The Demise of The Social Secretary of Detroit and Michigan "The Blue Book"

[GPguy]

I have heard the The Blue Book is no longer being published. I believe it has been published for over 90 years. Can anyone confirm this?

[EastsideAl]

You mean they were still publishing this relic of a [[thankfully) bygone era until recently? Talk about a concept whose time has passed. Who in the world was buying it other than a couple of extremely old Grosse Pointers?

[313WX]

You mean they were still publishing this relic of a [[thankfully) bygone era until recently? Talk about a concept whose time has passed. Who in the world was buying it other than a couple of extremely old Grosse Pointers?

You do realize the OP's name is "GPguy," right?

[Hypestyles]

what are these publications?

[mtburb]

I actually used to have one of these for Downriver from the late 1990's.

[DetroitBoy]

You mean they were still publishing this relic of a [[thankfully) bygone era until recently? Talk about a concept whose time has passed. Who in the world was buying it other than a couple of extremely old Grosse Pointers?

My grandmother knew Jane Schermerhorn. Her joke about GP was that most of the residents were people who aspired to a lifestyle they couldn't afford. Based on the state of the Pointes, that's probably doubly so today!

[Neilr]

I had always admired the driveway leading to the Wesson Seyburn House [[now demolished) on East Jefferson in Grosse Pointe. The house sat right on the lake at the end of a long allee of sycamore trees. Looking down the drive, while having to go past at 30 mph, was probably my favorite view in all of Grosse Pointe.


I really wanted to be able to walk down that drive. Over the years, I had purchased several Blue Books at estate sales. So one summer I looked up Mrs. Wesson Seyburn's phone number [[TU 5-0800) in my Blue Book and gave a call. The phone was answered by a very pleasant secretary and I asked if I could do just that. She said, "Certainly." So we arranged a time for me to come and she said she'd tell Paul, the gardner, to expect me.


At the appointed time I parked across the street in Bon Secours Hospital's lot and walked down the drive. I then spent an almost magical hour walking around Mrs. Wesson Seyburn's beautifully maintained gardens.


None of this would have happened had I not been able to find her number in the Blue Book.

[GPguy]

what are these publications?

The Blue Book as it is known was not offered for sale to the general public. The long-time editor Jane Schermerhorn who I believe was the society editor for one of the Detroit newspapers, decided who would be added to directory. If you came from a "good family" or a member of an exclusive club such as the Yondotega, Country Club of Detroit you would be offered a listing. It was published once a year. It was basically a Blue Blood white pages.

[DetroitBoy]

I had always admired the driveway leading to the Wesson Seyburn House [[now demolished) on East Jefferson in Grosse Pointe. The house sat right on the lake at the end of a long allee of sycamore trees. Looking down the drive, while having to go past at 30 mph, was probably my favorite view in all of Grosse Pointe.


I really wanted to be able to walk down that drive. Over the years, I had purchased several Blue Books at estate sales. So one summer I looked up Mrs. Wesson Seyburn's phone number [[TU 5-0800) in my Blue Book and gave a call. The phone was answered by a very pleasant secretary and I asked if I could do just that. She said, "Certainly." So we arranged a time for me to come and she said she'd tell Paul, the gardner, to expect me.


At the appointed time I parked across the street in Bon Secours Hospital's lot and walked down the drive. I then spent an almost magical hour walking around Mrs. Wesson Seyburn's beautifully maintained gardens.


None of this would have happened had I not been able to find her number in the Blue Book.

Seebe's been dead since the early '80s. This must have been ages ago.