Belgian Neighborhood Tour

[sumas]

There was a hugh population of Belgians in what is now called Creekside. That area was a large swamp type locale. Belgians were called Muskrat French.

There are a few homes left on Cadiuex showing the "alley homes".

I remember when they raced pigeons from the Cadieux Cafe. A coop was on the back of the bar.

[Hermod]

I remember the Mack Eastlawn area as having a high percentage of old timer Buffaloes.

It has been almost 50 years since I have heard someone refer to Belgians as Buffaloes.

[eno]

It has been almost 50 years since I have heard someone refer to Belgians as Buffaloes.

Imagine my disappointment as a young Belgian-American to learn in the first grade of elementary school that I wasn't part of the lineage of that stately and noble creature that roamed the West unabated, providing sustenance for it's native inhabitants.

[kryptonite]

Ha! When I lived on the east side of Detroit a few of my Belgian friends still referred to Belgians with the "B word".

[skyl4rk]

Thanks very much for your help. It looks like a trip down Harper and through East English Village should be a good introduction to the old Belgian neighborhood.

Are there any specific businesses or commercial stretches that were part of the neighborhood?

A very odd coincidence: my last name has been mentioned on this thread. ??!!??

[Bong-Man]

Detroit St. was in the core of the Belgian neighborhood. My Mother often spoke French over the fence to many. If you go down the street today you can still see the pigeon coops atop many houses, especially on the North side of the street.

[Buffalogirl]

Two more precious remnants of Belgian Detroit are located in Roseville. The Genealogical Society of Flemish Americans [[GSFA for short) and "Belgian Publishing", publishers of the Gazette van Detroit [[now in its 96th year) are both housed in the basement of the American House East II on 13 Mile Road. That retirement complex was built by a Belgian [[Rene De Seranno) for other Belgians, but there are very few left now [[Msgr. De Cneudt still hanging on) and the "Father Taillieu Home", as it was originally called, itself has changed hands.
The non-profit GSFA runs the Leon Buyse Library there, where Americans with Flemish roots can go and research their family history and learn more about their land of origin. They accept all donations of Belgian memorabilia, pictures, death cards, letters, books, etc. If you don't know what to do with them.
The Gazette van Detroit was started as a Flemish language community weekly by the Eastside Belgians in 1914. It survives as a biweekly in English and Flemish. Some of the local libraries carry it and free copies can often be found at the some restaurants in the area.

[preserve]

Didn't one of the owners of the Cadiex Cafe die of pigeon fever. Was Sr. Borromeo an IHM, did she teach at Holy Redeemer?

[Gingersays]

Our Lady of Sorrows on Meldrum and Benson was "the Belgian Church". It burned down and was replaced with a new building which has since closed. I assume that must have been where Belgian immigrants first settled. It was before my time. I remember the Mack Eastlawn area as having a high percentage of old timer Buffaloes. The first US born generation moved further east in Detroit - something like the Finney high school neighborhood and beyond Balduck Park and into adjacent east side suburbs. The second generation, by now mainstream Americans, tended to move to St. Clair Shores and further north.

Some business names I can remember; Verhoeven Chevrolet, Vanlaerberge[[sp?) and VerHeyden Funerals, DeLue andVanHull Butchers, VerDonkt Bakery, Brouke's Bar, Cornelie Fuel, Embo's Market, De Gazette van Detroit weekly newspaper, VerGote Poultry, DeFour Insurance.

In the 60's, the Soccer Club Belgica, played their home games at Balduck Park. There was bicycle club based out of the Cadieux Cafe. The Belgian parade came down the end of E. Warren and ended at Mack. The'Belgian Hour' played weekly on the radio.

I think there was a thread here about alley houses, a Belgian contribution to eastside architecture. That and some garages big enough to live in because that is what they did until they saved enough money to build a house in front of and near the garage.

Fire at Our Lady of Sorrows Church, [[parish established 1884), was caused by an explosion at the
"Briggs - Chrysler Factory" North across Benson.




Pastor for many years was Fr. Van Hout who's family came as refugees from Belgium after WWII. Other priests, Fr. D'Cnut [[sp?) pastored St. Joan of Arc, St. Clair Shores, and Fr. Bonine [[sp?)
The school was next to the church, South on Meldrum, had two stories, 8 grades taught by Dominican nuns of Adrian. Sr. Joseph Cecila O.P., principal for many years.
Other Sisters: Anita Marie, Marie Michael, Seraphica, Mary Helen, Henrietta, etc.
The next building was the convent then the parking lot and then the house where the janitor/maintenance man lived. Across the street from the church, on the south west corner, was Steiner's Bar & restaurant. For many years the house on the north west corner was occupied by the Kranz family. The rectory was East of the church on Benson and connected to the church. The beautiful stained-glass windows in the church all had Belgian names mostly
Flemish. By the 1940's the area businesses, parishioners and students were primarily Italian, especially Sicilian.

Dave Debusschere [[Belgian-American) was a famous Basketball player [[Pistons) who also played baseball for Chicago White Sox. His Dad had been a beer distributor and owned the Lycaste Bar on E. Jefferson.

[Bobl]

Q: "...Was Sr. Borromeo an IHM, did she teach at Holy Redeemer?..."

She and two of her sisters joined the IHM order. I think she did teach at Holy Redeemer, and other schools.

[Gistok]

All those pigeon coops in our eastside Belgian neighborhood near Balduck Park reminded me of something..... Squab was a Belgian delicacy.

Paraphrasing Homer Simpson.... "mmmmmmm Pigeon"......

[eno]

All those pigeon coops in our eastside Belgian neighborhood near Balduck Park reminded me of something..... Squab was a Belgian delicacy.

Paraphrasing Homer Simpson.... "mmmmmmm Pigeon"......

You call them Cornish hens.

[Gingersays]

Fire at Our Lady of Sorrows Church, [[parish established 1884), was caused by an explosion at the
"Briggs - Chrysler Factory" North across Benson.




Pastor for many years was Fr. Van Hout who's family came as refugees from Belgium after WWII. Other priests, Fr. D'Cnut [[sp?) pastored St. Joan of Arc, St. Clair Shores, and Fr. Bonine [[sp?)
The school was next to the church, South on Meldrum, had two stories, 8 grades taught by Dominican nuns of Adrian. Sr. Joseph Cecila O.P., principal for many years.
Other Sisters: Anita Marie, Marie Michael, Seraphica, Mary Helen, Henrietta, etc.
The next building was the convent then the parking lot and then the house where the janitor/maintenance man lived. Across the street from the church, on the south west corner, was Steiner's Bar & restaurant. For many years the house on the north west corner was occupied by the Kranz family. The rectory was East of the church on Benson and connected to the church. The beautiful stained-glass windows in the church all had Belgian names mostly
Flemish. By the 1940's the area businesses, parishioners and students were primarily Italian, especially Sicilian.

Dave Debusschere [[Belgian-American) was a famous Basketball player [[Pistons) who also played baseball for Chicago White Sox. His Dad had been a beer distributor and owned the Lycaste Bar on E. Jefferson.

Joseph de Veuster was born to a farming couple in Tremeloo, Belgium. He attended college at Braine-le-Comte then entered the novitiate of the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, SS.CC. taking the name of Damien in his first vows. This is Father Damien that established a colony in Molokai to care for the lepers of Hawaii.

[mbr]

Louis Rabaut, former Congressman [[14th District) was Flemish.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_C._Rabaut

[EastsideAl]

Louis Rabaut's father owned the city's major fireworks store [[back when such things were legal), on the south side of Congress across from the old County Bldg.

Thanks oladub and Ginger for the stories on Our Lady of Sorrows. I had a good friend who lived near the new building on Meldrum, and I used to go into Coachman's record store just around the corner on Charelvoix to talk to the man himself, and had always wondered why that church had obviously been replaced at a time when so many other Catholic churches on the east side were starting to close. I knew that some Italians still went there back then, but I didn't know that it had been a Belgian church at one time.

As for the term "buffalo," my grandfather [[not Belgian, Irish) sure used it a lot. In fact, one of his very close friends was universally known in the family as "Buffalo Dave." Which was used to differentiate him from another friend of Hungarian origin named "Hunky Dave." Funny thing was, for many years after their Hungarian friend died, and continuing for the rest of his life, everyone still called Buffalo Dave "Buffalo Dave."

[Melody]

All the Belgians family and friends I know refer to ourselves as Buffalos. I see Buffalo girl mentioned the Gazette van Detroit? My friend's dad gets it and he gave me a copy. Some of it is in English some in Flemish. The comics weren't funny...something must've been lost in the translation, ha. Oh, here's a web site for it: http://www.gazettevandetroit.com/ - looks like it hasn't been updated since the summer.

The Cadieux has been owned by the Devos since the '60s, but it's been around even longer than that. The current generation [[Ron Devos and Paul Misuraca) has owned it for 20 years now. There's another Cadieux thead on this board. It's really an awesome place. People say both good and bad things about the food, but you can't argue with the featherbowling, the beer selection and the great people.

Gezonheid!

[kryptonite]

I went to Cadieux Cafe last night with a good friend for his birthday. We had a great dinner and drinks. The place is great - an old institution still functioning. I wish them the best. I go there 2-3 times a year, I enjoy visiting the old neighborhood.

[Patrick]

What HS would have had the largest Belgian student body?

[MikeM]

What HS would have had the largest Belgian student body?

Austin H.S.

[Lowell]

Our Lady of Sorrows on Meldrum and Benson was "the Belgian Church". It burned down and was replaced with a new building which has since closed. ....

Wow^ [and slight threadjack]. For all the times I have seeen this image I never noticed that the firemen were carrying out what has to be the crucifix. It reminds me of those numerous deposition from the cross paintings.

I wonder what happened to that crucifix. Presumably it went to the new church mentioned above, but then where? There is an Our Lady of Sorrows, near enough to me to hear its bells, in Farmington village. I wonder if it ended up there. I will have to check. Sorrows is today the largest Catholic congregation in the metro but has no ethnic identity.

Addendum... since I should have done more research... This was asked, du-uh, but never answered on the old forum here... http://atdetroit.net/forum/messages/6790/80774.html?1156854665.

Since Sorrows merged with Annunication at 1265 Parkview Avenue, Detroit, MI 48214-3009 who presumably had its crucifixes it seems that the question is open and that the Farmington Sorrows is another parish with the same name?

[eno]

Austin H.S.

My B-A cousins in Harper Woods went to Bishop Gallagher High School. I imagine those who could afford Catholic schools sent their children to a Catholic high school like Austin or BG.

[Eastburn]

There were a number of us at Notre Dame High, too.

[turkeycall]

We had a neighbor, Mr. Van, who lived three doors down from us on Farmbrook. My dad and he were pretty good friends. Mr Van [Van der Vecken [[sp?)] had a large pigeon coop atop his garage. Every once in a while my father would take a gunny sack of six or eight pigeons from him, put them in the trunk of his car, then drive out Gratiot to about 21 Mile Road. He'd note the time and then release the birds. Mr Van would then note the time they returned to the coop.

The Detroit News used to have a magazine included in the Sunday edition. One time, on the cover of the magazine was an aerial view of Detroit. The picture was color-coded to show where the ethnics were mostly living. Seems to me that "green" was the color code for Belgians. Green was the predominant color for my area.

I think we German Lutherans kind of got lost in the mix. But, what a great neighborhood!

[eno]

My Dad had relatives who were involved with racing pigeons and lived on the east side; Detroit, Harper Woods, St Clair Shores. We lived on the west side. He brought home some pigeons and built a coop for them in the garage. However, the pigeons would spend the day atop a neighbor's garage roof and he took exception to having them there and all that their presence implied. The pigeons were soon gone.

[Buffalogirl]

The last honest mayor of the City of Detroit came out of the Belgian community, Mayor Cobo.

I did not immediately recognize Cobo as a Belgian name, but when I looked it up on the site www.familienaam.be [[and also at http://home.scarlet.be/marcel.vervloet/), it turned out to be one of the variants of Cobbaut, and there are still Cobo's living in Belgium. Can anyone tell me some more about mayor Cobo and his family?
There was also a mayor Van Antwerp, but his ancestors supposedly came from New York where they had arrived long ago, in the Dutch time!