Fairview history

[lafontaine]

I found this article today that was pretty interesting. I know there have been threads about Fairview before [[this was the community between Detroit and Grosse Pointe in the early 1900s)

http://www.modeldmedia.com/features/fairview17008.aspx

[sumas]

Thank you for your interest. Nick did the research, my husband and I wrote the book, Motorcities Heritage provided funding via a grant and matching funding came from JEBA. The book is available in soft cover and hard bound. Nick acquired pictures, permissions and the layout he did is excelent.

We are pretty proud of it. Originally it for was sale through JEBA, haven't talked to Nick in abit as we ran into some pretty serious health issues this year. The Village of Fairview does one or two bus tours a year and if a speaker is needed Nick is aoutstanding. We have visuals and schoolcraft college did a computer virtual of the track. The history of Fairview , the tracks [[2) are facinating stuff. In 2007, Nick was the keynote speaker for the city of Grosse Pointe Park for their 100th aniversary at the war memorial. No one left the room and his timed speech was held over due to intense interest. The day after 1/2 of Fairview was annexed in 1907, GPP incorporated as a Village later to become a city. We found the work facinating. It is strange how quickly history gets lost and Nick is an impecable researcher' He told Ford Motor Company archivists stuff they didn't know The architect firm that built the track still exists and they didn't know anything about it, not in their records.

Thanks again I have never shilled on the forum but needless to say, copies are for sale.

[sumas]

Nick was giving a lecture at the T plex with other historians whose area of expertise tied into the Fairview story, who are now members of our historical society. I was filming the program and his sister and her fiance were in the audience. Nick was supposed to return to the podium but no Nick. Turns out Nick had a heart attack, he was rushed to Receiving Hospital lwho transfered him to Harper who did emergency surgery. We followed the ambulance. There we all sat for hours when he came out of the recovery room he was remarkably alert. His first question was How was the lecture [[it was a packed room) Was it well received, did people like it?

Now that shows dedication to his passion for history

No one in the room had a clue and the other historians/writers finished up great, I heard. As for me, it wasn't funny at the time, but I was actually taping his heart attack, he carried on admirably. The T=Plex people were great they locked up all his equipment displays etc, his sister and I went back the next day to collect stuff and they were so kind and concerned.

He is fine, healthy and doing well these days.

[sumas]

Several forumers have bought the Fairview book and I still get Pms about my research and book in progress regarding Grayhaven. If you go to the early posts on the Garwood thread you'll see some of my research posted. The final chapter of Horse Power, Men and Machines,[[Fairview history) the final chapter is a nice transition chronicling the area after Fairview, I wrote a nice abbreviated history regarding Grayhaven. My research is maybe 3 weeks short of completion regarding Grayhaven which is basically the city suing Gray, Gray suing the city adnaseum. It actually was the the city that destroyed the development of the Island not the depression. Trust me the city was very clever and very evil trying to take down Gray. They did too!

Some things never change huh!

I have a publisher that thank God will not require me writing more grants. 10 years late but I expect to have a complete manuscript by Easter. I have one more book in mind that I find facinating historically to Detroit regarding Robert Oakman, Wildflower Bob, the bully man for the DUR.

Sorry Stonefront, 10 yrs late but on the way.

[Dexlin]

Thanks for the rundown, sumas. I'm fascinated by old Detroit, particularly of the older communities before annexation. Hey, if you could, could you PM me about purchasing the book on Fairview? I'm not sure when I'll get around to it, but it would be something I'd be interested in purchasing.

[xdet]

Several forumers have bought the Fairview book and I still get Pms about my research and book in progress regarding Grayhaven. If you go to the early posts on the Garwood thread you'll see some of my research posted. The final chapter of Horse Power, Men and Machines,[[Fairview history) the final chapter is a nice transition chronicling the area after Fairview, I wrote a nice abbreviated history regarding Grayhaven. My research is maybe 3 weeks short of completion regarding Grayhaven which is basically the city suing Gray, Gray suing the city adnaseum. It actually was the the city that destroyed the development of the Island not the depression. Trust me the city was very clever and very evil trying to take down Gray. They did too!

Some things never change huh!

Sadly, I don't think Sumas ever finished her work and I've yet to find anyone here that knows enough about her to know if her unfinished work is somewhere- would love to make contact with someone who might know. I'm on my way back to Michigan Tuesday as I now live in Oregon. My grandfather worked for Edward Gray from their Oil City days until five years after his Ford years and would love to know more about the story she was researching.

[canuck]

Sadly, I don't think Sumas ever finished her work and I've yet to find anyone here that knows enough about her to know if her unfinished work is somewhere- would love to make contact with someone who might know. I'm on my way back to Michigan Tuesday as I now live in Oregon. My grandfather worked for Edward Gray from their Oil City days until five years after his Ford years and would love to know more about the story she was researching.

No worries, sumas did complete research on the book mentioned above. Her husband ronaldj contributed to the compilation and research of.this fine book on the history of Fairview Village and Detroit. Sumas was kind enough to send me a copy a couple of months before her passing. Do seek it out, there is plenty there to give more than a glance at the makings of a great city.

[xdet]

My research is maybe 3 weeks short of completion regarding Grayhaven which is basically the city suing Gray, Gray suing the city adnaseum. It actually was the the city that destroyed the development of the Island not the depression. Trust me the city was very clever and very evil trying to take down Gray. They did too!

Some things never change huh!

canuck, it's the Grayhaven work I'm wondering about, which I think was separate from Fairview Village.

[gazhekwe]

Sumas posted quite a few bits of her research histories on Paging Gazhekwe. There is at least one on Grayhaven. Here is a search result of her posts on the the thread:

http://www.detroityes.com/mb/search.php?searchid=653859

[Dbest]

i miss reading Sumas' post. I don't recall ever seeing anyone as passionate about their Detroit neighborhood. I had a lot of respect for Sumas...

[xdet]

Sumas posted quite a few bits of her research histories on Paging Gazhekwe. There is at least one on Grayhaven. Here is a search result of her posts on the the thread:

http://www.detroityes.com/mb/search.php?searchid=653859

That link comes up empty.

[wilderness]

Perhaps this is the thread http://www.detroityes.com/mb/printth...8&pp=25&page=4

[xdet]

Thanks Wilderness- I did finally find that thread. I've continued my research and did find some of the legal trouble Gray got himself into. But also found that contrary to some thoughts, apparently it wasn't a falling out with Ford that had Gray leaving Ford in the summer of 1914. In fact Gray got Ford to endorse his project in a letter he wrote for Gray in 1922. Gray also had some legal troubles with the firm he left in Oil City, PA. If you Google Gray vs. Smithman you can find a number of references. Mr. Smithman had owned a street car company in Oil City. He sold the street car company but retained the shop that his engines were built in. In 1905-06 Gray approached Smithman about a joint venture and the created 'Riverside Engine Company' in Oil City. My grandfather started working for Gray there in 1906. When Edward Gray left Oil City for Highland Park in 1909, it created a void of the intelligence that made Riverside what it was during his time as manager- mainly that he had sold Ford the first power plant for Highland Park. Ford was impressed enough to hire him in 1909 as his chief engineer. That covered construction engineering too so while Albert Kahn was credited with the design of Highland Park it was Gray and the other Ford engineers that brought the plans to Kahn and he basically designed the 'shell' to cover those floor plans. Highland Park was never built to be the first modern assembly line plant for autos, that was a 'work in progress' there.
At some point James Couzens became Vice-President of Ford and one day fired Edward Gray. Henry was furious and told his staff to find Gray and get him back but that may have been the beginning of Gray's plans to leave- and he did in the summer of 1914. But he must have retained good relations with Ford as mentioned, he got Ford to endorse Grayhaven- and good timing too if any of the legal issues popped up in the local papers!

[gazhekwe]

Trying again with Sumas' posts on Paging Gazhekwe. I picked just the ones about her history research. The first post or few in each link are Sumas and replies.

http://www.detroityes.com/mb/showthr...6382#post56382

http://www.detroityes.com/mb/showthr...6528#post56528

http://www.detroityes.com/mb/showthr...0158#post60158

http://www.detroityes.com/mb/showthr...4466#post64466

http://www.detroityes.com/mb/showthr...7776#post67776

http://www.detroityes.com/mb/showthr...8886#post68886

http://www.detroityes.com/mb/showthr...0290#post70290

[gazhekwe]

More of Sumas' history posts on Paging Gazhekwe:

http://www.detroityes.com/mb/showthr...2990#post72990

http://www.detroityes.com/mb/showthr...3319#post73319

There are other posts not relating to Detroit history research. If you would like to read them, just do a thread search for posts by Sumas. She was a loving and giving person thirsty for knowledge. I sure do miss her.