Tuskegee Airmen Museum Open!

[WaCoTS]

just an FYI,
if you were disappointed in the past to come to Fort Wayne and find the Tuskegee Airmen Museum closed, things should be different this year.

i cant remember her name offhand [[sorry), but the lady in the red Chevy has been here on site every day except Tuesdays & Thursdays this season, and had a brief talk with her this past week.

but remember, the Fort Wayne site is not officially open to the public until May 4, except by appointment: [[313) 628-0796. i believe the Tuskegee Museum's ph# is

[[313) 843-8849.

admission to the Tuskegee Museum itself is $5.

[the rock]

Sorry, but as one who follows both air shows and air museum activities, I still feel that the most logical venue for establishing a permanent home for the Tuskeege Air Museum is the Yankee Air Museum at Willow Run. There they would get the most recognition, the most patrons, and would receive more funding/contributions in the two days of Yankee's "Thunder Over Michigan" air show held in early August then they would receive all year anywhere else in Detroit, especially at struggling Fort Wayne. I recall they were well received at Yankee a few years ago.
But if their wish is to be located at Fort Wayne, then so be it. Their wishes should be foremost.

[Honky Tonk]

Sorry, but as one who follows both air shows and air museum activities, I still feel that the most logical venue for establishing a permanent home for the Tuskeege Air Museum is the Yankee Air Museum at Willow Run. There they would get the most recognition, the most patrons, and would receive more funding/contributions in the two days of Yankee's "Thunder Over Michigan" air show held in early August then they would receive all year anywhere else in Detroit, especially at struggling Fort Wayne. I recall they were well received at Yankee a few years ago.
But if their wish is to be located at Fort Wayne, then so be it. Their wishes should be foremost.

Though I agree with you about it being a better idea, [[IMO), to have it co-located @ The Yankee @ Willow Run, the Tuskegee Air Museum has been located @ Fort Wayne for quite a while, it just hasn't been open.

[WaCoTS]

on the contrary, from what i hear Tuskegee Museum would love nothing more than to get out of Fort Wayne and be back at the airport, but there are certain circumstances keeping them where they are for the moment. Fort Wayne has no hold whatsoever over the Tuskegee Museum, nor any ability to force them to stay.

i am not a member of their organization, nor do i know any of them personally, nor am i speaking on any of their behalfs, so i wont speculate any further, and please dont take my words as any kind of gospel. i am merely trying to help them drum up business.

[Gistok]

WaCoTS... was the Fort Wayne location a CAY idea back during his administration... of using one of the Fort Wayne buildings to house their museum? He was a Tuskegee Airman...

[Honky Tonk]

on the contrary, from what i hear Tuskegee Museum would love nothing more than to get out of Fort Wayne and be back at the airport, but there are certain circumstances keeping them where they are for the moment. Fort Wayne has no hold whatsoever over the Tuskegee Museum, nor any ability to force them to stay.

i am not a member of their organization, nor do i know any of them personally, nor am i speaking on any of their behalfs, so i wont speculate any further, and please dont take my words as any kind of gospel. i am merely trying to help them drum up business.

You are right. They wanted their museum located @ City Airport, and @ one point were looking for funding to do so. I remember the Tuskegee Airmen Museum @ Fort Wayne, when it was originally open, and you were able to visit. I don't recall it ever being moved out of there, so this would be a Grand Re-opening. I also recall, [[well, maybe), a Native American Museum there too, but I'm not sure what tribe. I'm happy to see you guys opening some of these other displays back up. Maybe when people come to visit, they'll stay longer then 10 minutes? Now, if you could only get the tank open and working again........

[Gistok]

Maybe when people come to visit, they'll stay longer then 10 minutes?

That's only for folks leaving Midtown in need of an unlocked bathroom...

[Honky Tonk]

That's only for folks leaving Midtown in need of an unlocked bathroom...

Midtown's such a cesspool.

[WaCoTS]

I also recall, [[well, maybe), a Native American Museum there too, but I'm not sure what tribe.

The Great Lakes Indian Museum was located in Blg 117, a 3-story officers' quarters until the 1990s, iirc. the museum and the mound are now maintained under lease agreement by the All Nations Veteran's Council, a vets group for Native Americans of all tribes. they have plans to reopen the museum soon, but like us they have struggles with getting the money and able bodies to make it happen. if you remember what the mound used to look like [[completely hidden behind growth) you will be amazed to see that they have completely cleaned it up and extended the fence outward.

this was all accomplished within their community and according to ceremonial practices they agreed on beforehand. i assisted them in much of the work, but the inside of the fenced mound is sacred and only native americans can go inside, out of respect. the reason we extended the fence is because there are plans to repatriate the remains taken from the Fort Wayne mounds in the 1920s by U of M, and to build more mound over them. who knows when the repatriation will occur, as there is a lot of red tape, and it is an extremely private/spiritual affair.

one of the snags is that the All Nations Vets group has no single specific tribal affiliation, which complicates repatriation under the law. the nearest tribe who can plausibly prove a connection to the mound are the Potawatomie...but i am not about to get into native american politics.

the dead tree that sat next to the Grt Lakes Indian Museum has been cut down ...actually it was partially destroyed by the winds of Hurricane Sandy on Devil's Night, taking out the powerlines it was hanging over. i sat here babysitting the downed lines until Nov 1st when the PLD could fix it, because the fallen limbs were intermittently on fire. if you look at the sidewalk and grass there you can still see the scorch marks caused by the arcing. we would have taken that tree out long ago if it werent for the fact that it hung well over the powerlines, and we dont have a bucket truck. the All Nations guys got someone they knew to carve the stump into an eagle with a chainsaw. i notice all the soccer kids and pretty much anyone who walks by seems to love getting their picture taken in front of it haha.

[Honky Tonk]

The Great Lakes Indian Museum was located in Blg 117, a 3-story officers' quarters until the 1990s, iirc. the museum and the mound are now maintained under lease agreement by the All Nations Veteran's Council, a vets group for Native Americans of all tribes. they have plans to reopen the museum soon, but like us they have struggles with getting the money and able bodies to make it happen. if you remember what the mound used to look like [[completely hidden behind growth) you will be amazed to see that they have completely cleaned it up and extended the fence outward.

this was all accomplished within their community and according to ceremonial practices they agreed on beforehand. i assisted them in much of the work, but the inside of the fenced mound is sacred and only native americans can go inside, out of respect. the reason we extended the fence is because there are plans to repatriate the remains taken from the Fort Wayne mounds in the 1920s from U of M, and to build more mound over them. who knows when the repatriation will occur, as there is a lot of red tape, and it is an extremely private/spiritual affair.

one of the snags is that the All Nations Vets group has no single specific tribal affiliation, which complicates repatriation under the law. the nearest tribe who can plausibly prove a connection to the mound are the Potawatomie...but i am not about to get into native american politics.

the dead tree that sat next to the Grt Lakes Indian Museum has been cut down ...actually it was partially destroyed by the winds of Hurricane Sandy on Devil's Night, taking out the powerlines it was hanging over. i sat here babysitting the downed lines until Nov 1st when the PLD could fix it, because the fallen limbs were intermittently on fire. if you look at the sidewalk and grass there you can still see the scorch marks caused by the arcing. we would have taken that tree out long ago if it werent for the fact that it hung well over the powerlines, and we dont have a bucket truck. the All Nations guys got someone they knew to carve the stump into an eagle with a chainsaw. i notice all the soccer kids and pretty much anyone who walks by seems to love getting their picture taken in front of it haha.

Cool stories. I go there a lot. Have been for 50 years. Not to be funny, but have you ever thought of having none-military or non-historic events there for fund raising? [[besides the soccer & 10 minute flea market) Maybe concerts? Mild rock? DSO? Think of the 1812, LIVE, like Greenfield Village, with cannon fire. I think Fort Wayne is a great place with great possibilities.

[marshamusic]

Cool stories. I go there a lot. Have been for 50 years. Not to be funny, but have you ever thought of having none-military or non-historic events there for fund raising? [[besides the soccer & 10 minute flea market) Maybe concerts? Mild rock? DSO? Think of the 1812, LIVE, like Greenfield Village, with cannon fire. I think Fort Wayne is a great place with great possibilities.

"10 minute flea market". LOLOLOL!!! Oh my goodness. Yawl don't give a break! LOL!

I've attended others kinds of events at Fort Wayne, most recently - art shows, one, where a master iron worker displayed his drawings and work, a reggae concert, and an extravaganza of African-American equestians that was simply amazing. Some, but not all of the horsefolks [[men and women) were from the Buffalo Soldiers group, so this wasn't altogether historical, but really fun. I LOVE Fort Wayne.

[WaCoTS]

have you ever thought of having none-military or non-historic events there for fund raising? [[besides the soccer & 10 minute flea market) Maybe concerts? Mild rock? DSO? Think of the 1812, LIVE, like Greenfield Village, with cannon fire.

**cringe at comparison to our nemesis, GV**

but yes, we have thought about or done all of the above. in fact at least half or more of our events are non-military related. the Parks Rec Dept controls the site, remember, so theres certain things we can & cant do. also, the PRD brings in events on their own when they can. they have been trying to get a music fest here for years. Kid Rock and Ted Nugent both expressed interest, both came and walked the site, and both took a pass because the backdrop was ugly industrial Canada, not downtown. finally, this year, there will be a rock festival. personally i am not keen on the idea of bringing several thousand drunk people onto a delicate, decaying historical site...that was never engineered for rock fests....but whatever.

the DSO played the 1812 Overture here inside the star fort decades ago, and in fact in 2011 i suggested it again as part of one of the War of 1812 bicentennial events. our director thought it was a great idea and i gave him their contact info but im not sure what happened with that. may need to think about that again.

this year we have i think 40-some events scheduled, total.
http://historicfortwaynecoalition.com/Events.html
this list only includes Coalition events, not PRD events. the PRD is hosting some kind of "art fest" on Memorial Day wknd, supposedly. i still dont exactly know what that means.

[Honky Tonk]

**cringe at comparison to our nemesis, GV**

but yes, we have thought about or done all of the above. in fact at least half or more of our events are non-military related. the Parks Rec Dept controls the site, remember, so theres certain things we can & cant do. also, the PRD brings in events on their own when they can. they have been trying to get a music fest here for years. Kid Rock and Ted Nugent both expressed interest, both came and walked the site, and both took a pass because the backdrop was ugly industrial Canada, not downtown. finally, this year, there will be a rock festival. personally i am not keen on the idea of bringing several thousand drunk people onto a delicate, decaying historical site...that was never engineered for rock fests....but whatever.

the DSO played the 1812 Overture here inside the star fort decades ago, and in fact in 2011 i suggested it again as part of one of the War of 1812 bicentennial events. our director thought it was a great idea and i gave him their contact info but im not sure what happened with that. may need to think about that again.

this year we have i think 40-some events scheduled, total.
http://historicfortwaynecoalition.com/Events.html
this list only includes Coalition events, not PRD events. the PRD is hosting some kind of "art fest" on Memorial Day wknd, supposedly. i still dont exactly know what that means.

I have a BONE to pick with GV, so no comparisons are being made. I just like the Fort. Yeah, Ted Nugent, and Kid Rock weren't what I had in mind. But I think the CA Industrial Background is cool looking. Especially when freighters come by.

[WaCoTS]

But I think the CA Industrial Background is cool looking. Especially when freighters come by.

yeah but Belle Isle has that AND everything else, including a much less "frightening" and less rank-smelling neighborhood. which is why they all chose Belle Isle over the fort, including Metallica iirc.

btw, is this more to your liking?
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/0...n_3181602.html

http://www.deadlinedetroit.com/artic...t_s_fort_wayne

lol ugh...

[marshamusic]

I have a BONE to pick with GV

Arghhh!! I just got it......

[marshamusic]

Arghhh!! I just got it......

I hope this link works; to a facebook photo album of some pics I took at Fort Wayne.

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?...1&l=1160a8ede0

[Honky Tonk]

Your pictures are GREAT! Looks like a FUN time. Why the heck would someone leave after 10 minutes?

[Gistok]

Your pictures are GREAT! Looks like a FUN time. Why the heck would someone leave after 10 minutes?

Allergic to Patina??

[marshamusic]

Your pictures are GREAT! Looks like a FUN time. Why the heck would someone leave after 10 minutes?

You can't even get around the whole place with your car in 10 minutes; obviously somebody didn't even get out of the car and actually try to look at anything.

Thanks! I was reluctant to post the pics, because they do not nearly capture the real beauty and expanse of the place; my pics show probably less than 20% of the area of the fort and its buildings.
You know Honk, fun cannot even adequately describe what it is that you have when you go there. It’s fun alright, but it’s also a place that quiets your soul; the water, the green hills, the old red brick. The evidence of long-gone times, of historic Americana, it just stops you in your tracks. You have a very reverent feeling there.
I was in an old building that has a small hidden passage way – that once carried folks running to Canada for freedom. I got chills just standing there. [[maybe also later carried bootleggers too, who knows..)
Then there are the reinactors. I only had the one in my photo, and that was the first time that I had seen a black re-inactor there; he was there on a Buffalo Soldiers day. Usually its whites all camped out on the lowland with their hooped skirts and iron pots and hardtack; Abe and Mary Todd Lincoln walking around the grounds. In fact, that day, in those pictures is the first time I’ve ever been there with that many African Americans there.
I have been going to Fort Wayne since I was a kid, it used to be one of our annual field trips, back in the days when public schools did those things.
It is a very beautiful place, in an old, historic, crumbling way, and one of the underutilized treasures of Detroit.

P.s., Btw, for several recent years, my son was the tour manager/stage manager for the Eagles, and he is a director of big stadium shows. From time to time he’s thought about venues here, and I’ve been trying to convince him to bring a high quality music event to Fort Wayne for a long time; maybe one day, he will.

[WaCoTS]

I was in an old building that has a small hidden passage way – that once carried folks running to Canada for freedom. I got chills just standing there. [[maybe also later carried bootleggers too, who knows..)

uhhh...beg pardon, but which one is that? lol

[Honky Tonk]

You can't even get around the whole place with your car in 10 minutes; obviously somebody didn't even get out of the car and actually try to look at anything.

Thanks! I was reluctant to post the pics, because they do not nearly capture the real beauty and expanse of the place; my pics show probably less than 20% of the area of the fort and its buildings.
You know Honk, fun cannot even adequately describe what it is that you have when you go there. It’s fun alright, but it’s also a place that quiets your soul; the water, the green hills, the old red brick. The evidence of long-gone times, of historic Americana, it just stops you in your tracks. You have a very reverent feeling there.
I was in an old building that has a small hidden passage way – that once carried folks running to Canada for freedom. I got chills just standing there. [[maybe also later carried bootleggers too, who knows..)
Then there are the reinactors. I only had the one in my photo, and that was the first time that I had seen a black re-inactor there; he was there on a Buffalo Soldiers day. Usually its whites all camped out on the lowland with their hooped skirts and iron pots and hardtack; Abe and Mary Todd Lincoln walking around the grounds. In fact, that day, in those pictures is the first time I’ve ever been there with that many African Americans there.
I have been going to Fort Wayne since I was a kid, it used to be one of our annual field trips, back in the days when public schools did those things.
It is a very beautiful place, in an old, historic, crumbling way, and one of the underutilized treasures of Detroit.

P.s., Btw, for several recent years, my son was the tour manager/stage manager for the Eagles, and he is a director of big stadium shows. From time to time he’s thought about venues here, and I’ve been trying to convince him to bring a high quality music event to Fort Wayne for a long time; maybe one day, he will.

If I could write as well as you, I would quit my day job. You're on point with the feelings Fort Wayne instills, @ least in me too. As I posted earlier, The RIGHT kind of show might go over well. [[I think) I wouldn't condone booking someone who's fans would disrespect and trash the buildings and grounds.

[marshamusic]

uhhh...beg pardon, but which one is that? lol

In the area where the flea market is held; at the parking lot, if you go south, towards the water, more or less, on the path toward the flea market building on the left, across from that up aways, on the right, is another, smaller building. That building or the one past that one had an opening/tunnel kind of thing. The Fort rep told me the story.

[marshamusic]

[QUOTE=Honky Tonk;381565]If I could write as well as you, I would quit my day job.

Oh, Bless your heart....

You're on point with the feelings Fort Wayne instills, @ least in me too.

Hope I wasn't sounding too mushy, but that's how I feel when I'm there. I also feel the sadness that the city has not been able to better support this hallowed place.

As I posted earlier, The RIGHT kind of show might go over well. [[I think) I wouldn't condone booking someone who's fans would disrespect and trash the buildings and grounds.

Oh, of course. They should never book an act with the potential for that kind of audience.

I think we might be surprised by this concert that we read that is coming up; despite my first knee-jerk, old-school flinch, I think it will probably be a more of a Techno-fest, Lallapalooza, modern day Woodstock-type affair [[without the mud and mess), and innocuous.

[WaCoTS]

In the area where the flea market is held; at the parking lot, if you go south, towards the water, more or less, on the path toward the flea market building on the left, across from that up aways, on the right, is another, smaller building. That building or the one past that one had an opening/tunnel kind of thing. The Fort rep told me the story.

i assume you mean this?


if so, that is definitely not a tunnel for slaves to escape to Canada. it is the powder magazine for the cannons atop the defensive berm/fortification into which it is built, called a demilune, and it dead-ends after about 25ft. you may have mistaken what was said, because in the 1840s a small farmstead [[which predated the fort) used to sit on the opposite side of that berm closer to the river, owned by an Irishman who operated a ferry from there. it is *said* that he may have assisted slaves in attaining their freedom, but there has not yet been any hard evidence uncovered to verify this. otherwise we would have an Underground Railroad designation, and we would probably be a national park, and have a lot less financial issues.

from aerial view, you can definitely tell it is a gun battery, and you can even see the roof of the tunnel and where it stops:
http://goo.gl/maps/3pQXe

[marshamusic]

i assume you mean this?


if so, that is definitely not a tunnel for slaves to escape to Canada. it is the powder magazine for the cannons atop the defensive berm/fortification into which it is built, called a demilune, and it dead-ends after about 25ft. you may have mistaken what was said, because in the 1840s a small farmstead [[which predated the fort) used to sit on the opposite side of that berm closer to the river, owned by an Irishman who operated a ferry from there. it is *said* that he may have assisted slaves in attaining their freedom, but there has not yet been any hard evidence uncovered to verify this. otherwise we would have an Underground Railroad designation, and we would probably be a national park, and have a lot less financial issues.

from aerial view, you can definitely tell it is a gun battery, and you can even see the roof of the tunnel and where it stops:
http://goo.gl/maps/3pQXe

Well, thanks for all of this great information but no, I'm not referring to this area pictured, as I don't recall seeing the "passage way" from the outside.

I was inside the building where the Fort Wayne tour guide pointed it out, and told us its prior history. No, I'm sure I am not mistaken as to what he told us; in fact, after he did, I snapped a few pics of the spot, and the resultant photo showed an inexplicable, rather spooky column of gauzy light where my camera was aimed - a source of great mystical speculation and hilarity when I'd show folk the photo later [[this was at least 10 years ago, if I can find a copy, I'll certainly post it :-)).

You know, when I posted my remarks above, I though about exactly what you've now said, about the historic designation, and I stopped short of saying that it was part of the Underground Railroad. However, I remember so well that the tour guide was quite emphatic about it, even talking about the area of Canada where they would have landed, etc.


Perhaps the tour guide was inspired to such speculative hyperbole when he saw that I was in such a blissful state of historical reverie, just being there.