 |
|
Dr.
Nathan Thomas's house in Schoolcraft, Michigan,
was one of the stops on the Underground Railroad
where escaped slaves were aided on their way to
freedom in Canada.
|
DETROIT -
It was a railroad without tracks. It was underground but
traveled overland. It sped on without an engine, a
timetable or dining car. But the Underground Railroad,
which hastened escaped slaves from the South to freedom
in Canada, is still evident, and you don't have to go
far to find it.
Slaves
seeking freedom in Windsor, Canada, just across the
Detroit River, trudged southern Michigan into Detroit.
Aided by determined abolitionists (many were Quakers),
these "railroad" passengers traveled by buggy,
horse, wagon or foot. Detroit marked the end-of-the-road
for these weary pilgrims.
The First
Congregational Church of Detroit on Woodward hid
refugees before they made their way across the water to
Windsor. Today the church holds flight-to-freedom tours
where you become a player in the drama. Reservations at
(313) 831-4080.
Just 133
miles west of Detroit is the tiny town of Schoolcraft,
and remains of the Underground Railroad network. Here
sits the home of Dr. Nathan Thomas, a Quaker who
fervently opposed slavery. He and his family scraped
together food, clothes and transportation for refugees
on their way to the next "depot."
An
estimated 1,500 escapees passed through this modest
house. You can still see the trap door where the good
doctor secreted some of the runaways from the bounty
hunters.
The
little white house is now a museum and open by
appointment at (269) 679-4304.
The
comely town of Niles was an important stop on the
Underground Railroad, 33 miles southwest of Schoolcraft.
The Fort St. Joseph Museum on Main Street displays a
variety of historical collections including some rare
drawings by Sitting Bull.
From here
the freedom seekers made their way to nearby Cassopolis
where many were allowed by the Quakers to settle on land
for five years, working for pay. Between Cassopolis and
Vandalia sits the Chain Lake Missionary Baptist Church,
the oldest African-American church in Michigan.
Alongside is the cemetery where both freed men and
escaped slaves are buried. A tour can be arranged via
www.swmichigan.org, (269) 925-7450.
There's a
lot to see in this part of Michigan, including the
resort town of St. Joseph, with a picturesque coastline
and bluff which overlooks the storied beaches and the
North Pier inner and outer lighthouse stations.
The town
hosts several festivals, including Blossomtime in May,
"Antiques on the Bluff" the first Sunday of
the month from May to October, the Venetian Festival in
July, the Reindog Parade in December.
For an
elegant meal try the Bistro restaurant, (800) 875-6600,
but for inexpensive family dining there's Tim's Too,
Silver Beach Pizza and Clementine's Too.
Three
counties here are dubbed the "fruit belt of the
world" and Stover's Farm in Berrien Springs, just
15 miles south of St. Joseph, is one of the best.
Five
generations have tilled this land here. And you can pick
your own and save up to 70 percent. Open 9 a.m. to 7
p.m. except Sundays. www.stoversupic.com.
Northeast
of St. Joseph is the town made famous by Glenn Miller,
Kalamazoo ("zoo, zoo, zoo ..."). It houses one
of the country's most innovative museums, the Air Zoo,
which offers everything that ever defied gravity in the
most innovative way.
It
features many interactive exhibits. You can run a
bombing mission in a B-17, take a balloon ride, touch
down on an aircraft carrier and experience the pull of
lunar gravity in the Lunar Leap.
On
display are all kinds of aircraft including the SR-71
Blackbird spy plane that was so cleverly constructed
that it was invisible to radar.
Great
restaurants in Kalamazoo include Zazio's (where you can
watch Chef John Korycki prepare your five-course meal),
Bravo Restaurant and Cafe and Fieldstone Grill.
East of
Kalamazoo is the city that cereal made famous, Battle
Creek, the home of three cereal companies: Ralston
Purina, Post and Kellogg. It was here that John Harvey
Kellogg founded his health sanitarium and, with his
brother, invented corn flakes.
You can
visit the John Harvey Kellogg Discovery Center and see
some of his fitness contraptions - like the foot
vibrator, the chamber of lights and the mechanical
horse.
Here the
Kimball House Museum displays artifacts from ex-slave
and lecturer Sojourner Truth.
South of
Battle Creek is the town of Allen, the most concentrated
group of antique malls in Michigan. The second weekend
in August, US 12 is the site of the longest garage sale
in the state, 212 miles of collectibles strung along
this rural route. For info go to
www.us12heritagetrail.org.
Back in
Detroit, you'll find a bustling town overlooked by many
tourists, but full of fascinating sights and soul food
to sell your soul for.
The city
boasts the oldest and largest marketplace in the
country, the Eastern Market, with 125 vendors open daily
except Sunday. Here you can buy everything from a plump
melon to a Stickney table, imported cheeses to voodoo
medicine.
Merchandise
is housed by five historic sheds and if you hang around
long enough, you can snag some real bargains at the end
of the day. The market is open from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. and
covers a marathon seven blocks.
While
you're here stop off at Roma Cafe, a historic site in
its own right as the city's oldest restaurant. Roma Cafe
has been serving authentic Italian food for generations.
You can still spot remnants of its speakeasy days. The
atmosphere is so authentic you'd swear Tony Soprano is
seated across the room. It was here that Jimmy Hoffa
dined, as did Frank Sinatra, Liza Minnelli and Sammy
Davis Jr. Prices are inexpensive too, and the pasta
magnifico. (313) 831-5940.
There are
other fabulous places to eat in Detroit. Just 12 miles
north of the City Center is Beans & Cornbread, in
the suburb Southfield. People line up to take home this
scrumptious soul food. (248) 208-1680. In the mood for
more elegance? Try the Motown Soul Food Cafe in the
breathtaking art-deco Fisher Building downtown.
One of
the largest concentrations of Arab-Americans in the
nation is housed in nearby Dearborn, where you can try
the succulent Middle Eastern food at Al-Ameer.
Everything's fresh. In a curious cross-cultural
exchange, they buy all their produce from the Amish.
(313) 582-8185.
For $8
you can visit the Detroit Institute of Arts, housing one
of the nation's best art collections and boasting a
whopping $158 million renovation. Included here is a
massive mural by Diego Rivera, arts works that range
from Brueghel to Dali, antiquities, stained glass, and
come March, the work of Normal Rockwell.
Another
popular location is Berry Gordy Jr.'s Hitsville USA,
where he established Motown Records. (NO photographs,
they keep reminding you.)
If you
don't see anything else, a must-visit is The Henry Ford
in nearby Dearborn. The Henry Ford is one of the most
fascinating attractions in the nation, so vast you'll
need more than one day to see it.
It
consists of the Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield
Village, as well as the Ford Rouge Factory Tour, an IMAX
theater and the Benson Ford Research Center, which
shelters more than 25 million rare documents.
Henry
Ford made it part of his life's work to acquire items of
Americana that personified the nation's indomitable
spirit of innovation.
The Henry
Ford Museum houses12 acres of American history: the bus
where Rosa Parks took a stand; the limo which bore John
F. Kennedy when he was assassinated; Buckminster
Fuller's innovative Dymaxion House; and the chair in
which Lincoln sat when John Wilkes Booth took aim.
Of
course, there's every vehicle that ever rumbled on down
the road and exhibits that reflect the American way of
life from different eras.
Greenfield's
90 acres include a replica of Thomas Edison's lab,
sitting on New Jersey soil brought from the original
site. There's the Wright Brothers' Cycle Shop, Noah
Webster's home, George Washington Carver's cabin and 79
other historic structures.
You can
watch potters, weavers and glass blowers at work and
dine on authentic historic food at places like the Eagle
Tavern.
Even
people who are lukewarm about museums will find this a
lasting thrill. If there's time, take in the Henry Ford
Estate, an elegant 1915 home on the Rouge River where
Ford built his own six-level powerhouse. It provided all
the electrical needs of the estate and on one occasion
powered 2,000 residents of West Dearborn.
One sight
not to be missed in Detroit is the controversial artwork
of Tyree Guyton called "The Heidelberg
Project," a block-long display of curious folk art
made from people's discards.
Trees are
festooned with broken dolls, vacuum cleaners line up in
formation, a boat marked "Noah" is piled with
stuffed animals.
Distressed
doors are fabricated into a living sculpture. Guyton's
family home since the '40s is here. He calls it the
"dotty-wotty" house and it's decorated with
colorful dots.
Twenty-two
years ago Guyton took one look at his decaying
neighborhood and thought he had to make a change.
"The Heidelberg Project," on Heidelberg Street
between Mount Elliott and Ellery streets, welcomes
275,000 viewers a year.
___
IF YOU
GO:
AIR ZOO
IN KALAMAZOO: Admission is $19.50 for adults and $15.50
for kids and worth every penny. It's open 9 a.m. to 5
p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. on
Sunday. www.airzoo.org
THE FORT
ST. JOSEPH MUSEUM IN NILES: Admission is free, open
Wednesday-Friday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturdays 10 a.m. to
3 p.m. www.ci.niles.mi.us
THE HENRY
FORD ESTATE: Guided public tours available, adults $10,
children $6. For info go to www.henryfordestate.org or
call (313) 593-5590.
THE HENRY
FORD MUSEUM: Admission is $14 for adults, $10 for kids;
Greenfield admission is $20 adults and $14 for kids.
www.TheHenryFord.org, Open seven days a week, 9:30 a.m.
to 5 p.m. Greenfield Village: April 15 to Nov. 2: Open
seven days a week, 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Nov. 3 to Dec.
28: Open Friday through Sunday, 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
HITSVILLE,
USA: The site is closed Sunday and Monday, $10 adults.
DETROIT
INSTITUTE OF ARTS: Wednesdays and Thursdays 10 a.m. to 4
p.m.; Fridays 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Saturdays and Sundays
10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Closed Mondays and Tuesdays.
www.dia.org.