Traveling Through Time

By Laura Rose Ashlee, State Historic Preservation Office | April 22, 2009

Coordinating the Michigan Historical Marker Program is an honor.  People occasionally ask me to identify my favorite marker, which is like naming a best friend–pretty difficult and likely to offend someone.  I do like some markers more than others for different reasons: the topic, the way the marker is written, and the research/writing process for that particular subject.  Here are a few that fit under the “favorite heading” and I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

Ossian Sweet Home, Detroit, MI

OSSIAN SWEET HOUSE
2905 Garland Avenue, Detroit
Erected in 2004

I often name the Ossian Sweet House marker as a favorite because it discusses a groundbreaking murder trial. Renowned defense attorney Clarence Darrow defended Dr. Ossian Sweet, an African American who was charged with the murder of a white man when a threatening mob gathered on Sweet’s lawn soon after he and his family moved into an all-white neighborhood. Darrow argued that people, regardless of their race, have a right to protect their homes. I read Darrow’s closing argument while preparing the text. It is amazing and available online.

Link to: Darrow’s summation

LANSING CITY MARKET
333 North Cedar Street, inside the west entrance
Erected in 1988

The Michigan Historical Marker at Lansing’s city market contains what is perhaps the all-time best first line I ever wrote: “Dancing and fiddling heralded the opening of the Lansing City Market on August 25, 1938.” I really like this marker because even twenty-one years later, I recall the articles I read in the 1938 Lansing State Journal about the event. It seems the whole city turned out for the opening, which ushered in a new era for Lansing area farmers. The idea of the citizenry joyously dancing and fiddling in celebration of a new farmers market really appeals to me. (Sadly, the market is slated for demolition and the marker will eventually be removed.)

Runaway 45 by Del Shannon monument

DEL SHANNON/RUNAWAY
45 Capital Avenue SW, SE corner of Hamblin Street, Battle Creek
Erected in 1990

This marker was pure fun. I rarely write about pop culture so writing that the Hi-Lo Club “rocked” and that 1960s recording artist Del Shannon’s single Runaway hit “the top of the pop charts,” really gave me a kick. Plus, the installation of the marker in the middle of a granite representation of the 45 rpm recording of Runaway is the most creative marker installation yet.

I could write about many more markers. Just now I recalled the Christmas Tree Ship marker in Thompson and the Detroit Arsenal Tank Plant in Warren! I hope those of you who read official markers around the state have many favorites as well. For you to be unable to pick just one would be a great compliment to the Michigan Historical Marker program, which has been telling the stories of Michigan for more than fifty years.

The book “Traveling Through Time, A Guide to Michigan’s Historical Markers” is available for purchase