West Side Polish Catholic Info. Re-Visited

**Ronjm23** · December-10-10, 08:25 AM

I was born in and lived in Detoit until my family moved downriver when I was 9 years old in 1956. We 1st lived on Otis and I attended St. Hedwig elementary. I clearly remember walking across the street from the house to Pulanski's bakery every night for fresh baked bread. The smell of that bread lingers in my memory to this day. Later we moved to a home that my grandmother purchased on Goldner. I still attended St. Hedwig. I recall the nuns drumming the Polish language into us in 3rd grade. Just a few years back I visited the area and was saddened to see what had become of it. I felt unsafe in broad daylight yet I recall walking with my mother at night to other local bakeries for fresh products.

**jgavrile** · December-10-10, 11:29 AM

How do you get access to the Sanborn maps??

muskie1 · December-10-10, 11:43 AM

Originally Posted by Ronjm23

I was born in and lived in Detoit until my family moved downriver when I was 9 years old in 1956. We 1st lived on Otis and I attended St. Hedwig elementary. I clearly remember walking across the street from the house to Pulanski's bakery every night for fresh baked bread. The smell of that bread lingers in my memory to this day. Later we moved to a home that my grandmother purchased on Goldner. I still attended St. Hedwig. I recall the nuns drumming the Polish language into us in 3rd grade. Just a few years back I visited the area and was saddened to see what had become of it. I felt unsafe in broad daylight yet I recall walking with my mother at night to other local bakeries for fresh products.

I spent a great deal of time near there. I only lived in the area in 1967,but my Grandmother lived at Otis and Hammond. My mom graduated from St. Hedwig in the early 50's I think. I use to take my Grandmother to Christmas mass there until the mid 90's.

**jcole** · December-10-10, 12:03 PM

My husband grew up on Military near Otis back in the 40's and his grandparents owned the Ozga Bakery on one of the corners there.

muskie1 · December-10-10, 12:18 PM

Originally Posted by jcole

My husband grew up on Military near Otis back in the 40's and his grandparents owned the Ozga Bakery on one of the corners there.

My mom remembers this bakery well. When she was a child she said her and her sister would walk across the allley to it. She thinks you husband may of lived directly in back of her house. She remembers her mother had a friend ,thinks her name was Jean, who she use to talk to all the time.

**jcole** · December-10-10, 12:50 PM

His mother was Mildred and her mother was Pauline. There was also a Mary, and a Jenny, so maybe that's the one she knew.

**karl jr.** · December-10-10, 03:14 PM

The Bakery was named "ARCADIA BAKERY" in the 1960-70 period. I wish I had some angel wings now...

**karl jr.** · December-10-10, 03:24 PM

Doe anyone remember the name of the detroit public school that was on junction and buchanan, the fact I can't remember the name is really buggin' me.

**Ronjm23** · December-10-10, 04:14 PM

Originally Posted by muskie1

I spent a great deal of time near there. I only lived in the area in 1967,but my Grandmother lived at Otis and Hammond. My mom graduated from St. Hedwig in the early 50's I think. I use to take my Grandmother to Christmas mass there until the mid 90's.

Yes, a real honest to goodness outdoor beer garden graced the corner of Otis & Wesson. My dad and our neighbor would cross the street in the summer to hoist a few the summer evening. On rare occasions he would take my mother & I to a tavern that was a bit further down Wesson. The place was called Mike's. I remember the Wurlizer juke box where I played "Old Soldiers Never Die," they just fade away to death on that machine. It had big old 78 rpm records.

**rutski78** · September-05-16, 12:20 AM

the building across the street from st francis use to be the church hall they held bingo and festivals in it and at the corner of buchanan and 35th was a store called the milk depot and then they made it in to a storage and moved the store next to the alley. and at the other end of 35th and horatio use to be the best candy store ever i lived and went to school and st francis school for 8 years then went to st. hedwig where i graduated i was born and raised two blocks from the church so i am quit familiar with the surrounding i never remember another funeral home on the corner only jarzembowski and yes the owner got killed and that is when they shut it down i think st francis church is one of the most beautiful churches there is

Originally Posted by mortalman

jackie5275, you cleared up the mystery to me about the location of Jarzembowski Funeral Home being across the street that is now the parish center. I thought they were located catercorner from when you said it was because there is still a large building on that corner that looks like it was some kind of business at one time. I thought that was the funeral home. That would be on the SE corner of Wesson and Buchanan. Any idea what that used to be? There's also a orange brick building on the NE corner of Buchanan and 35th. any idea what that used to be? I hope I've got my orientation correct on the location of those two buildings. While I'm at it does anyone know what that abandoned factory traveling north on Wesson on the west side of the street? The one with the old fashion water tower on the roof.

Thanks allot for those Sanborn Insurance Maps of Sts. Hedwig and Casimir Churches, Hornwrecker. Like I said I figure you must be a Warlock the way you can figure out those Sanborn maps. How do you get those colors in the maps you post? Even after going back to the Sanborn Maps for St. Francis where you gave me the year, dates and page I could find any 12c but it did help me and I found it on my copy of the maps. I guess they must all be the same but who knows. Are they still in that business? Do you know if there are Sanborn Maps for New York City and Passaic, New Jersey? My family came from Poland to NYC and NJ and then moved to Detroit. So, it would be interesting to see what the maps say about where they lived, worked and prayed. The Catholic Church they belonged to doesn't even exist anymore but the tenement they lived in in Manhattan is still there.

All this genealogy would have been so much easier to ask these questions when they were all still alive. Having to root it out of the records is tedious, frustrating and time consuming.

Thanks all.

**jcole** · September-05-16, 09:54 AM

I just happened to come across this while searching for something else:
http://dignitas.typepad.com/photos/1...i_1/index.html

**cassique** · September-06-16, 01:36 PM

The school that is in that building is Hope of Detroit Academy and is a charter school that is authorized by Ferris State University and operates as its own district. They have a great relationship with the parish and have maintained much of the historical relevance of the school building. Walking through the halls definitely brings back a lot of memories from my days in Catholic schools. They are also constructing a new facility a block over from the St. Francis site.