Garwood Mansion

[stnfrnt]

Guess what. That movie I have been talking about here on the Garwood mansion thread for a while [[you know, that Stones Throw thing) is finally done and ready for release, and the final push has begun to get the thing topped off and out to the public. It's a great story folks, and I think his is a powerful piece of Detroit history especially for the East side of town. So I am asking that if you get a moment or two could you check out this link. We need a little help from our friends.


https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/j...shing-the-film

And just in case you want to take a little deeper look into what's going on here you can check out these links that I have posted on the previous page. Everything you ever wanted to know about the Garwood mansion and Stonefront can be found somewhere in these URLs.

New Main Website
http://www.stonesthrowfilm.com/
Facebook Pages
Film
https://www.facebook.com/stonesthrowfilm
Music:
https://www.facebook.com/stonefrontmusic

Twitter Pages
Film
https://twitter.com/stonesthrower
Music:
https://twitter.com/Stonefrontband
Instagram Feeds
Film
http://instagram.com/stonesthrowfilm
Music:
http://instagram.com/stonefrontmusic

YouTube Channels
Film
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC32N_6gr0TBgg0RneAgXqiA/playlists
Music:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC20U7X5yKyciyFAh73DKqHA/playlists
Tumblr Page
http://stonesthrowfilm.tumblr.com/

Soundlcoud Profile
https://soundcloud.com/stonefront

[stnfrnt]

Attachment 26202

Observations from a tree stump in Whiskey Flats

After a considerable amount of pontification and some flawed recall with some semi-serious study, I have come to the conclusion that after nearly 68 years on this planet I [[and some parts of the surrounding area in these parts) are still not level. Not surprisingly this doesn't really bother me.

[stnfrnt]

I'm not dead.

[old guy]

I'm not dead.

Larry, could you elaborate or at least verify. I don't mean to be rude, but you have made statements on this thread before that weren't true.

[stnfrnt]

Not a chance.

[RickBeall]

Hi Everyone,

Margie & Micheal need our help. It is very serious. She has Stage IV cancer. There is a GoFundMe site set up to help her and Micheal. The link below describes what is going on in more detail, and allows you to donate money for medical expenses.

http://www.gofundme.com/qvr5a25

[stnfrnt]

Thanks Rick. Let's go folks. These are the sweetest couple of people on this planet, and Margie is a real-deal original Garwoodian who sure could use a few dollars and a bunch of prayers from the kind souls who visit this page.

[Whaler]

Sorry to hear more bad news for Margie & Mike.... Would like to Echo Larry and EastSide Ricky Comments... Please visit the Link and Share!!!!... Whaler

[xdet]

My Uncle used to roller skate upstairs at Gar Wood's place during the time his dad, my grandfather, worked for Gar Wood at Grayhaven. He told me about being kicked out when ice skating down there [[at Grayhaven someplace during winter)- and as a smart aleck kid argued with his dad, in front of his boss, Gar Wood. Boy did he catch it back home!


Ocmobilexec
Member
Username: Ocmobilexec

Post Number: 3
Registered: 12-2007
Posted on Tuesday, January 15, 2008 - 1:27 am:
I have some more pix to share. Amazing house... I wish someone knew who designed it, had more pix or more details about it. Gar Wood is not well-known mogul outside of Detroit history, unlike Henry Ford, the Dodges, etc. I remember being at the Detroit Yacht Club in the early 70's - folks were saying lightning struck the place and they could see it burning from the clubhouse. Boats left the docks to go over to Grayhaven to see the fire close up. Sad. I understand Gar Wood actually owned Fisher Island in Florida, back when it was still a private island, and that is where he passed away.



Ocmobilexec
Member
Username: Ocmobilexec

Post Number: 4
Registered: 12-2007
Posted on Tuesday, January 15, 2008 - 1:36 am:
here's a few more

Ocmobilexec
Member
Username: Ocmobilexec

Post Number: 5
Registered: 12-2007
Posted on Tuesday, January 15, 2008 - 1:36 am:
here's a few more


Ocmobilexec
Member
Username: Ocmobilexec

Post Number: 6
Registered: 12-2007
Posted on Tuesday, January 15, 2008 - 1:48 am:
another

Lowell
Board Administrator
Username: Lowell

Post Number: 4460
Registered: 10-2003
Posted on Tuesday, January 15, 2008 - 2:32 am:
Welcome to the forum Rocketwhit and Ocmobilexec!

Great introductory posts and knowledge.


Reddog289
Member
Username: Reddog289

Post Number: 209
Registered: 08-2007
Posted on Tuesday, January 15, 2008 - 3:09 am:
what a house, i once read that Gar Wood had a company that built garbage trucks in Wayne Mi. i need to read up on him . my 83 yr old dad still brings up his name.


Gargoyle
Member
Username: Gargoyle

Post Number: 96
Registered: 04-2006
Posted on Tuesday, January 15, 2008 - 1:32 pm:
Great pictures, Oc! I've never seen any of those before. Who are the guys playing in the third picture?

I have only the dimmest memories of this place. I was there one night after the Grande or the Eastown, can't remember which. I was most certainly under the influence and I'm sure my perceptions were warped, but I believe your recollections about the layout are correct.

It was such a sad ending for so beautiful a house.



Leob
Member
Username: Leob

Post Number: 109
Registered: 10-2005
Posted on Tuesday, January 15, 2008 - 10:09 pm:
These photos are from a friend who once lived in the mansion in the early seventies. I am certain she would not mind sharing these. I'll suggest she stop by and share some stories.




Member
Username: Eastside61

Post Number: 772
Registered: 07-2006
Posted on Tuesday, January 15, 2008 - 10:35 pm:
To all : It was my grandfather Ed Wood who invented the hydraulic hoist that made trucks able to dump their loads..I have the actual patent hanging in my office today....it was Gar who expanded the concepts for various trucks and it was George who ran the welding shop where they put the things together...George Wood also raced the Miss America's too...and beat Gar once and they didn;t talk to each other for about a year....

Ed lived on Marlborough - George on Chalmers - both below Jefferson and Gar at the Mansion....The family had great Christmas parties at the Mansion in the 40 - 50's....

There were 11 brothers and sisters in the Wood family and I also have a picture of all the brothers standing in front of Miss America VII along with Orlin Johnson who was Gar's engineer on board with him when they raced.....all wearing greasy, oily gear.

My younger brother has a Miss America VI crew uniform that used to hang in my basement in Detroit and we would wear it when we needed to change oil in our cars during high school..


Gianni
Member
Username: Gianni

Post Number: 340
Registered: 05-2004
Posted on Wednesday, January 16, 2008 - 12:00 am:
http://info.detnews.com/histor y/story/index.cfm?id=128&categ ory=locations

I never made it when the mansion was standing. Only thing I ever saw were the two pillars at the entrance to the driveway that said "Gar Wood." Beyond that everything was leveled. But I was on the island and at the Fisher [[Krishna) Mansion in the 80's many times and got a feel for how cool it was. There is still at least one of the old mansions on Grayhaven island that was for sale only a few ago [[Super Bowl days) for like 3 or 4 hundred K. As the other thread says "is this a joke?" Someone who didn't think it was a joke and who is smarter [[and has more money) than us bought it. I tried to find the link from the real estate site showing the place, totally refurbished, but it's gone as last I heard someone bought it and is living there.

You could take your boat from the backyard of this house directly to the Saint Lawrence Seaway and if so inclined sail to anywhere in the world.

Not bad if you ask me.


Karenk
Member
Username: Karenk

Post Number: 55
Registered: 07-2006
Posted on Wednesday, January 16, 2008 - 3:50 pm:
I remember the biker parties from 1968 or 69. The indoor pool [[empty) was still beautiful in a creepy sort of way with the wall sconces for lighting. It was sad even then with rooms painted in purple or black and beads in the doorways and drunks everywhere.

My Dad told stories of Gar Wood running booze across at the river and slipping into his boathouse and closing the door. Got away every time from being caught.


Rocketwhit
Member
Username: Rocketwhit

Post Number: 7
Registered: 11-2007
Posted on Wednesday, January 16, 2008 - 9:48 pm:
I must say that these replys and pics have blown me absolutly away. the responces i have been waiting for. thanks to all for firing me and the site up. great joy showing my bass player the new additions to the site, he's heard my tales countless times. i really cant tell you the uplift i got today from your help as i lost my wife of 26 years dec 28 she has heard my garwood
adventure a long time. my classic tale will continue i have more to tell and will soon A VERY BIG THANKYOU to all i will look foward to more stories and pics THANKS ROCKET!••• P.S. I'm preaty sure the bands name was garwood mansion or possibly gray stone
Just so much fun to read..
the name of the band was and is STONEFRONT.. not sure who posted this pic but it was inserted on this old forum page.
Attachment 5726[/QUOTE]

[xdet]

This is where my grandfather worked with Edward Gray and Gar Wood's men at Grayhaven, from 1937-1945. Looks like a bunker! As I understand, concrete everywhere to reduce fire risk.

[old guy]

Welcome xdet. Thanks for the information. Hope you've got some more stories. Interesting stuff. Any idea where that building was located? This could open up a whole new perspective of the history of the Garwood.

[old guy]

From the ariel views of when the mansion was being built, I never noticed that facility.

[old guy]

Ironic, that fire was what ended the Garwood. More or less.

[old guy]

Actually the work bunker looks like it might have been at another location other than the island because of the slope of the terrain. The island , as I remember it, and from the photo is very level. Could that bunker have been located at Algonac? Gar Wood, Garfield A. Wood, Gar Wood Industries, Garwood, Wood Hydraulic Hoist Co., Grant Waldref, Miss America, Miss Detroit, G.A. Wood & Co., Wood Hydraulic Hoist & Body Co. - CoachBuilt.com

I never ran across this site before. I didn't realize that he actually initially financed Chris Craft. Great photos, illustrations and inf.
Attachment 26454

[stnfrnt]

+Paul Rentz Hi Paul. That's a great story about your grandfather, and I was wondering if you might have any of his old photographs of him or Garwood or anything related to Garwood. I don't think that the photo that you posted on DetroitYes is a shot of the mansion. A structure like that surely would've stood the test of time, and there was no such structure on the Garwood mansion site. Quite possibly it is somewhere up around Algonac or at one of Garwood's manufacturing facilities. He had plenty of them up in that area.

Anyway thanks for posting, and if you have any more stories please feel free to share them with me or any other Garwood people. We'd love to hear them.

[stnfrnt]

Sad to say that Stonefront's bass player Mark Swanberg lost his wife of 20 years this morning to cancer. Mark is my favorite Fender bass guitar player in the whole world, and my heart goes out to him for his loss. He's the guy that laid down all those kick-ass bass tracks and added some dynamite vocals to all of Stonefront's recorded music, and he lived at the Garwood mansion with the rest of the guys in the band. He's over on Facebook if you want to drop a line or two.

[xdet]

No photos of Gar Wood but this is interesting- it goes back to c. 1917. This was Edward Gray's yacht- he was Henry Ford's chief engineer at Highland Park- and grandpa worked with him first before leaving to go back to Pennsylvania then returning to Detroit in 1937 to work for Gray then Gar Wood working on designs for WWII landing craft for the invasion of Japan- needed something different that what hit the beach heads of France.
Anyway, this was Edward Gray's yacht that he lived on- someone posted a short story about Gray and his yacht in 2007 and I just stumbled across it. The Mildred G. III- Grandma wasn't sure when she wrote the note, but I've confirmed it now.

[xdet]

I posted this one years ago, but here it is again- my mother with Phil Wood's boat at Grayhaven c. 1943

[xdet]

Old Guy- my grandparents lived on Continental and that office was very close- I'll ask my uncle if he remembers. He did say where they roller skated [[with Gar Jr. and others) was in the room where the pipes for the organ were- if you watched that video, "Stonefront" you'd see the room with all the pipes, a room over where the organ was. This was their home there-

[xdet]

When grandma and grandpa first came to Highland Park they lived on Stevens- this house is still standing- Grandma and grandpa to the right, with my uncle, their firstborn-

[xdet]

Sorry, I didn't mean to imply that the 'bunker office' was part of the mansion- it was a separate office somewhere in the Grayhaven area where both Gar Wood and Edward Gray shared time. It will be a while until I'm in Detroit again and get a chance to see what else my uncle has. [[As you can see from Grandpa's WWII draft registration form, the address of the office was simply 'Grayhaven'.)

+Paul Rentz Hi Paul. That's a great story about your grandfather, and I was wondering if you might have any of his old photographs of him or Garwood or anything related to Garwood. I don't think that the photo that you posted on DetroitYes is a shot of the mansion. A structure like that surely would've stood the test of time, and there was no such structure on the Garwood mansion site. Quite possibly it is somewhere up around Algonac or at one of Garwood's manufacturing facilities. He had plenty of them up in that area.

Anyway thanks for posting, and if you have any more stories please feel free to share them with me or any other Garwood people. We'd love to hear them.

[xdet]

More of the Grayhaven area, mid-1940s, my grandmothers with my parents-

[xdet]

I wonder if Patrick or Mikem are still active in the forum- they had questions about Edward Gray that I finally have answers for [[some anyway). Their posts go back to 2007 that I found 'Googling' more information.

[Jimaz]

I wonder if Patrick or Mikem are still active in the forum-....

They both posted messages yesterday. You might try sending them a private message using the link near the top of this page.

Thanks for the pics!

[stnfrnt]

xdet......OUTSTANDING!! Thanks..........it's great stuff. It looks like there was a lot of action up under the bridge that got you onto the island. I can't remember ever exploring that part of the property, so these photos and the stories are great. Keep them coming if you've got more.