kind? Contest Began the War Memorial The Grosse Pointe Honor Roll Association announced a “Pointe Wide” War Memorial Contest. There would be three winners in three categories. Each winner would receive a $100 war bond. The essay contest was straightforward and the rules for each category were the same. …

This morning around 300 members of the 127th Wing of the Air National Guard deployed to the Middle East for a tour of duty that will extend approximately 90 days. My little brother, Michael, was amongst them, and this is his second tour of duty.  In a weird twist of fate, my aunt showed him a picture from his last deployment—with a timestamp reading Sept. 25, 2005.  “I might as well just cut that date out of the calendar,” he quips. My brother, like so many Americans and Pointers before him, is serving our country during a time of war. I am proud of him, and I am proud of our community for …

Grosse Pointe Township was created out of the larger Hamtramck Township in 1848. In the late 1800s, as the population increased and farmland was sold off to develop residences, the need for Village governments became necessary. The villages developed in this order between 1879-1911: the Village of Grosse Pointe the Village of Grosse Pointe Farms the Village of Grosse Pointe Park the Village of Grosse Pointe Shores It wasn't until 1927 that the rest of Grosse Pointe Township was absorbed into the Village of Lochmoor. It was under the guidance of the president of the Village of Lochmoor, Jules …

Grosse Pointe originated as a rural community. Before the five Pointes there was simply Grosse Pointe Township, which was created out of Hamtramck Township in 1848.  Any history of “Grosse Pointe” before 1848, was more or less an unofficial term that the inhabitants called the area until it was officially a made into a township. As population growth continued in the mid-to-late 1800s, villages began incorporation. Here is a refresher on some of the basics. The first Grosse Pointe The first was Grosse Pointe Village, or the original Grosse Pointe. This is now the City of Grosse Pointe. Grosse …

There were many farming families that settled in Grosse Pointe shortly after its discovery in 1679 by Father Louis Hennepin, but the first massive estate was built by Scottish Commodore roughly 100 years later. He married a Detroit woman and commanded the Great Lakes from their home in Grosse Pointe along Lake Shore Road--and many people regard him as the founder of the Grosse Pointes. Commodore Alexander Grant Alexander Grant was the son of the seventh Laird of Glenmoriston and was born in Inverness-Shire, Scotland. He served with the Montgomery's Highlanders during the Seven Years' War …

This weekend Grosse Pointe Shores celebrated its 100 year anniversary.  There are many notable Pointers who have lived in the Shores, but one of particular note is Alger Shelden.  Shelden was not only the founding president of the Grosse Pointe War Memorial in 1948—more than a decade prior to that he was responsible for helping to bring a Coast Guard station to Grosse Pointe. Our little lake Nestled solidly amongst the Great Lakes giants, Lake St. Clair is breathtakingly beautiful. One of the most interesting, and perhaps dangerous aspects of our lake is that when the weather turns, Lake St. …

The Delphine has one of the most unique histories of any steam yacht. And it all began here in Grosse Pointe, Michigan. Built in 1921, The Delphine was the work of Great lakes Engineering Works in Ecorse, Michigan for Horace E. Dodge, the co-founder of Dodge Brothers Company. It was designed by Henry J Gielow of New York City, and was powered by two quadruple expanstion steam engines that were designed by Dodge himself.      In 1920 tragedy struck the Dodge family when John Dodge passed away in January. Horace, grief stricken, passed away in December. The Delphine launched on April 2, 1921—…

The Grosse Pointe Public Library is as much a home to fine modern art as it is to books and periodicals.  Some of the artwork, however, is easily glossed over by patrons who might not know what they are looking at—or why it is there. For instance, on the north wall of the main reading room of Central Library hangs an unassuming tapestry.  A little sun-faded, this tapestry has hung in the same place since the building was constructed in 1953.  It is not hanging there by accident.  It was selected by the Library’s Bauhaus architect, Marcel Breuer, specifically to hang where it is now.  Breuer …

Modern art and architecture tends to elicit one of two responses:  “I love it!” or, “I hate it!" Very few people have an opinion between.  The Central Branch of the Grosse Pointe Public Library is one such modern building, and one of the few that graces the Grosse Pointe Landscape. Indeed, Central Library is one of the great Grosse Pointe architectural ironies: while The Punch and Judy Theatre, located directly across the street, was designed by Robert O. Derrick in 1929 specifically to blend in with the residential neighborhood, the Central Library, designed by Marcel Breuer in 1953, doesn’t…

Amelia Earhart is the most famous aviatrix since the advent of the airplane. Her early successes include being the first woman to reach the altitude of 14,000 feet on Oct. 22, 1922. From then on she went to set numerous other aviation records including being the first woman to fly over the Atlantic Ocean in 1928 and later piloting the same trip solo in May of 1932. By that time, Earhart’s celebrity was peaking around the world.   Grosse Pointer Roy Chapin, president of Hudson Motor Company (which was later purchased by American Motors, and is now Chrysler), invited Earhart to christen a new …

I have been asked the same question quite frequently in the past few months, “where do you get your ideas for your articles from week to week? How do you decide on what to write?” Sometimes it’s a personal interest that I want to explore myself, or sometimes I’ll be approached by others and asked to do some research. There really is no rhyme or reason to it. When I realized the 20th installment of this column would fall on Mother’s Day, however, the first thing I thought about was my mom and her passions. My mother absolutely loves geology.  She loves geology so much that frankly I am …

Last week I had the pleasure of exploring the tallest landmark in Grosse Pointe--the bell tower of the Grosse Pointe Yacht Club. This week I went in the exact opposite direction, and explored the basement of the Ye Old Tap Room.  Technically in Detroit, the Tap Room is on the southernmost edge of Grosse Pointe Park. Its history dates back to the early prohibition era. It might not make sense by today’s standards to locate a bar on the edge of Detroit, but in 1915, the location was prime. The corner of Charlevoix and Alter was the end of the trolley tracks that commuting Pointers would take to…

You don’t need to be a member of the Grosse Pointe Yacht Club in order to appreciate its clubhouse. Every Pointer can proudly claim a little bit of ownership to its majestic tower. It’s a signature landmark in our community, and it is arguably one of the most recognizable landmarks on the great lakes waterway system, even though Lake St. Clair is not a considered one of the Great Lakes. Boaters and aviators alike use it as a navigational tool.  In 2007 a friend and pilot took me on a tour in his Cessna and I had the opportunity to photograph the tower and harbor from the air. It never ceases …