The phrase “Eastern Market” refers to both the large district/neighborhood and also the series of Sheds owned by the city of Detroit and run by the Eastern Market Partnership non-profit organization.
Opened in 1891, Eastern Market is the largest historic public market in the United States.
Featuring 43 acres of space, Eastern Market is comprised of a series of indoor and outdoor sheds which function as thriving year-round consumer markets.
This year, Detroit Bookfest will be located inside Shed 5 where vendors will be selling all sorts of books (ie: used, rare, antiquarian, authors, children’s, new, unusual, ephemera, etc), comic books, vinyl LP records, creative arts, and more.
Char’latte Coffee Company: Two Metro Detroit sisters are bringing their Mobile Coffee Cart to Detroit Bookfest
Brilliant Detroitwill be in the DTE Plaza on the westside of Shed 5, along Russell Street
The Detroit Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau’s D-Rover van will be outside Shed 5.
Pong Detroit, the ping-pong social club, will be wheeling some ping-pong tables over to Bookfest!
Deon Forrest(aka: Greektown Hotbox) Detroit’s own world-famous street performer will be live on Russell Street (at Alfred Street) outside Detroit Bookfest.
Detroit’s own Arts & Scraps is bringing the ScrapMobile to Bookfest! Kids will be able to build their own books here!
Please explore the Detroit Bookfest Festival Guide below.
We also encourage you to make a day of it and explore the entire Eastern Market district, which is packed with hundreds of fun shops, restaurants, and experiences.
Eastern Market’s Shed 5 Detroit (photo by: Ryan M. Place)
Here’s our totally professional graphic designer-approved not flawed in any way screenshot MAP of the Bookfest Festival Footprint
Detroit Bookfest festival map
Eastern Market Brewing Company
2515 Riopelle Street
Located three blocks southeast of Shed 5, Eastern Market Brewing Company (EMBC) is one of the most popular destinations in Eastern Market.
Currently, the street they’re on, Riopelle, is closed to vehicle traffic. It is pedestrian-only and they have tables in the street, food tent, live DJ Sam Morykwas, and of course beer, glorious beer.
Some of their most popular beers are:
Elephant Juice, Market Day IPA, Mae Blanc, Wonderboy, and White Coffee Stout
Special thanks to Dayne Bartscht (owner) and his team
Eastern Market Brewing Company Detroit (photo courtesy of EMBC)
EMBC Detroit (photo by: Ryan M. Place)
EMBC Detroit (photo by: Ryan M. Place)
Pong Detroit
This afterhours ping-pong social club is located inside Bert’s Warehouse (2739 Russell Street)
Pong Detroit
The brainchild of former Honolulu-based radio DJ and pong enthusiast Mal Lang, their slogan is “unplug and play.”
Mal says, “Soccer is # 1 and table tennis is the # 2 participant sport in world. Table tennis is huge in China, India, Europe (especially Sweden & Germany).”
Bert’s Warehouse also features a comedy club, kitchen, and bar, so you can drink and pong all night long.
Lessons are available and they will be doing wheelchair table tennis soon.
Their other slogan is “Food, drinks, music and pong.”
Dequindre Cut Freight Yard bar (photo by: Ryan M. Place)
Dequindre Cut (photo by: Ryan M. Place)
Members of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra concert @ Dequindre Cut Freightyard Bar (photo by: Ryan M. Place)
Detroit City Distillery
2462 Riopelle Street
The Riopelle taproom of DCD is down the street from Eastern Market Brewing Company.
Here you will find a lively outdoor vibe, including music, cocktails and food from Midnight Temple, the Indian gastropub located above DCD. (hint: try the tandoori wings and gobi rollup).
Special thanks to JP Jerome (co-founder), Mike Forsyth (co-founder), Akash Sudhakara (Midnight Temple)
Detroit City Distillery (photo by: Ryan M. Place)
Midnight Temple Indian food Detroit (photo courtesy of Yelp)
The Eastern (event venue)
3434 Russell Street
The Eastern is a lovely 5,000-square foot industrial space you can rent out for special events.
Built in 1888, this is the old Hook and Ladder # 5 fire station. The Eastern has capacity for 300 seated or 600+ strolling and a 3,000 square foot outdoor patio.
Note: The entrance is not directly on Russell St, rather the main entrance is located on the north side of the building next to Wasserman Art Gallery.
The five Great Lakes comprise the world’s largest reservoir of fresh water. As a result, the Great Lakes maritime industry here is a thriving multi-state ecosystem of international importance. 38 deep-water ports. 87 recreational harbors. Thousands of boats daily. Yes, boating is big business here in Michigan. This area is drenched in dazzling maritime history and one of the premier companies of historical importance in this realm is JW Westcott.
June 7th, 2024 was the 150th anniversary of the JW Westcott Company, which is now Detroit’s oldest continuously family-run business. Little did founder John Ward Westcott know back in 1874 that 150 years later his descendants would still be running the same great business on the same great river.
2024 was also the 50-year milestone of current owner Cpn. James M. Hogan Wescott working at his company. Jim is the 4th generation president and great grandson of the founder.
I’m sitting with Jim at Westcott headquarters at the foot of 24th Street next to the Ambassador Bridge. We’re discussing his family, his company, the past, the future, the recent spiral bound oral history book, and the fact that my own grandpa was a “tender” on this boat back in the early fifties.
It’s not always smooth sailing for Westcott. Sometimes they can face challenges as daunting as the freighters they snug up to. It’s not always rough seas either, there’s frequent fun to be had.
Here’s a fascinating true story about a nautical family dynasty who’ve spent over fifteen decades delivering mail to moving vessels on one of the world’s most vital waterways.
And don’t forget to check out the evolving timeline at the end of this article.
Let’s hear it from the man himself, Jim Hogan:
Jim Hogan, owner of JW Westcott Company, celebrating 150 years in June 2024 (photo by Ryan M. Place)
“JW Westcott is a 24 hours per day, 7 days per week year-round operation. We’re a 45 foot long contract mail boat with USPS and the world’s first non-military floating zipcode (48222).”
“Every year in late December, we go down to 3 days per week to handle forwarding. Early April we re-open. This year we had a boat in the water March 23rd, which was the earliest ever. It was a foreign ship and they needed our help via the Great Lakes Pilotage Authority.”
“We became an official USPS mailboat in 1948. We deliver mail to passing freighters, facilitate crew/captain transfers, nautical charts, groceries, pizza from Amicci’s, we fish people out of the water, you name it.”
Ride the Mailboat! The JW Westcott Detroit
“Right now, we have 15 employees. Cpn. Sam Buchanan is our general manager and director of marine operations. He’s been here since he was a spry lad of 18. We also have my son Jimmy Hogan Westcott (5th generation), along with The Birdman (Cpn. Bill Redding), and a newer group of deckhands like Walt Cochenour and Al Holland, among others.”
“Ride the Mailboat is a new program we have for the general public. You and your friends and family can tour the Detroit River on one of our boats, which is a very fun and unique experience. $150 per hour for up to six people. We do them Monday-Sunday. Call here to schedule (313-496-0555). Deposit is half. We take credit card over the phone.”
“The oral history book, ‘As Long As There Are Ships Sailing the Great Lakes: An Oral History of the JW Westcott Company’ started about two years ago when a man named Jim Cameron came to see me. He was representing the Michigan Oral History Associationand wanted to cover the Westcott. We had multiple on-site conversations and he spoke with several people. There are only 75 copies available for purchase. You can buy them here at our headquarters or email us.”
Biography
Jim Hogan circa 1974 working onboard the JW Westcott II (courtesy of the JW Archives)
“I grew up on Union Lake, went to Walled Lake Central High School in Commerce Twsp, and currently live in Highland.”
“My mother June, Mildred June Westcott (1910-2010) was the granddaughter of the founder. She married my dad Joseph J. Hogan and I was born in 1956. My mom was also a teacher for Walled Lake schools.”
“I grew up on the Westcott boat, but I officially started working on the boat as a deckhand in July 1974. My dad needed me to take over for an employee one day. It was my graduation year from high school. I was also running the zamboni over at the original Novi ice arena, working an inventory job at the Hudson’s in Pontiac, and I was playing lots of hockey. That winter, I had my first taste of working the Detroit River in December on the ice. The boat would be bumping into 3-4-inch-thick ice floes.”
“Back in ’74, our night man was Frank Zuzak. He was known as ‘The Evening Voice of the Great Lakes’. A real storyteller. He told me early on in my first year that he was hired by ‘the old man’ back in 1921. He went on to say the old man would give him a try and since he hadn’t heard anything by 1974, he thought he was okay. Then he took a moment to lean over and spit in his spittoon. He always had a chew going. He answered the phone with a distinct line ‘Errrr Westcott’. He was a legend here and all around the Great Lakes! When the Renaissance Center was being construct he found some very dry humor in sharing with a few of us that it ‘looks like a new grain dock going in downtown, look at those silos’! And then he would once again lean over and relieve himself of some of his chew in the spittoon. I remember back in 1963 when I was a kid, he called the house the night the SS Montrose sank under the Ambassador Bridge. I answered the phone, he said for me to tell my dad that a ship sunk under the bridge. I said I will get him right away!”
“After attending Oakland Community College (the Orchard Ridge campus in Farmington Hills) for a bit, I decided to go full-time at JW Westcott in the Summer 1975. Later that Fall, I was on the last afternoon shift that serviced the Edmund Fitzgerald. Massive 729-foot-long ship. My captain was Dick Eathorne (Richard Eathorne, a former USCG senior chief quartermaster). Dick and I made the service call upbound. The Fitz was light, they were going to load up in Duluth. A few days later, they left Duluth and sank in 30–35-foot waves in Lake Superior. On that Monday, November 10th, 1975, I was in a bowling league in Commerce, it was unusually warm and raining that day, then later I looked out the door and it was snowing. I walked into the grill and up on the TV screen was famous WXYZ anchorman Bill Bonds saying that a freighter had potentially been lost in Lake Superior. 29 crew members died. It shocked and deeply saddened the world. The wreck lies in 545 feet of water just northwest of Whitefish Bay.”
“There’s been several paranormal experiences here at Westcott HQ over the years. Sometimes doors shut and open by themselves. You sense something, the feeling of being watched, but no one’s there. Human form shaped vapors glimpsed for the briefest of seconds then gone. One prime example stands out clearly in my mind. It was one of those classic dark gloomy rainy nights near Halloween 1975. I was in my second season working with retired Captain Dick Eathorne. About 8:30pm-ish, we made a delivery to an upbound ship. Coming back mid-stream, we saw what we thought was a figure standing under the dock light. It appeared like someone at the dock waiting for us, long hair, shapely, appeared to be female. We looked back literally a second later and she was gone. We were only 100ft off the dock. Then years later, I heard that this property used to be an old ribbon farm, and a young girl had been slain here. Was it her ghost? Who knows but it still creeps me out thinking about it.”
“Then in Fall 1980, Jacques Cousteau and his son Jean-Michel Cousteau and their crew of about 20-30 came by their oceanographic research vessel, The Calypso. They were going up to Lake Superior to dive the Edmund Fitzgerald. Seeing him outside JW Westcott on the Detroit River was a remarkable sight.”
Cpn. Jacques Cousteau circa 1980 after taking the Calypso by JW Westcott (courtesy of the JW Archives)
Some Family History
June and Jim Hogan, former owners of JW Westcott (courtesy of the JW Archives)
“There are two families, the Westcott family and the Hogan family. My mom graduated Hillsdale College and did a genealogy while she was there and found the Wescott’s are related to the Archbishop of Canterbury, which blew my mind.”
“In the early 1990’s, the Society of Stukely Westcott Descendants visited me to confirm that the Wescott’s were apart of this lineage also. Stukely was one of the founding settlers of Rhode Island and is also related to famous mariners Oliver Hazard Perry and his brother Commodore Matthew C. Perry.”
“On my mother’s side, the Hogan family used to own a tavern. It was called Hogan’s Tavern & Livery and was located on Michigan Avenue and 8th Street, across from where Nemo’s is now. It lasted until about 1917 Prohibition.”
JW Westcott Company’s History
JW Westcott in action (courtesy of the JW Archives)
“The JW Wescott Co. was officially founded 1874. The owner John Ward Wescott was a marine reporter for the Detroit Daily Post and had lots of connections in the Detroit marine industry. He leveraged those connections into creating a unique nautical mail delivery business. He also had two range lights (navigation beacons) on Belle Isle. His first phone number was 55. Our numbers have always had two fives in them as a tribute.”
“John Ward Westcott was born on Lime Island in the St. Mary’s River in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula on December 19, 1848. Prior to that, his dad David Westcott left New York in 1842 and came to Michigan. He met a lighthouse keeper named Mary and they got married on a steamboat at Mackinac Island in 1844. Westcott used to run the Lime Kiln range lights in Lime Kiln Crossing near Amherstburg, Ontario, Canada.”
“JW worked as a cabin boy on a passenger streamer. He lived in Marine City until moving to Detroit about 1873-ish. He was an agent for the Pittsburgh Steamship Co. and an alderman of the 4th ward.”
“When he started the company in 1874, he had a little rowboat that he kept on Belle Isle and he would deliver mail from ship captains to the mainland. About 1877 he moved the office to the foot of Woodward. In 1895, the United Stated Postal Service placed a boat on the river establishing a mail service. The Florence B boat would tow a man in a rowboat until they eventually upgraded to motorboats.”
JW Westcott postcard (courtesy of the JW Archives)
“Prior to the advent of radios in boats, Westcott was one of the main relayer’s of information between ships and shore.”
“Cpn. JW Westcott died 1913. He was living at 142 W. Hancock st at Cass ave at the time. He’s buried at Woodlawn Cemetery (Woodward, just south of 8 Mile) in Section 14, Lot 4.”
“JW Westcott Co. started using motorboats in 1918.”
“We’ve delivered lots of interesting things over the years: massive 1,000 pound crates, captain’s dogs, live goats. We used to be a consignee for Mobil oil. They would mail us 55-gallon drums of marine engine lubricant and we would deliver them dockside with our van. Ships would use a giant ‘grocery crane’ and hoist them onto their decks.”
Cpn. JW Westcott is buried at Woodlawn Cemetery (Detroit, Michigan)
“From 1937-64, JW Westcott actually had a satellite ‘spotters’ office in Port Huron, north of Pine Grove Park. It was run by Harold Simpson, my grandmother’s brother, who was also a WWI vet.”
“During World War II, my dad Joseph J. Hogan, was a US Army staff sergeant with the counter-intelligence corps (CIC) in the Pacific Theater. He trained at Fort Riley, Kansas, then they sent him to the South Pacific. Not one of his pleasant memories. He suffered many island diseases and horrendous memories of prison camp activity. He rarely ever brought those experiences to conversation. He was a true member of the Greatest Generation.”
“By 1948, the second generation of JW Westcott Company decided to bid on a USPS mail contract. Prior to that there had been six different on-the-water contractors. We won and commissioned Paasch Marine Shipping Services (Erie, PA) to build our mailboat. The JW Second is the original boat and it’s still apart of our fleet today.”
“Our location has changed several times throughout the years. This current headquarters was established back in 1953. Prior to that we went from Woodward to 1st to 12th to 24th. We spent two years operating out of the firehouse next-door, which had two fire boats (Battle and Kendall). By Spring 1955, we were fully running this spot with a brand new 3,000sq ft building.”
JW Westcott Detroit (courtesy of the JW Archives)
“In 1959, the Queen of England herself, Queen Elizabeth, came sailing down the Detroit River in her 412-foot-long royal yacht Brittania. They were heading to the Mackinac Bridge. This is about when the St. Lawrence Seaway opened, and foreign cargo ships started coming into the Great Lakes. By 1961, JW Westcott was doing pilotage transfers. We’re a mandatory change-point for pilotage here on the great lakes. Canadian pilotage firms are run by their government, while USA pilotage firms are private concerns.”
“In 1966, the FBI pulled a stowaway from Chicago off a passing freighter. They took him back to shore onboard the Westcott.”
“My dad started a tradition in 1971 to take the crew to Carl’s Chophouse (3020 Grand River Ave). We never missed out on the annual holiday dinner until it closed in 2008. It was across from Motor City Casino.”
“October 2001 was our greatest tragedy. Captain Catherine Nasiatka and Deckhand Dave Lewis perished as a result of the sinking of the M/V J.W. Westcott II. A very sad and tragic accident.”
“Over the years, we’ve rescued many from the river. I can’t tell you how many people we’ve helped out of the river. Last year (July 12, 2023) we saved an Ambassador Bridge employee, a 27-year-old Canadian man named Spencer Baker, who was working on top of his truck on the bridge and accidentally fell off into the water. Now that’s a 156 foot drop. People in the park screamed to us and Cpn. Sam Buchanan raced out there and got him three minutes after he hit the water. Sam’s alacrity probably saved his life.”
Jim Hogan: Hockey Fan
JW Westcott owner Jim Hogan hockey player (photo courtesy of JW Westcott archives)
“I am a lifelong ice hockey fanatic. It’s been a big part of my life for as long as I can remember.”
“Growing up on Union Lake, I was only forty steps away from the greatest ice rink every winter. My dad built some nets out of 2×5 and chain-link fence for us. From the day the ice was two inches thick, I’d be out there for hours.”
“My dad would get up on Saturday mornings to go to Winter Wonderland ice arena (16611 Schoolcraft, Detroit) for 5am, 6am, and 7am practices, then I’d skate on the lake all day, and have games at night. I don’t know how he did it.”
JW Westcott owner Jim Hogan hockey player (photo courtesy of JW Westcott archives)
“I was 11 years old when he would bring me down to JW Westcott on Sunday mornings. I would meet another hockey player’s family and we’d drive over to Tilbury, Ontario to play hockey.”
“Marty Pavelich (who passed away recently in June 2024) was the first Red Wing I ever met. In November 1972, the Waterford Lakers junior B team hosted the Detroit Red Wings old timers. In that lineup was Marty Pavelich, Ted Lindsay, etc. That game I hooked Terrible Ted Lindsay, got two minutes for tripping, and had my photo in the Pontiac Press (now Oakland Press).”
“I was 17yrs old and practicing at a rink in Waterford when I got a call from a hockey coach up in North Bay, Ontario. They got wind of me, had a need, I was caught off guard, plus dad wanted me to stay committed to local team. I turned the offer down and have always regretted not exploring the possibilities of turning down that avenue. One of life’s many lessons.”
“My two sons, Jimmy and Bryan, both played hockey, Bryan for the University of Michigan. They grew up in the Lakeland Hockey Association, Michigan’s largest hockey association. There were 10-12 teams in every age group and a travel group for each of those back in those days. They spent lots of time at Lakeland Arena (Waterford) and formed friendships for a lifetime.”
“To round it all out, I spent years coaching high school hockey and loved it.”
JW Westcott’s Jim Hogan hooking Ted Lindsay in hockey game circa 1962 (photo courtesy of JW Westcott archives)
Assorted Bits n’ Barnacles
JW Westcott Company celebrating 150 years in June 2024 (photo by Ryan M. Place)
“I love boating. It’s in my DNA. The best inland boating for me is the Indian River, which connects Burt Lake and Mullett Lake, and the Cheboygan River, to Lake Huron. I have a 24 ft Bayliner deck boat. On my other favorite lake, Duck Lake, is where my home is today. I also love hydroplane racing. I miss Quake on the Lake (Pontiac) and I’m really looking forward to the Detroit Hydroplane Races in 2025. The roostertail turn down by Waterworks Park is a great one.”
“In 1981, I joined the International Shipmasters Association Detroit Lodge # 7. They used to meet at the Barlum (now Cadillac Tower) but they don’t have a permanent brick and mortar facility. The membership consists of a large group of captains, mates, chief engineers, and others from all different sectors of the maritime industry.”
“Also in 1981, we took a trip on the Charles M. Beeghly (freighter). We got on at Detroit and headed to Lackawanna, New York on the east end of Lake Erie near Buffalo. They took us around, through the Straits of Mackinac, to load pellets in Escanaba and take them down to Indiana Harbor near Gary. We walked a 250-foot bow out over the boat as it was loading.”
JW Westcott Detroit (courtesy of the JW Archives)
“We sailed on the Paul R. Tregurtha, largest ship on the Great Lakes, 1,013ft long, in 2016. Our 5-day trip became 9 days due to weather. We boarded in St. Clair, they were offloading coal and going down to Monroe, then we went back up to Duluth, loaded up more coal and took it to St. Clair. Amazing experience. It was a gratuity trip via Interlake Steamship Co. (Cleveland HQ), the largest privately held fleet on the Great Lakes. Interlake also introduced the new Mark W. Barker freighter in Fall 2022. It’s 26,000 tons.”
“I remember a woman named Arlene Earl (1938-2016). She was famously known as The Flower Lady to all the passing boats. She lived on Harsen’s Island and would frequently wave to the freighters, who would reply by blowing her salutes on their whistles. She was very friendly and very concerned for the sailors, especially during the holidays. She would drop off 30-40 flowers and plants to be placed board her many favorite ships, one per vessel.”
JW Westcott’s old summer house at 553 N. Riverside ave, St. Clair, Michigan (courtesy of the JW Archives)
“The Detroit Harbormaster is a unit of the Detroit Police Department’s waterborne division. They do river rescues. The DPD dive team practices near here.”
“Soo Marine Supply(owned by the McCoy’s) is located at the Soo Locks. They were developed to support US Steel back in the day. They take food, supplies, parts, etc, to ships also.”
JW Westcott Detroit (courtesy of the JW Archives)
“JW Westcott was recently featured in a 4-part series in Telescope Magazine, the flagship publication of the Great Lakes Maritime Institute.”
“People often wonder and yes, JW Westcott has a great relationship with Canada and the crews of Canadian vessels. JW Westcott is only 1,800 feet across from Canada (1,000ft on the water).”
“MarineTrafficis a great ship tracking app. It shows you the real-time locations of ships and yachts worldwide.”
“The Port of Detroit is Michigan’s largest inland port. They handle steel, ore, stone, coal, cement, et. General cargo passes through Nicholson Terminal via stevedores (dock workers). Although large, this port used to be much larger when Great Lakes Steel was operating at Zug Island. You also had McClouth Steel Plant in Trenton and Detroit Edison. Rouge Steel is still around although its now called Dearborn Works and is run by Cleveland Cliffs.”
“Detroit’s Diamond Jack Riverboat Tourscompany was formed out of Gaelic Tugboat Co, which was owned by Cpn. Bill Hoey. They used to have 15 tugboats back in the 70’s. My parents were shipmaster-owners of Diamond Jack cruises.”
Final Thoughts
JW Westcott Company celebrating 150 years in June 2024 (photo by Ryan M. Place)
“As you can see, the maritime industry is vast and complex, and JW Westcott continues evolving in response to new technology and customer’s needs.”
“Recently, there has been a generational change in the industry among both sailors and managers. As the old regime retires, the young newcomers don’t know who we are. We are in the process of reestablishing our notability with the new generation.”
“It’s also challenging at times to run a 24-hour operation for only five hours of business. We have a Hi-Lo driver and boat crew here 24 hours a day every single day. And as vessels age, maintenance cost increases.”
“In early 2020, we lost our biggest customer, the American Steamship Company (ASC). GATX sold ASC to Rand Logistics for $260 million dollars cash in a leveraged buyout. ASC is the biggest steamship company on the Great Lakes. They specialize in dry bulk transport of things like limestone, coal, iron, ore.”
JW Westcott Detroit (courtesy of the JW Archives)
“No business is immune to stresses and pressures. Fortunately, I’ve been surrounded by really good people. Their support network is key to our success.”
“My son Jimmy is 5th generation. He’s the next in line after me. He has tons of great ideas on how to enhance our bottom line, such as hosting events. JW Westcott is also a unique venue that is great for gatherings, weddings, business luncheons, you name it. And we have a food truck coming soon.”
“I love the waterfront. It’s also full of memories of boarding the SS Columbia or St. Clair for Boblo Island, seeing the old Robin Hood flour plant, delivering mail in the Westcott with my dad. You never step in the same river twice, that’s for sure.”
JW Westcott rowboat illustration (courtesy of the JW Archives)
JW Westcott Timeline
1848-John Ward Westcott is born on Lime Island. He is the third of eight children.
1874-JW Westcott Company founded
1883-John Ward Westcott Jr born
1910-69-JW Westcott grandson; lived at 7252 Colony Dr, Walled Lake; buried in Commerce
1917-Mildred Simpson Westcott married John Ward Westcott II. They lived on West Grand Blvd, Detroit. Mildred Simpson lived 1897-1989. She’s buried in Oak Grove Cemetery (Hillsdale)
2024-JW Westcott Company celebrates 150th anniversary
JW Westcott Company celebrating 150 years in June 2024 (photo by Ryan M. Place)
JW Westcott Company celebrating 150 years in June 2024 (photo by Ryan M. Place)
JW Westcott Company celebrating 150 years in June 2024 (photo by Ryan M. Place)
JW Westcott Company celebrating 150 years in June 2024 (photo by Ryan M. Place)
JW Westcott Company celebrating 150 years in June 2024 (photo by Ryan M. Place)
JW Westcott Company celebrating 150 years in June 2024 (photo by Ryan M. Place)
JW Westcott Company celebrating 150 years in June 2024 (photo by Ryan M. Place)
JW Westcott Company celebrating 150 years in June 2024 (photo by Ryan M. Place)
JW Westcott Company celebrating 150 years in June 2024 (photo by Ryan M. Place)
JW Westcott Company celebrating 150 years in June 2024 (photo by Ryan M. Place)
JW Westcott Company celebrating 150 years in June 2024 (photo by Ryan M. Place)
JW Westcott Company celebrating 150 years in June 2024 (photo by Ryan M. Place)
JW Westcott Company celebrating 150 years in June 2024 (photo by Ryan M. Place)
JW Westcott Company celebrating 150 years in June 2024 (photo by Ryan M. Place)
JW Westcott Company celebrating 150 years in June 2024 (photo by Ryan M. Place)
JW Westcott Company celebrating 150 years in June 2024 (photo by Ryan M. Place)
JW Westcott Company celebrating 150 years in June 2024 (photo by Ryan M. Place)
JW Westcott Company celebrating 150 years in June 2024 (photo by Ryan M. Place)
JW Westcott Company celebrating 150 years in June 2024 (photo by Ryan M. Place)
JW Westcott Company celebrating 150 years in June 2024 (photo by Ryan M. Place)
JW Westcott Company celebrating 150 years in June 2024 (photo by Ryan M. Place)
JW Westcott Company celebrating 150 years in June 2024 (photo by Ryan M. Place)
JW Westcott Company celebrating 150 years in June 2024 (photo by Ryan M. Place)
JW Westcott Company celebrating 150 years in June 2024 (photo by Ryan M. Place)
JW Westcott Company celebrating 150 years in June 2024 (photo by Ryan M. Place)
JW Westcott Detroit (courtesy of the JW Archives)
JW Westcott Detroit (courtesy of the JW Archives)
JW Westcott Detroit (courtesy of the JW Archives)
JW Westcott Detroit (courtesy of the JW Archives)
JW Westcott Company Detroit timeline
Cpn. JW Westcott buried at Woodlawn Cemetery (Detroit, Michigan)
Cpn. JW Westcott buried at Woodlawn Cemetery (Detroit, Michigan)
Cpn. JW Westcott buried at Woodlawn Cemetery (Detroit, Michigan)
JW Westcott Detroit (courtesy of the JW Archives)
JW Westcott Detroit (courtesy of the JW Archives)
Robin Hood Flour Plant Detroit (courtesy DHS archives)
JW Westcott Detroit (courtesy of the JW Archives)
JW Westcott Detroit (courtesy of the JW Archives)
JW Westcott Detroit (courtesy of the JW Archives)
JW Westcott Detroit (courtesy of the JW Archives)
JW Westcott Detroit (courtesy of the JW Archives)
JW Westcott Detroit (courtesy of the JW Archives)
JW Westcott Detroit (courtesy of the JW Archives)
JW Westcott Detroit (courtesy of the JW Archives)
JW Westcott Detroit (courtesy of the JW Archives)
JW Westcott Detroit (courtesy of the JW Archives)
JW Westcott Detroit (courtesy of the JW Archives)
JW Westcott Detroit (courtesy of the JW Archives)
JW Westcott Detroit (courtesy of the JW Archives)
JW Westcott Detroit (courtesy of the JW Archives)
JW Westcott Detroit (courtesy of the JW Archives)
JW Westcott Detroit (courtesy of the JW Archives)
JW Westcott Detroit (courtesy of the JW Archives)
JW Westcott Detroit (courtesy of the JW Archives)
JW Westcott Detroit (courtesy of the JW Archives)
JW Westcott Detroit (courtesy of the JW Archives)
JW Westcott Detroit (courtesy of the JW Archives)
Jim Hogan hockey player Waterford Lakers, now owner JW Westcott Detroit (courtesy of the JW Archives)
JW Westcott Detroit (courtesy of the JW Archives)
Cousteau diver Remy Galliano killed 1980 on Lake Ontario (courtesy of the JW Archives)
JW Westcott Detroit (courtesy of the JW Archives)
JW Westcott Detroit (courtesy of the JW Archives)
JW Westcott Detroit (courtesy of the JW Archives)
JW Westcott Detroit (courtesy of the JW Archives)
JW Westcott Detroit (courtesy of the JW Archives)
JW Westcott Detroit (courtesy of the JW Archives)
JW Westcott Detroit (courtesy of the JW Archives)
JW Westcott Detroit (courtesy of the JW Archives)
JW Westcott Detroit (courtesy of the JW Archives)
JW Westcott Detroit (courtesy of the JW Archives)
Other Detroit River Mailboats
CF Becker: other Detroit River mailboats from the past (courtesy of the JW Archives)
CF Becker: other Detroit River mailboats from the past (courtesy of the JW Archives)
CF Becker: other Detroit River mailboats from the past (courtesy of the JW Archives)
other Detroit River mailboats from the past (courtesy of the JW Archives)
CF Becker: other Detroit River mailboats from the past (courtesy of the JW Archives)
CF Bielman: other Detroit River mailboats from the past (courtesy of the JW Archives)
George Rigg: other Detroit River mailboats from the past (courtesy of the JW Archives)
CF Bielman: other Detroit River mailboats from the past (courtesy of the JW Archives)
CF Bielman: other Detroit River mailboats from the past (courtesy of the JW Archives)
GF Becker: other Detroit River mailboats from the past (courtesy of the JW Archives)
other Detroit River mailboats from the past (courtesy of the JW Archives)
CF Becker: other Detroit River mailboats from the past (courtesy of the JW Archives)
CF Bielman: other Detroit River mailboats from the past (courtesy of the JW Archives)
CF Bielman: other Detroit River mailboats from the past (courtesy of the JW Archives)
Oliver Mook: other Detroit River mailboats from the past (courtesy of the JW Archives)
Oliver Mook: other Detroit River mailboats from the past (courtesy of the JW Archives)
Oliver Mook: other Detroit River mailboats from the past (courtesy of the JW Archives)
Oliver Mook: other Detroit River mailboats from the past (courtesy of the JW Archives)
Oliver Mook: other Detroit River mailboats from the past (courtesy of the JW Archives)
Oliver Mook: other Detroit River mailboats from the past (courtesy of the JW Archives)
Oliver Mook: other Detroit River mailboats from the past (courtesy of the JW Archives)
Steamship on the Detroit River (courtesy of the JW Archives)
Detroit artist Bill Morrison at his home studio (photo by: Ryan M. Place)
Bill Morrison is a tremendously talented artist and writer.
A child prodigy in art and drawing, he could draw better at age three than I can at age thirty-six. His competency across a broad range of specialties and his career trajectory are jaw-droppingly impressive as he continues upping the ante by challenging himself with new and different projects.
He lives in a lovely stately historic home in St. Clair Shores, Michigan, which backs up to the vast and beautiful Lake St. Clair.
Bill lives with his wife Kayre (pronounced ‘Care’), two dogs Gidget and Ripley, two cats Ziggy and Freddie, and a world-class collection of comics, collectibles, and artwork. His home studio is a delightful wonderland of creativity, pop culture inspirations, and gobs upon gobs of wickedly good Bill Morrison original art.
Detroit artist Bill Morrison at his home studio (photo by: Ryan M. Place)
I’m here chatting with Bill. He was both brave enough to let me into his home and kind enough to answer my 10,000 rambling questions.
As a lifelong fan of The Simpsons and Bill’s work, I’ve owned several of his comics, watched several of his shows, and for years had the amazing full cast of The Simpsons poster on my wall that Mr. Morrison did.
Meeting him was an honor and I can tell you that he is a thoroughly cool dude.
The Simpsons kitchen sink poster art by Bill Morrison
Published by Hero Collector, it’s a treasure trove of trivia masked as intentional continuity errors that are artfully designed to test your mental abilities of recognition and recall.
And now, ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Bill Morrison!
Bill on The Beatles
Nerd Search: All You Nerd is Love: A Yellow Submarine Puzzle Book by Bill Morrison
“I’m a huge Beatles fan. My involvement with creating The Beatles books goes back to 1998 when Dark Horse Comics asked me to do a graphic novel for the 30th anniversary of Yellow Submarine. The deal unfortunately fell through midway. However, in 2018, I ended up doing a 112-page graphic novel adaptation of The Beatles Yellow Submarine for Titan Comics.”
“Titan Comics is based in London. They published our Simpsons stuff for Bongo in the UK. Initially, the licensing agent for The Beatles merchandise was interested in having me link up with Titan for the graphic novel. Then they came to me with a second project because they needed a pre-approved artist and put me in touch with Hero Collector, which is owned by Eaglemoss.”
“Hero said they have a series of books called Nerd Search where each scene has purposely incorrect information & items that the reader has to find, clues to solve, and at the end you get all the answers and rate yourself. I had a great time doing the book and I’m looking forward to seeing what the fan reaction is.”
“I’ve been a lifelong Beatles fan. Favorite song is Hey Bulldog. Favorite album is Rubber Soul. And I listen to The Beatles Channel on SiriusXM all the time.”
“I saw ‘A Hard Days Night’ (1964) at the drive-in when I was five, sitting in the back of the station wagon. Back then everyone was playing Beatles records.”
“The first album I had was Alvin and the Chipmunks Sing the Beatles Hits, then I got into the Saturday morning cartoon (1965-67), and saw Yellow Submarine (68) the first time it aired on TV in 1970.”
Beatles Yellow Submarine graphic novel by Bill Morrison
“I remember in high school there was a Broadway show called Beatlemania (1977-79) which was really popular and created a resurgence of interest in The Beatles. By that time, I was doing artwork and t-shirts.”
“At high school, my friend Steve Colwell and I started a small t-shirt business selling shirts of rock stars. We passed an order sheet around to everyone at school and they would place orders for our shirts.”
“My sister actually got to see The Beatles live in 1966 at Olympia Stadium in Detroit. My dad drove them and sat in the parking lot. The Beatles only played for a half hour, but they had several other opening bands, which was common at the time. Dad was smoking a cigarette outside the car when the big garage door on the side of the stadium rolled up. A big black limo pulls out as he hears the kids leaving. Suddenly the crowd spots the limo, and this horde of Beatles-crazed fans starts running towards him. My dad is between The Beatles and the kids. He says he had to jump onto a lamp post to avoid being trampled!”
The Early Years (or who is Bill Morrison and why am I in his house?)
Bill Morrison as Batman (photo courtesy of Bill Morrison)
“I’m an artist, writer, collector. I like working at my home studio where I use mostly traditional tools of the trade, some digital. I sketch with a blue pencil, use graphite and ink for comics, acrylic for painting, brush painting or airbrush, depending on the texture I’m trying to achieve. As for writing, I frequently jot down random notes in a book, otherwise I type in Microsoft Word.”
“My passion, thankfully, is my career and I don’t really have any other hobbies or interests beyond it. I love collecting toys, comics, art, but that all pretty much relates to my job. My wife and I like Art Deco, NY World’s Fair memorabilia, books (especially books on comics, comic collecting, illustrating, graphic novels).”
“My most marketable ability as a commercial artist is I can pick up other artist’s styles very quickly, which is very helpful in animation. I need a few practice sketches to find the rhythm, then I have it.”
Bill Morrison with Casper doll (photo courtesy of Bill Morrison)
“I was born January 15, 1959, and grew up in Lincoln Park, Michigan, about ten minutes south of Detroit. My dad is from the Hocking Hills, Ohio area and my mom is from Wyandotte, Michigan. Her father was Judge Arthur Decker, who as a young man, was a prize fighter nicknamed Kid Decker. My parents have always been very supportive of my artistic ambitions.”
“I have four living siblings: Alice, Donna, Sue, and Janice. My brother Don just passed away recently. Two of my sisters live here in Michigan, and two live elsewhere. My wife Kayre is also from Lincoln Park. Yes, we started dating in high school, and we recently moved back to Michigan to be closer to our families. This fulfills the mission of my youngest sister Alice, who lives in Novi, and has been trying to re-gather all of us for years.”
“Growing up, my older sister Sue was artistic, and she taught me how to draw at age three. She sat me down at the kitchen table and taught me how to draw a stickman. She drew a figure and told me to copy it. Then she left, came back in ten minutes, and says I had “vastly improved” on the drawing. She got real excited, thought I was a natural talent. She was always keyed into what I was into. Early on I would emulate her character drawings of Snoopy, the Wolfman, etc, whatever my mania was at the time”
Detroit artist Bill Morrison at his home studio (photo by: Ryan M. Place)
“In 1977, I graduated Lincoln Park High School and immediately enrolled in Detroit’s College for Creative Studies. I started off wanting to be a comic book artist but learned I’d have to go to NYC to establish myself. I love New York now, but back then the idea of living there sort of terrified me. I had a teacher Gary Ciccarelli for airbrush class. He was really into the whole West Coast airbrush scene, which was highly glamorized, stylized, lot of palm trees and neon. And he turned us onto stuff I hadn’t been exposed to.”
“I graduated CCS in 1981 and got a job at Artech, Inc. in Livonia doing technical drawings for the automotive industry. I would be in a big room with 15 artists. The guys in the other room would look at a blueprint and sketch it out in 3D, then they would send it to us and we would refine and perfect it. We did mostly engine stuff, mechanics manuals & parts catalogs, cut-away paintings of diesel fuel pumps, etc.”
“In 1982, I married Karen “Kayre” DeLosier, the love of my life, and we lived in Plymouth, Michigan for a bit near Plymouth Road and Haggerty, before moving to the West Coast. Moved to Beverly Hills briefly, then Sepulveda (which became North Hills), then Simi Valley.”
L.A. in the ‘80s: a town awash in neon and perms and mohawks, oh my!
Bill Morrison with Roger Rabbit (photo courtesy of Bill Morrison)
Bill was employed as a professional illustrator at B.D. Fox and Friends Advertising from 1982-86, which is where he first met legendary cartoonist, Matt Groening, who was just an unknown scribbler at the time. After that, Bill was at Willardson & Associates. During this time, he also worked on iconic movie posters like the famous Little Mermaid (1989), The Land Before Time (1988), Oliver and Company (1988), all sorts of Disney movies, of which he said his favorite poster is The Prince and The Pauper (1990).
“My first job in Hollywood was doing movie posters at B.D. Fox and Matt (Groening) was a freelance writer there. B.D. Fox was a boutique ad agency for the entertainment industry. A co-worker, Mili Smythe was an art director there and she was friends with Matt, they’re both from Portland, and she introduced us. Mili told me about Matt’s comic strip, Life in Hell.”
“Occasionally she would ask us for input on things like childhood songs to give to Matt, who would then put the song references in the comic strip. At work, Matt would pitch tag lines for posters, but we didn’t really become good friends until The Simpsons.”
The Prince and the Pauper (1990) poster art by Bill Morrison
“I designed the posters for horror movies House (85), Blood Diner (87), and I was the in-house illustrator doing rough sketches and comps for films like The Return of the Living Dead (1985). Art directors would come to see me with ideas they needed me to draw up. For the Return of the Living Dead poster, I don’t know who did the final painting but I remember being surprised that Bill Stout didn’t do it. He was a well-known poster artist, and he designed the zombies for the film”
“In 1986, I was invited to work at an illustration studio owned by David Willardson, the California airbrush artist, called Willardson & Associates. We did all sorts of advertising for all different products, mostly photo realistic work but glorified, Nestles Quick, Maxell Tape, etc, and one of the jobs was for Disney. It was a re-release of Cinderella, they wanted a one-sheet poster. I did a teaser they liked, then another one, and another one, then anytime Disney released an animated film into theaters. I did Little Mermaid, Oliver and Co, Rescuers Down Under, Roller Coaster Rabbit, Prince and the Pauper (a Mickey Mouse featurette), Peter Pan, Jungle Book, Bambi, Lady and Tramp, Fox and Hound, etc.”
“I did The Land Before Time movie poster for Amblin Entertainment. I only did the characters, not the background. This was in the pre-photoshop days and I’m at the studio and I get this big painting delivered. They said we need you to re-draw the dinosaur characters and paste them over the existing ones. I did it on one-ply Strathmore paper, which was tricky to paint on because it’s so thin. Then cut out the outline perfectly with an x-acto knife then painted the edges with a brush. It’s very hard to match outline colors perfectly. Then I took spray mount and permanently sprayed them onto this guy’s painting, which seemed kind of unethical but I had to do it.”
The Simpsons & Matt Groening
First signing with Matt: from L to R are Matt Groening, Steve Vance, Bill Morrison (photo courtesy of Bill Morrison)
Bill joined The Simpsons crew in 1990 and played a seminal role in the global expansion of the franchise. He was doing illustrations for 20th Century Fox and creating all sorts of art for merchandise, sketches, t-shirts, posters, etc, while simultaneously art-directing other merchandise artists at Klasky Csupo Animation Studio.
“In 1987, The Simpsons made their global debut on the Tracey Ullman Show. It was one of the animated bumpers they did. Then it morphed into the December 1989 Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire holiday special episode, then the show officially premiered February 1990. It was an immediate blockbuster hit.”
Simpsons Yellow Album art by Bill Morrison (image courtesy of Bill Morrison)
“I knew Matt (Groening) from our time working together at the ad agency a few years prior. He brought me into The Simpsons creative family, and I started doing character drawings for merchandise. I created the merch style guide, which is for companies who license the brand. If a licensee takes out a license, they get a style guide of images they can use. Some licensees pay extra for custom artwork. I also did almost all of the video game packaging in the early days, along with calendars, books, and more.”
“I didn’t have anything to do with the characters beyond what they looked like until we did the comic books. Sometimes the stories in Simpsons Comics necessitated creating new characters. For Radioactive Man we got to create a broader cast of characters because they didn’t exist on the show. Radioactive Man’s origins are similar to the Hulk. Fallout Boy’s origins are similar to Spider Man. It’s mostly parody and satire. At one time there was talk of doing a Radioactive Man cartoon show but the idea was shelved when Futurama came out. I would love to see the idea get revived and think it could be a big hit.”
Simpsons Comics & Stories # 1 art by Bill Morrison
“In April 1991, Simpsons Illustrated launched and the series ran for ten issues. It had a comic section, and at the end of the second year, Groening and Editor Steve Vance wanted a gimmicky annual issue, so we decided let’s do a comic book. We named it Simpsons Comics and Stories and it came out in February 1993.”
“It was such a big hit that it gave Matt the confidence to start Bongo Comics, so we did. Starting a comic was a dream come true. We started it in November 1993. I served as Art Director, Steve Vance was the editor and his wife Cindy was colorist and letterer. After the first year the Vances left, and I became the Creative Director (Editor and Art Director.) I was directly involved in some way with every issue (writing, penciling, inking, supervising, art direction, etc). My favorite character to draw is probably Radioactive Man.”
“Matt and I are still good friends to this day.”
The Simpsons episode: A Serious Flanders (November 2021) poster art by Bill Morrison
“In terms of The Simpsons tv show, my favorite episodes are Radioactive Man, Black Widower (great art direction), and many of the episodes from the Conan O’Brien era (1991-93). Also, I love the recent two-part episode “A Serious Flanders” for which I created an advertising poster.”
Bill also did the cover artwork for The Simpsons DVD’s.
And Bill won several Eisner Awards for Simpsons Comics (2000), The Amazing Colossal Homer (1994), and Radioactive Man.
Roswell Little Green Man, Futurama, and more!
Roswell Little Green Man art by Bill Morrison (image courtesy of Bill Morrison)
“In 1996, I produced my own comic series for Bongo called Roswell, Little Green Man. Although Roswell loosely takes place in the late 1940’s, it was my love of 50’s sci-fi films that inspired it. The first story deals with giant ants, harkening back to Them! (1954 sci-fi movie). The series was nominated in four different categories for the highly coveted Eisner Award. We ended it because we started a little show called Futurama and I didn’t have time to work on the show, along with my Bongo duties, and also my own comic.”
“I was the Art Director on Futurama from 1998-2003. I assisted in the creation of the cast of characters with Matt Groening. Matt was the creator of the show and Futurama was done by The Curiosity Company, Matt’s own production company.”
“We did four seasons, 140 episodes. It was on Tuesday nights when it first premiered, and Matt didn’t like that. He told Fox execs to put it on Sunday nights 8:30 p.m. right after The Simpsons. They wouldn’t do it. Finally, they put it on Sunday’s but at 7:00 p.m., which was too early. Futurama is a workplace adult comedy, it’s about adults, romances, and it was inappropriate to put on then. Plus, at that time slot, if sports games ran longer than anticipated, which they frequently do, they had to cut portions of the episodes or not even air the episodes.”
Futurama art by Bill Morrison (image courtesy of Bill Morrison)
“I loved Futurama, especially Leela, and I helped design many of the weirder characters before Matt pitched the show. Matt would always do a final cut and tweak it. We’d be at his studio, he would give me a paragraph on a character, I would do drawings, then show him, it sparked him visually, then he would do a drawing, I would refine it, etc, it was a collaboration. I always felt my biggest contribution to the show was sometimes showing Matt what he didn’t want because it would help him decide which way to go with a character. It’s very difficult to create unique and original characters. Having some input from friends is valuable, the visceral reaction is valuable.”
“In 2000, I did a six-issue mini-series for Bongo called Heroes Anonymous. My editorial assistant at the time was Scott Gimple and I invited him to work on it with me. It’s about a support group for superheroes. We had it in development at the SyFy Channel for a while. Scott had moved on to Disney where he was working on a show called Fillmore, which was a safety patrol played as a 70’s cop show. He had an agent at this point who wanted him to go out and pitch ideas for shows that he owned. Since we co-created Heroes Anonymous he called me and we started pitching it to networks and the SyFy channel took an option. Scott and I worked together on the story for the pilot and Scott wrote the script. I was going to be on board as a producer. The network would give us notes on the script, and at first they were good notes. But eventually the notes got silly and were making the script worse. Finally, it got to the point that their suggested improvement notes were too embarrassing to seriously consider. We chose not to renew the option when it came up. Scott did okay though, he’s now the showrunner on The Walking Dead.”
“After that, I was lucky enough to be able to do my first book, which was a career retrospective on Dan DeCarlo, one of my favorite comic book artists. Dan is best known for drawing Archie comics and creating Josie and the Pussycats and co-creating Sabrina the Teen-age Witch. The book is called Innocence and Seduction: The Art of Dan DeCarlo. I knew Dan personally. We were friends until he passed away in 2001. I was also a fan and there were no good books on Dan’s art. I wanted to create something that didn’t exist yet.”
The Art of Dan DeCarlo book by Bill Morrison
“A few years later, I collaborated with Jane Wiedlin, co-founder of The Go-Go’s. In 2010, we did a comic book called Lady Robotika which was published by Image. The concept is based on Jane as a cyborg space hero.”
“In 2015, I wrote and illustrated Dead Vengeance for Dark Horse Comics. It’s a tribute to the gritty 1940’s pulp era and takes place in Detroit.”
Dead Vengeance by Bill Morrison
“Near my end at Bongo, Matt was working on a new show (what later became the show Disenchantment) and I was talking to the businesspeople telling them I’m looking for something creatively challenging. They said Matt wants to do a new company, comic, show, etc, but he’s not quite there yet. But we do want to develop a comic reader app for mobile phones and iPads, so I did that.”
“I designed comic reader apps. Here I am, devoted to printed comics, and I had to develop and promote comics on electronic devices. Had to learn the guided view mechanics of reading a comic online, panel to panel scrolling, etc. To do this I had to download digital comics and study them. I started taking them on trips with me and realized that you can still have your physical collection at home but also embrace digital comics as a convenience. I started promoting the app, called The Simpsons Store, then the Futuramaland comic reader.”
The National Cartoonists Society
Bill Morrison (National Cartoonists Society)
Founded in 1946, the prestigious National Cartoonists Society is the world’s main professional organization for people working in cartoons and comics. To be admitted membership, published cartoonists must send in samples of their work. Once vetted, they can become Artist members. Bill joined NCS in the mid-90’s and served as President from 2015-2019.
“I was a casual member for years. Then served on the board for Jeff Keane (Family Circus), then continued as VP on the board of Tom Richmond (Mad Magazine cartoonist). Then I became president.”
National Cartoonists Society 27 Club
“It was a lot of work but very rewarding. It’s mind boggling to think I’m part of that lineage, a fraternity of my heroes. It’s very difficult to get people to join clubs nowadays as regular dues-paying members. I’m glad that I was able to help come up with some good ideas to move NCS forward.”
“Sergio Aragonés, Steve McGarry, and I were discussing effective strategies for reaching out to cartoonists and making it easy for them to join NCS. We came up with The 27 Club, where they don’t pay the $180 annual fee, and any cartoonist under 27 years old can join for only $27/yr. Jason Chatfield, who served as my VP and is now the president, continues taking it on. I love the NCS. We have the Reuben Awards every year for the Outstanding Cartoonist of the year. And last year we had our first annual online convention, which was great and well-received.”
MAD Magazine
MAD Magazine has been around since the Atomic Fifties, 1952 to be exact. This legacy institution had the foresight to hire Bill Morrison as Executive Editor in 2017.
“When DC Comics moved from New York City to Burbank, California, the MAD guys didn’t want to go. Finally, the publisher at DC worked out something with Warner Bros where the MAD Magazine offices could stay in NYC, but it was agreed that once they found someone to take over MAD, it would move to Burbank.”
“Then they hired me, and I had to hire a full staff, except for one guy who did decide to move from NY. I had done some freelance jobs for MAD in the past and now here I was overseeing all creative aspects of the magazine. We had good people, especially the art director, Suzy Hutchinson. I’d look at everything, make notes, some minor changes, etc. I loved working there.”
Bill Morrison with Alfred E. Neuman (art by Tom Richmond)
“We were given a really tough assignment, which was to take a magazine read by mostly white males (ages 11-16 and 45-60), most of whom subscribed and they wanted us to expand the readership to women, other ethnicities, and other age-ranges, while not losing our current subscribers. We succeeded in getting subscription numbers up, had expansion ideas that were ambitious but doable, talked about the possibility of live comedy shows at the Hollywood American Legion Post 43, simulcasting, taking it on tour, new merchandise, etc.”
“We were getting great positive feedback. I’m connected with hardcore (and therefore critical) MAD fans who told us we had struck a great balance. But corporate decisions beyond my control caused MAD to go to a reprint format.”
Bill’s Influences & Collections
Detroit artist Bill Morrison at his home studio (photo by: Ryan M. Place)
“I’m real big on Batman art and toys, non-superhero stuff like horror (especially Universal Monsters) and sci-fi, teen humor (any era but mostly 50’s 60’s). I typically go for eras and artists over genres. My favorite eras are 50’s-60’s.”
“Some favorite artists are Dick Sprang, Bob Oksner, Sergio Aragones, Dan DeCarlo. Growing up, some favorites were Neal Adams, Bernie Wrightson, Jim Steranko.”
It Rhymes with Lust (1950) cover art by Matt Baker
“Another favorite artist is Matt Baker, but his art is so expensive. He did the great cover for It Rhymes with Lust (1950) which many people consider to be the first-ever graphic novel.”
“Fine art, I like Salvador Dali, John Singer Sargent, M.C. Escher, Alphonse Mucha…though some might consider him more of an illustrator. Comedically, I’ve been influenced by Jerry Lewis, Woody Allen, Steve Martin, Mel Brooks, and more recently by Melissa McCarthy and Tina Fey.”
“To this day, I’m constantly discovering new influences. I also like the painter Norm Saunders, illustrator Wally Wood, Will Eisner, Robert Crumb, etc, too many to list!”
Mars Attacks art (card 32) by Norman Saunders (1962)
Upcoming Projects
Bill Morrison holding a giant eyeball bowling ball (photo courtesy of Bill Morrison)
“I’ve been doing stuff for the fine art print market. And I’m doing some animation development projects and helping producers visualize their concepts.”
Final Thoughts
Bill at the drawing board, Bongo Comics (photo courtesy of Bill Morrison)
“At Comic Con (SDCC) one year, maybe ‘94-95, right after a speculator boom, when the industry took a turn downturn and was downsizing and consolidating, some publishers were shutting down, things at the time were looking down not up. The great Will Eisner walked by the Bongo Comics booth and I asked him his thoughts about the doom and gloom end-of-the-industry rumors. He said ‘I’ve seen this happen five or six times since the 1930’s. Comics is a language and a medium that people love. It might change shape, but graphic storytelling is an artform and is always going to exist’ and I thought that was tremendously uplifting and insightful and I try to always keep that in mind.”
“My advice to aspiring creatives is to always be open to opportunities you didn’t necessarily anticipate. For example, I never thought I’d be a writer, art director, editor. But I said yes, I was open to it and ended up discovering that I love those roles. Talented young people tend to focus on one single thing only and might invariably miss out on other areas of rich potential. Sometimes you just gotta say yes and then figure it out. If you don’t like it, you can always stop doing it and do something else until you find the things you’re great at and love doing.”
Atomic Battery Studios (Bill’s official Facebook page)
*PLEASE NOTE: This paper is not intended to be a scholarly dissertation. It is a true story of Detroit history intended for the general public. This article will be periodically updated as new information crops up. As stated at the end of the article, please fact-check me and feel free to email me at place313 at gmail dot com and let me know if anything needs to be updated for greater accuracy. Thank you! *
I first heard this story a few years ago from my friend, Lonni Thomas. Since then, I’ve scoured libraries, old newspapers and online for more information.
Eastern Market, the largest historic public market in the USA, consists of a series of Sheds, essentially a row of large indoor consumer buildings running North to South along the eastside of Russell Street in Detroit, Michigan. The Sheds host vibrant weekly markets and lively annual events like the Detroit Festival of Books, Detroit Fall Beer Festival, Flower Day, etc.
What many people don’t know:
These Sheds are built on top of the old Russell Street Cemetery (1834-1882) and where a portion of the old prison, Detroit House of Corrections, aka: DeHoCo, used to be located (1861-1931).
This is a largely hidden and unknown spooky true tale of Detroit history.
Let’s take a look back into the mysterious pre-Eastern Market history of Old Detroit.
Essential Background Details on the creation and dismantling of the Russell Street Cemetery
Graveyard stock photo (courtesy of Unsplash)
In the 1800’s, Detroit was not the sprawling cosmopolitan city it is today. It had a more rough-and-tumble frontier town feel to it.
According to Gen. Palmer, there was a town water pump at the foot of Randolph Street and tramps and thieves used to be whipped at the public whipping post on Woodward Avenue.
By 1834, the city had around 5,000 residents when the Russell Street Cemetery was established. Michigan was a vast territory at that time and didn’t even become a state until 1837.
Russell Street Cemetery was open 1834-1882 in what’s now known as the Eastern Market neighborhood of Detroit. It was located along Russell Street roughly from modern day Gratiot to Eliot. It was also known as the Second City Cemetery.
The First City Cemetery, often called Clinton Park Cemetery, was created May 29, 1827, on land the city had purchased from Col. Antoine Beaubien’s ribbon farm. It was a long, narrow, 30-foot wide plot of land stretching from Gratiot Ave and Clinton St down to Jefferson Ave. Supposedly, Gen. Friend Palmer’s father was the first person buried here. The cemetery closed to further interments in 1854 and was officially vacated by November 12, 1869. So, yes, it did exist concurrently for a few decades with Russell.
On May 31, 1834, the city of Detroit purchased 55 acres of farmland from the probate estate of Charles Guoin for the then-handsome sum of $2,010. The Guoin family had farmed this land for almost 100 years, since 1742. Charles Frances Guoin was born February 2, 1755 and died sometime between 1830-32. At some point, Charles had relations with Little Snipe, a local Pottawatomie woman, and they had a daughter named White Feather (Marie LaVoy).
A few months after the purchase, in August 1834, 38 acres became the Russell Street Cemetery. This decision was made by the Detroit Common Council. This area supposedly (although not conclusively) was bound by modern-day Russell Street, Eliot Street, the Freeway, Gratiot Ave, and an undefined eastern boundary. At its peak, supposedly, some 10,000-15,000 graves are estimated to have been here but nobody knows for sure because various records have either been lost or were never kept in the first place.
By August 1834, the burials at Russell Street Cemetery were numerous because Detroit was in the throes of a second cholera epidemic, which killed an eighth of the city’s population. Cholera epidemics hit Detroit hard in 1832 and 1834 and “congested the graveyards,” (Burton, page 969). There were most likely multiple bodies per grave in many instances.
In those days, the City Sexton was the title of the official gravedigger and person in charge of a cemetery. Originally, the City Sexton was tasked with selling plots (half or full) at the Russell Street Cemetery to people, which ranged in cost from five to ten dollars. The city of Detroit created the office of City Sexton on March 17, 1829 and it was abolished in 1879.
The first sexton of Detroit was Israel Noble. He was nominated by the mayor, then appointed by Common Council. He served as Sexton from 1829-32, then 1835-49. Noble, incongruously detached from living up to the meaning of his last name, supposedly sold Russell Street Cemetery lots under the table for some side cash, hence the mysterious lack of “official records”.
Noble was also, at one point, the keeper of the lighthouse in Monroe, Michigan.
Detroit Daily Advertiser (April 3, 1873)
In 1841, Mt. Elliott Cemetery opened, which helped divert burials from Russell Street.
In 1842, Dr. George Russell built a “Contagious Disease Hospital” on the potter’s field area of the Russell Street Cemetery. In reality, it was a small rickety shed. However, it may have been the first building in the Midwest dedicated to treating contagious diseases. The shed didn’t last long.
Then in 1846, the posh new Elmwood Cemetery opened, which served to briefly alleviate the overcrowding of the Russell Street Cemetery.
As the years went by, the city notoriously failed to maintain the Russell Street Cemetery and it became desperately rundown. One report stated that “People would steal tombstones and use them as doorsteps and beer counters,” (Lazar, page 15).
April 10, 1855, the Health Committee advises Detroit Common Council that no more burials should be allowed at Russell Street Cemetery. This was 27 years before the cemetery was officially closed in 1882, so there was definitely a long history of the cemetery being wretched and unkempt.
old Russell Street Cemetery, Detroit map
In 1857, Mayor Ledyard publicly called the cemetery a “disgrace” and wanted it torn down. Also, in May 1857, modern-day Division Street was constructed and cut right through the cemetery.
On July 6, 1861, a prison was built on a part of the cemetery (area roughly bound by Russell, Riopelle, Alfred, and Wilkins) called the Detroit House of Corrections (aka: DeHoCo). It remained there until 1931 when the prison was relocated 30 miles west to the city of Plymouth, Michigan.
original Detroit House of Corrections (DeHoCo) map (1861-1931) possible boundaries
Detroit Advertiser (May 16, 1865)
In 1868, modern-day Winder Street opened through the cemetery.
Fed up with the abysmal conditions of the cemetery, on April 20, 1869, Detroit city council ordered that no more bodies be buried at Russell Street Cemetery. Over the next 13 years, thousands of corpses were periodically transferred to Elmwood, Mt. Elliott, and the new 250-acre “rural cemetery” called Woodmere, which was formally dedicated July 14, 1869.
Woodmere Cemetery was located only a mere 8 miles west of Russell Street Cemetery, but at that time was considered rural countryside. Prior to being a cemetery, Woodmere was a Revolutionary War-era shipyard where several ships were built.
The City Sexton at the time, a German man named Valentine Geist, spearheaded the transfer of bodies from Russell Street Cemetery to Woodmere. He lived 1824-95 and served as Sexton in the years 1864, 1871-74, 1878. He also ran an undertaking business on Monroe Street downtown. He’s buried at Elmwood.
Around about 1870, the first makeshift Hay and Wood Market was built on Russell Street (between Adelaide and Division) and some independent street vendors started selling farm-grown produce from their own carts and wagons in proto-Eastern Market along Russell Street near the cemetery.
However, over the decade (1870-1880), nothing much happened at the Russell Street Cemetery except the tombstones became mossgrown, the cemetery became weedy and neglected, and people used to mess around in the cemetery at all hours of the day and night. A sad trend throughout history is that old, neglected cemeteries tend to become general dumping grounds.
Detroit Daily Advertiser (November 16, 1871)
Then on May 14, 1879, the Circuit Court ordered the cemetery to be officially vacated. Various contracts were issued for the removal and reinternment of the remaining cadavers in other cemeteries: Woodmere, Elmwood, Mt. Elliott, and elsewhere. This task was coordinated by the Board of Public Works. One of the few names mentioned in the newspaper, a man named John Griswold, was reinterred at Woodmere.
One wave, some 1,493 caskets, were removed in 1880 and re-buried at the City Hospital grounds in Grosse Pointe. In 1881, another 1,668 remains were shipped out. Then in early 1882, some 1,357 bodies were relocated. Various numbers are given in the newspapers, but the final destination of the caskets is not always given, thus, it’s impossible to know for sure what bodies went where.
By 1882, all known remains were removed from Russell Street Cemetery.
The Unclaimed Dead (or what happened next?)
April 22, 1906 (Detroit News) page 21
Conner’s Creek, named for Henry Conner, existed from 1840-1925, according to Dr. Krepps (page 21 of her report). The Algonquin lived here prior to city development.
In 1872, Antoine Dubay owned a farm here. The deed was purchased from him on August 24, 1872 by Frederick Ruehle (sometimes spelled Ruelle). Frederick quickly turned around and sold the 34-acre property to the city of Detroit on October 18, 1872. He purchased the 34 acres for $3,000 and conveniently sold it less than two months later for $6,000.
At the time, this property was in the neighboring city of Grosse Pointe, which is where Detroit wanted to build a City Hospital for smallpox victims (aka: the Grosse Pointe Pest House), but the deal never fully went through. A structure was built here but was never used as a hospital.
Instead, a large corner of the farm became the Conner Creek Cemetery (aka: Third City Cemetery or the City Hospital Grounds, as it was commonly called at the time). It was used to re-bury the unclaimed/unidentified bodies from the Russell Street Cemetery.
The cemetery was dedicated August 27, 1880. It eventually contained around 4,500 bodies, which were (most likely) transferred via wagon some five miles NE up Gratiot Ave to Harper Ave and over to Conner Creek. Between 1880-1882, some 4,500 bodies were taken from Russell Street Cemetery to Conner Creek Cemetery.
Gratiot Avenue, at that time called Fort Gratiot Road, was constructed between 1829-1833.
Conner Creek Cemetery, Detroit map
In November 1881, the city of Detroit did build a pest house structure on the SW corner of Conner at Olga Street, however, it was never used because Grosse Pointe effectively blocked the construction of a pest house (smallpox hospital) in their town. So, the city rented it to a farmer, whose name is listed sometimes as August Stahlman, other times as August Schultz, and he ended up living inside the 24 x 76 building for a few decades.
The structure burned down in 1923. Currently, the Wayne County Community College Eastern Campus is located where this structure used to be.
Furthermore, a playground called the Conner Playfield (located on Conner, north of Harper) was built over a portion of the cemetery at some point, possibly in the 1930’s or early 1940’s.
The Conner Creek Cemetery was largely forgotten for decades until October 6, 1950 when utility workers accidentally dug up some corpses and a tombstone across from a house at 6020 Gunston. During Virginia Clohset’s discovery interview of Ida and Pasquale Gianfermi (residents of 6020 Gunston St), Ida said she vividly recalled the 1950 dig and said that spectators took bones home as souvenirs.
Then on April 4, 1958, the city of Detroit sells the property containing the Conner Creek Cemetery to the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) via quit claim deed. MDOT ends up building a freeway interchange over a portion of the cemetery. The construction of the (Edsel) Ford Freeway, which jaggedly divided the area, facilitated the unearthing of more remains.
Nearly two more decades passed without any press or acknowledgement.
Conner Creek Cemetery boulder-plaque memorial
Then, on October 16, 1976, a boulder-plaque was officially placed at the intersection of Conner St & Hern St to commemorate the Conner Creek Cemetery, which was listed as having 4,518 known graves at the time. “It is the only cemetery belonging to the Michigan State Highway department. Many bodies now rest under the roadbed of Conner Street.” (Detroit Free Press article).
In April 2013, MDOT archeologists and their Pavement Evaluation Unit performed spot excavations and used ground penetrating radar (GPR) to investigate the subsurface of the Conner Creek Cemetery. They found “clearly defined subsurface anomalies, indicative of dense, solid objects.” However, the soil profile (ie: moist silt) in that particular area makes it essentially impossible to use GPR accurately.
Currently (October 2021), the triangle patch of land with the boulder-marker is still there at Conner and Hern. To get there, plug in the address 6008 Gunston Ave, Detroit. This is the neighborhood where Ravendale meets Chandler Park on the NW side of the Chandler Park Golf Course, which itself has been there since the 1920’s (most likely 1923).
Thanks to the amazing efforts of Dr. Karen Krepps, this area has been designated as an archeology site #20WN383. In 1984, she was commissioned by the Eastern Wayne County Historical Society (EWCHS) to write a report about the cemetery. Her report is fascinating, highly detailed and insightful, and I especially agree with her assertion that “cemeteries are important cultural resources.”
Big Question:
Are the various unclaimed human remains still there? Nobody knows.
However, on page 46 of her report, Dr. Krepps states, “The prime area has enjoyed minimal below ground disturbance and may well contain human remains reinterred from the Russell Street Cemetery.”
What ended up happening with the old Russell Street Cemetery property? Let’s take a look.
Conner Creek Cemetery boulder-plaque memorial
Some Eastern Market History
early Easter Market Detroit (DPL Burton Historical Collection)
After the dismantling of the Russell Street Cemetery, Eastern Market gradually came into being and transformed the area.
By 1885, there was a small market and scales for weighing produce at the NE corner of Division and Russell.
Eastern Market was created in 1889 when the Detroit Common Council formally established the boundaries of the Eastern Hay Market, also known as the Hay and Wood Market.
The construction of Eastern Market’s Shed 1 (Russell St, between Winder and High St) by Richard E. Raseman, was completed in September 1890. It was tiny, supposedly only 575 x 208 feet, rickety and was destroyed in a violent storm on December 23, 1890.
Aerial drone photo of Eastern Market Sheds Detroit (courtesy of Josh Garcia at JDG Innovative)
Shed 1 was rebuilt in 1891 and lasted until 1967 when the creation of the Fisher Freeway forced the shed to become a parking lot. In 1898, Raseman built Shed 2.
Shed 3 was built in 1922 as an “all-weather shed”. Shed 4 was constructed in 1938 and Shed 5 in 1939. They are connected by a covered walkway. In the 1950’s, Rosie the Riveter (real name Rose Kurlandsky) ran a produce stand here at Eastern Market. Her stall was located across from the Samuel Brothers Deli.
In 1965, Shed 6 is built. It’s a long, narrow shed with a roof and no walls.
In 1980, the original Shed 5 is demolished and a new Shed 5, along with a 2-story parking structure, are built in 1981. All of the Sheds were majorly renovated in the early 2000’s.
To this day, Eastern Market is a major cultural attraction in the city of Detroit, visited by millions of people annually.
Final Thoughts
Graveyard stock photo (courtesy of Unsplash)
In 1834, when the Russell Street Cemetery was created, Detroit had a population of around 5,000 people, according to census data. By the time the cemetery officially closed in 1882, Detroit was a rapidly expanding metropolis with a population of around 150,000 people.
Big cities have fascinating histories and trajectories. They tend to expand so rapidly that many of the historical facts and stories are lost to time and never fully recovered.
Detroit’s very first cemetery was located behind St. Anne’s log church at the NW corner of Jefferson and Griswold. This cemetery was functional 1701-1760 and consisted mostly of French Catholics in mostly unmarked graves. The cemetery moved several times after that.
Are some still buried there? The probability is high that there are indeed still human remains there. Such is the case with any large city. All big cities are dotted with random buried corpses from centuries past, hidden under modern-day structures like skyscrapers and apartment buildings.
Is this true of all early cemeteries? Were ALL the graves exhumed and relocated? Or are some still hidden down below, awaiting discovery?
The unclaimed dead from the Russell Street Cemetery. The nameless who were buried, most likely multiple bodies per grave, in the Conner Creek Cemetery, who were they? Where are their bodies at this exact moment?
Whatever may happen or not happen in the future, PLEASE RESPECT the land and the remains.
Where did you find this information?
Libraries, mostly, and some online repositories. I love libraries. As a lifelong library enthusiast and haunter of book collections, I highly recommend everyone spend more time at these sanctuaries of knowledge. Leave your phone in the car. It’s a good respite from the endless overwhelming digital switch-tasking bombardment perpetually fragmenting your time and sanity.
The bulk of this information was derived from poring over hundreds of vintage Detroit newspapers, along with heavy digging inside the Library of Michigan, the State of Michigan’s main library, in Lansing. Shout out to librarian, Adam Oster, for helping this wayward lad track down some primary source material. I would’ve been at the DPL’s Burton Collection in Detroit talking Mark Bowden’s ear off, but they’ve been closed for a while, first Covid, then flooding. Hope to explore upon their glorious re-opening.
Big thank you to the State Historic Preservation Office (archeologist Michael Hambacher) for providing Dr. Krepps report. And, to MDOT state archeologist James Robertson, for his kindness and alacrity on the FOIA request.
Thank you to Patrick Shaul at the Detroit Society for Genealogical Research for tracking down and scanning the incredibly hard-to-find 5-part article by Detroit archeologist Charles Martinez.
Thanks also to MDOT’s FOIA coordinator Fae Gibson for sending me a disc containing several key documents.
Also, this article is a work-in-progress. Please fact-check me and help me update it. If you have any pertinent and critical information, please email me at place313 at gmail dot com. Thank you!
Bibliography
Krepps, Dr. Karen Lee. Land Use History of Conner Creek Cemetery (20WN383) Containing as Well Background Studies of Clinton Park and Russell Street Cemeteries in Detroit, Wayne County, Michigan. K.L. Krepps, 1984.
Burton, Clarence & Agnes. History of Wayne County & the City of Detroit. Vol 2. SJ Clarke Pub. Co., 1930.
Caitlin, George & Robert Ross. Landmarks of Wayne County and Detroit. Detroit, Evening News Association, 1898.
Clohset, Virginia C. The Detroit City Cemetery in Grosse Pointe. Self-made, 1976. (this detailed 64-page report can be FOIA’ed from MDOT)
Detroit Free Press archives.
Detroit News archives.
Farmer, Silas. History of Detroit and Michigan. Detroit, S. Farmer & Co, 1889.
Krepps, Dr. Karen Lee. Land Use History of Conner Creek Cemetery (20WN383) Containing as Well Background Studies of Clinton Park and Russell Street Cemeteries in Detroit, Wayne County, Michigan. K.L. Krepps, 1984. (this incredibly difficult-to-obtain report can be located at the State Historic Preservation Office).
Lazar, Pamela. Directory of Cemeteries in Wayne County. Dearborn Genealogical Society, 1982.
Maps (assorted).
Martinez, Charles. “Death Defiled: The Calamity of Russell Street Cemetery.” The Detroit Society for Genealogical Research Magazine, vol. 63-64, Spring 2000-Winter 2001. (this hard to find 5-part article can be purchased via the Detroit Society for Genealogical Research).
Palmer, Gen. Friend. Early Days in Detroit. Hunt & June, 1906.
Detroit Free Press newspaper clippings (and some Detroit News clippings):
*These are screenshots of newspapers Detroit Free Press and Detroit News mainly, along with a few other papers. The ones not marked are Detroit Free Press.
January 09, 1838(entry for James Witherell from the Biographical Directory of American Congress)
May 01, 1870
At this time, the Eastern District hay and wood market was on Hastings Street.
November 02, 1870
February 02, 1871
July 29, 1873
“At a late hour Saturday evening, some boys discovered a man disrobing himself near the Russell Street Cemetery. When they approached, he attacked them vigorously. The next morning he was discovered in the cemetery. He jumped up from behind a tombstone and fired shots from his revolver. He was not wearing any clothes and went running down Russell Street.”
September 17, 1874
“A dreary spot. The Russell Street Cemetery is one of the most dreary and neglected spots in Detroit. Scraggy trees, rank weeds, broken tombstones and sunken graves meet the eye everywhere, and the fences are falling down and going to decay.”
January 30, 1875
An old horse of an ash collector fell while pulling his wagon. He fell in front of the cemetery and was flogged by the owner so badly that someone came up and shot the horse in the head to put it out of its misery.
May 29, 1875
“Condemned as a public nuisance and recommending it’s abatement.”
April 15, 1876 (from the Detroit Daily Advertiser)
May 02, 1876 (from the Detroit Daily Post)
May 04, 1876
“Oscar Davis tries to steal a human skull at the Russell Street Cemetery but is caught and arrested.”
November 23, 1876 (from the Detroit Daily Advertiser)
April 26, 1877
George Moorehouse (9) got his left eye knocked out by a spear while hunting for frogs with a group of boys inside RSC.
August 22, 1877
1878
Alderman Youngblood states that the city wants to make Russell Street Cemetery the location of Eastern Market.
October 20, 1878
Proposals for disinterring bodies from Russell Street Cemetery and re-interring them at Woodmere Cemetery are entertained by William Purcell, president of the Board of Public Works.
October 03, 1879
In one of the graves, 3 corpses were found, “believed they were victims of cholera and buried in haste”
October 29, 1879 (DFP, page 5)
special thanks to Eloise for this article
Capt. John Burtis and John Griswold, Russell Street Cemetery, Detroit (thanks to Eloise for this)
October 30, 1879
November 14, 1879
“A pile of old coffins, which were dug up last week, presents a ghastly sight in the old RSC.”
November 18, 1879
Germans want to hold Saengerfest (a type of choir singing festival) on the old RSC grounds.
November 22, 1879
November 12, 1880
Still digging up bodies. Body removal is funded by “collection of city taxes”.
October 04, 1881
Bid to disinter bodies and re-inter them is awarded to Hugh Fallon who says he will do it for 93 cents per body and 25 cents per fence.
October 31, 1881
“An interesting discovery was made on Saturday in the old RSC, where the work of digging up the dead is in progress. Two bodies were found to be petrified and in a natural state with the exception of the heads, which had crumbled into dust.”
November 03, 1881
January 11, 1882
October 26, 1882
Contract for removing 1400 bodes to the City Hospital in Grosse Pointe. Disinterred at 100 per day, being done under the direction of the Board of Public Works. Reinterred at City Hospital Grounds GP.
October 30, 1882
November 03, 1882 (Detroit News)
“Some coffins are very primitive. One was made of sidewalk planks. The remains of a very small body were found inside a soap box. The depth at which they’re buried varies greatly. Some are a foot and a half under the surface, others are 6-7 feet. Some bodies are missing (from coffins). Students having snatched them for dissecting purposes.”
February 14, 1883
“The remains of 1,357 bodies were removed from the Russell Street Cemetery to the City Cemetery Grounds at Grosse Pointe at an expense of $1,153.10”
May 30, 1883
September 04, 1887
August Stahlman (Grosse Pointe) farm 36 acres, 2 acres used for bodies from the Russell Street Cemetery, “several thousand skeletons removed from Russell Street Cemetery”.
June 15, 1898
“Laborers brought up a decayed coffin containing a skeleton while excavating for drainage pipes for the new Eastern Market on the old Russell Street Cemetery”.
June 14, 1902
Human bones are found while digging at the old Russell Street Cemetery grounds.
April 22, 1906 (Detroit News)
The city of Detroit owns 34-acre farm in Grosse Pointe. “The farm is rented by a tenant, August Schultz, who has occupied the property for 20 years. It was bought by the Detroit board of health October 18, 1872 to be used as a site for a pest house, or contagious disease hospital.”
June 30, 1910
October 06, 1950 (Detroit News)
“A page of Detroit’s past has been rudely opened by a gang of workmen who have uncovered an ancient cemetery while extending an electric cable pit along the Gunston playground between Harper and Conner avenues.”
May 23, 1967 (DFP page 3-A)
special thanks to Frank Castronova for sending this article over
November 19, 1978
Assorted Maps and Images
old Detroit cemeteries map (Detroit Free Press)
Map from Dr. Krepps 1984 report Land Use History of Conner Creek Cemetery (20WN383) Containing as Well Background Studies of Clinton Park and Russell Street Cemeteries in Detroit, Wayne County, Michigan. K.L. Krepps, 1984.
Map from Dr. Krepps 1984 report Land Use History of Conner Creek Cemetery (20WN383) Containing as Well Background Studies of Clinton Park and Russell Street Cemeteries in Detroit, Wayne County, Michigan. K.L. Krepps, 1984.
Map from Dr. Krepps 1984 report Land Use History of Conner Creek Cemetery (20WN383) Containing as Well Background Studies of Clinton Park and Russell Street Cemeteries in Detroit, Wayne County, Michigan. K.L. Krepps, 1984.
Map from Dr. Krepps 1984 report Land Use History of Conner Creek Cemetery (20WN383) Containing as Well Background Studies of Clinton Park and Russell Street Cemeteries in Detroit, Wayne County, Michigan. K.L. Krepps, 1984.
I’ve always loved Boston-Edison. This is a large residential Historic District in the geographic center of Detroit full of stately homes, wide boulevards, and old-fashioned streetlamps. Detroit author andDBusiness magazine editor RJ King moved to a beautiful three-story Colonial Revival here in 1994.
Sitting in RJ’s living room, we can hear the steam gently whooshing through the radiators. Soothing, it reminds of my Marpac Dohm sound machine, whose sonic white noise helps me sleep.
RJ is very welcoming, hospitable, and insightful. In terms of stories and hidden history, he has an eagle eye for tantalizing, overlooked, and underreported gems. A writing talent, RJ has penned over 6,000 articles at DBusiness and over 16 years for TheDetroit News. Prolific at home, RJ has written four books. Never one to lollygag or dawdle, he’s also a licensed real estate agent!
We’re here discussing his fabulous new book, “8 Track: The First Mobile App,” published by Folktellers and Written in Detroit.
RJ King, Detroit author of 8 Track the First Mobile App (photo by: Ryan M. Place)
When publicly released in October 1965 by Ford Motor Co., the 8 Track tape player completely revolutionized in-car audio and how music in general was experienced by consumers.
It offered, for the first time, a mobile music experience in an industry dominated by AM Radio and record players.
Since then, the 8 Track, which essentially offered “album” cartridges, served to bootstrap the introduction of cassettes, followed by compact discs, and now downloads. Today, the medium has been largely forgotten as a fun and useful device in the ‘60s and ‘70s.
The last major release on 8 Track was in 1988 with Fleetwood Mac’s “Greatest Hits.”
Lear Jet Stereo 8 (courtesy of Google Archives)
Sure, from 2009-2014 there was an 8 Track museum run by Bucks Burnett in Deep Ellum, Texas.
And don’t forget “Tracker Bob” Hiemenz. Bob owns the world’s largest 8 Track collection. Over 90,000 tapes and 700+ players are stored at his house in Quincy, Illinois. But for many people, especially those who postdate 8 Track mania, the true story is a quick trip back in life filled with nostalgia.
RJ’s new book is an incredibly detailed and well-researched story of Detroit and Ford Motor Co.’s pivotal role in the development and rollout of the 8 Track tape player.
Part hidden history, part business lesson, this is a story largely untold until now.
RJ King on His Book
8 Track book RJ King (photo by: Ryan M. Place
“My older brother Patrick emailed me a speech that my dad, John P. King, had written in 1975 to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the 8 Track tape player. Until reading that email, I had no idea my dad was intimately involved in the development of 8 Track back when he was a product engineer at Ford.”
“Fascinated, I searched for a period history of 8 Track, and there was nothing. So I started researching my dad’s involvement, assembling a chronology, reading Billboard magazines every week from 1964 to 1980, and doing interviews with my dad and other key people whom he introduced me to.”
“I worked on the book on weekends, typing it up on my iMac, and about a year and a half later had a final product.”
“This book details the leap from stationary music to mobile music. The 8 Track really was the first mobile music app. Prior to its creation, you could only listen to music live, on a record player, or on AM radio. What Ford and Motorola did, using Bill Lear’s design which they modified, is they built a combined AM Radio and 8 Track tape player and it completely revolutionized music and car audio.”
Lear Jet Stereo 8 (courtesy of Google Archives)
“All four of the STEM disciplines (science, technology, engineering, math) were used to invent, launch, and sustain 8 Track. It was a big leap from the mono world to the stereo world. The 8 Track was a physical music playback system that allowed you to listen to songs without being present with the band. It was the introduction of ‘music to go.’”
“My dad was hired by Ford in January 1965, and the 8 Track was ready to go by October 1965. It was a rush program, to be sure. After Ford came out with 8 Track, Chrysler, and then GM, Volkswagen, and American Motors offered 8 Track. It was successful because it was a group effort.”
“Motorola designed the players, Lear made the cartridges, RCA contributed the music, and Ford installed the players into 1966 model year vehicles.”
“Initially, none of the record companies would license their music to 8 Track. But Bill Lear knew David Sarnoff, chairman at RCA Records, and they licensed 175 albums.”
Motown 8-Track (courtesy of Google Archives)
“Then later, Motown Records in Detroit, licensed some of their catalog for it. And all the other record companies came on board, and by 1970 it was a $1 billion industry. Motown even let Lear’s team transfer the initial master record tracks from RCA to magnetic tape. Berry Gordy would sometimes come up and hang out on the third floor of Motown Records (which is a converted house on West Grand Blvd.), and the machine was only available after midnight.”
“What I want the reader to take-away is that forming a talented team and working together is key to the success of any project. You’ll also learn how vital it is to control your intellectual property, and how to launch a major industry from scratch, and take advantage of the good sales years and properly prepare for winding down the business, as 8 Track gave way to cassettes, and so on.”
RJ’s dad John P. King fills in the gaps
RJ calls his father on the phone. His dad, John P. King, is 85 years old. He grew up on Chicago’s west side on Jackson Boulevard near Garfield Park, until moving to Michigan in January 1965. He earned a master’s degree from the Illinois Institute of Technology, and he had magnetic tape background based on his early employment.
John started out as project engineer for the introduction of the 8 Track Tape Player, and wrote all the standards (and made sure everyone adhered to them).
He retired as Regional Manager of Asia Pacific and New Markets for Ford Customer Service Division in 1997, and today is active with FREE(Ford Retired Executive Engineers).
John says:
“The development of 8 Track was fast-tracked so we could make the 1966 model year. We all worked many extra hours to bring it to market in only nine months, which was unheard of.”
“Back then, I had what we called a ‘Sound-Off’ with Earl ‘Mad Man’ Muntz out at the Ford Assembly Plant (28801 South Wixom rd, Wixom, MI). Muntz acquired that nickname in Los Angeles when he had a used car business. He was the guy who invented the 4 Track tape player, and he had a flair for showmanship and self-promotion. He was trying to get all the automakers to go for his 4 Track.”
“The Sound-Off was held at the Ford Wixom Plant, where at that time they were building the Thunderbird and the Lincoln Continental. Well we had an audio test among a small group of Ford people and Muntz, and we pitted his 4 Track against our 8 Track tape player by doing a live demonstration.”
“I showed up with my 1963 Ford Fairlane wagon, but I had swapped out the factory speakers with six-by-nine-inch speakers front and rear, and I had installed a very new production 8 Track tape player. From there, it was obvious that the 8 Track sounded far better. What wasn’t obvious was that I had installed stereo speakers in my car.”
Ford Quadrasonic 8-Track (courtesy of Google Archives)
“One other funny story. Donald Frey, the guy who designed the Ford Mustang, lived near Pete Estes, who was vice president for General Motors. Don was the overall lead on 8 Track at Ford, and he asked if speakers could be mounted in the front grill of his car, and he wanted specially loud Motorola bullhorn speakers. The speakers were wired to Don’s 8 Track tape player in his car. At the time, Ford’s ad slogan was ‘Ford has a better idea.’ So every morning when he drove by Pete’s house, Don would blast that slogan with the music at full volume.”
“Later, in 1967, Don Frey had us do a sound comparison between the 8 Track Tape Player with the latest cassette tape. At that time, the fidelity of the 8 Track was superior. Another factor was you had to manually flip the cassette, where 8 Track was hands free. But eventually cassette won out as Lear, who owned the patents on 8 Track, sold them to Gates Rubber Co., and they failed to renew the patents in 1975. From there, the standards could not be maintained, and the industry started to introduce cheaper products.”
“A plus for cassette tapes was that it was much easier to record your own material. And the cassette was half the size of 8 Track. So we helped usher in cassettes, and then compact discs. When I retired from Ford in 1997, downloads were available, and you could see one day they would be readily available.”
Back to RJ.
RJ King Biography
RJ King (courtesy of DBusiness)
“I have 6 sisters, 2 brothers, and I’m in the middle! (laughs) I have 3 sisters and 1 brother older, and also 3 sisters and 1 brother younger.”
“I’m editor of DBusiness magazine. Prior to that I was working at The Detroit News starting in 1990. I was on the business staff until I ran into Gail Fisher (now Gotthelf) while volunteering at a charity event during Super Bowl week in February 2006.”
“Gail worked for Hour Media and said the two owners, John Balardo and Stefan Wanczyk, were looking to start a business magazine. I came onboard and that’s how DBusiness was born.”
DBusiness Magazine
“Hour Media is based in Troy, Michigan. As a parent company, they own around 160 magazines, including HourDetroit, DBusiness, Grand Rapids magazine, Grand Rapids Business Journal, and we have other magazines in Los Angeles, Sacramento, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Cincinnati, Atlanta, all throughout Florida, the Gulf Coast of Alabama, and more.”
“In general, I write one story per day forDBusiness Daily News and write about 7-10 stories per each issue of DBusiness magazine.”
“In terms of local restaurants, some favorites are Roman Village in Dearborn and also London Chop House and the Vertical Wine Bar, both in Detroit.”
Upcoming Developments
Detroit Engine of America-RJ King
“We just introduced an audiobook version of my other book, ‘Detroit: Engine of America,’ available on Audible.”
“And I have a fifth book coming out in March 2021 called “Grounds for Freedom.” It’s an unbelievable true story about Andrew Niemczyk, a local inventor who has developed amazing machines and new technologies. Check out his website at Exlterra. ”
*Most of this timeline was pieced together from information found in RJ’s book
Rarest 8-Track: SinatraJobim (courtesy of Google Archives)
1928-Motorola founded in Chicago. Bill Lear helped name the company.
1930-the Motorola car radio is invented
1935-RJ’s father John P. King born in Chicago
1948-Columbia Records introduces the LP
1949-RCA invents 45 RPM
1949-sales of the 1949 Ford help save the company’s fortunes
1952-endless loop tape cartridge invented
1954-George Eash invents the Fidelipac tape cartridge
September 12, 1955-Chrysler agrees to install Peter Goldmark’s in-car record player (Columbia Records) after the automaker’s team in Highland Park, MI tests the prototype by driving on the nearby Davison Freeway.
1956-58-the Highway Hi-Fi in-car record player is featured in some Chrysler vehicles. It uses special 7-inch records called ‘ultra-microgroove.’ It was a big flop.
1959-closed loop tape players are used at nearly every AM radio station
1960-used car dealer Earl “Madman” Muntz invents the 4 track tape player
1961-Michiganian Larry Spitters founds Memorex in Silicon Valley
1962-the audio cassette is developed by Philips in Hasselt, Belgium
1963-Bill Lear, owner of 110 patents, invents the Lear Jet to be introduced in 1966
October 1964-the 8-Track Stereophonic Tape Player is developed by Bill Lear and Richard Kraus at Lear Jet corporate HQ (Wichita, KS). Afterwards, they are built regularly at the Lear Jet Stereo-8 division (13131 Lyndon Ave, Detroit)
January 1965-John P. King moves to Dearborn to work for Ford
July 1965-Motorola begins production shipments of 8 Track tape players to Ford
October 3rd, 1965-8 Track tape players are released to the general public thanks to Lear’s friendship with Henry Ford II (grandson of big Henry). They are released in the form of an AM radio with integrated 8 track tape player installed inside Ford vehicles.
1965-80 = 8 track is popular
1966 = Ford sells over 125,000 8 track players as an option (available on six models)
Fall 1966-all Detroit automakers now offer 8-Track factory installation options
April 1967-Gates Rubber Co. acquires a controlling interest in Lear Jet
May 1967-Earl Muntz has his son Jim Muntz fly to Detroit and open Muntz CARtridge City (15278 Gratiot Ave, Detroit) to sell 4 track players and tapes
1969-Sinatrajobim 8 track tape (3,500 made but quickly recalled; only a handful not recalled). This is currently the rarest 8-Track, selling for upwards of $6,000
September 1969-production of 8 Track tapes ceases at Lear’s Detroit plant. They move production down to twin plants in Tucson, AZ and Nogales, Mexico.
December 1969-Lear’s company’s name is changed to the Gates Learjet Corp.
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