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Thinking ahead: Widening the circle

In our quest to revive the community around Fletcher Field, we are always looking to bring more people into our circle of friends, to find as many of the disparate parts of this community as still exist and bring them together to help in rebuilding it.

Listed below are three places in Happy's old neighborhood that we want to learn more about: Exodus Missionary Baptist Church, Community Pilgrim Missionary Baptist Church, and a second neighborhood park.

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Exodus Missionary Baptist Church

Exodus Missionary Baptist Church is a beautiful old brick building on the northwest corner of Castle and Kenney.

I have been by this church a couple of times and have never seen anyone there, but it seems to be well-kept, and one of the people I asked whether they still hold services said yes. When I called a number for it I found on the Internet, I got a recording and left a message, so we'll see what we get.

The sign in front of the church says Dr. J. J. Perry is the church's pastor, Sunday school is at 10 am, morning worship starts at 11:15, and there is a bible class held every Wednesday at 7 pm. I am not sure how up-to-date that is, but it at least looks like the sign, and the rest of the building, are being kept up pretty well.

Community Pilgrim Missionary Baptist Church

Community Pilgrim Missionary Baptist Church is on the northwest corner of French and Montlieu, across from City Airport.

In looking back through the archives at the News, in the 1980s this building used to be a Catholic church that offered a French-language mass, and it is just north of a building that used to house an auto parts supplier. I am digging through clips on the parish that was here in the mid-80s, but would like to try to piece together more of the building's history and learn more about the congregation worshiping there now (Edith told me that this church used to have events at Fletcher Field).

The park on the southeast corner of Montlieu and Gilbo.

Finally, there is another park in the neighborhood that we're curious about, on the southeast corner of Montlieu and Gilbo.

This park is actually in better shape than Fletcher Field was when we started working on it. It has swings (though the kids seem to be taking out their pent-up desire to wrap them around the top of the swing sets here, since we won't let them do it at Fletcher Field), a slide, two sets of monkey bars and a jungle gym. There is a basketball backboard on a pole in the middle of a grass field. There are also some benches in different states of disrepair. I even found a big rusty rake sitting prongs up in the grass, just waiting for a kid to step on it and vault the lead pipe inserted in place of its original wood handle up into the air.

Here are some closer pictures of these buildings.

If anyone knows anything about the current residents of these churches, or remembers anything about who worshiped in them or used them in the past, please let us know, and if you played in that park as a kid and might remember if it has a name or anything else special or notable about it, let us know that, too.

Comments, Pingbacks:

Comment from: diane72153 [Member]

Community Pilgrim Missionary Baptist Church before it was the "French Church" as my siblings and I called it, was a Baptist Church. That was probably in the late 60's. One of my best friend's lived 3 doors down from us on Wisner and her family (who moved to the neighborhood from Tennessee) attended that Church and I would go with her on occasion. I don't know what the exect name of the Church was, just that it was Baptist.

Permalink 04/03/08 @ 22:37

Comment from: bishop [Member]

I can put you in touch with both pastors

Permalink 04/03/08 @ 23:00

Comment from: patti d4 [Member]

Gosh, I lived in the neighborhood till I was 18 years old and don't remember a park on the corner of Gilbo and Montlieu. I used to walk down Gilbo to Lyford all the time and for the life of me don't remember a park there. I only know of 3 parks and they were Fletcher, Dubay and Lyford. I left in 72 so maybe that park came after. I work with a girl who grew up on Wisner and left the area about 7 months ago, I will ask if she knows anything about the park. The only thing I know about the "French Church" is that is was called St. Joachums (not sure about the spelling), and in the summer you found most of the Holy Namers at that church because it had central air, didn't understand a word of his Mass, but by God we were cool. Fr. LeBreque was pastor at the time. He spoke fluent french, but was polish by birth. Anyway, I am looking forward to getting started on our Fletcher Field come May 17th. For someone who did not grow up in our area, Thank You for caring so much about it.

Patti Kensicki

Permalink 04/03/08 @ 23:22

Comment from: sielofftripp [Member]

Exodus Missionary Baptist Church was Hope Reform Church. It was Dutch Reform. My grandparents attended there after a falling out with Olivet Lutheran (Van Dyke & Lantz). This was probably 1961 or 1962 thru 1970 or so. When we moved in 73, it was still Hope Reform.
Most notably though, the swimmobile used to park in front of it! :)

Kim Sieloff Tripp

Permalink 04/03/08 @ 23:39

Comment from: spirit -jim tomczyk [Member]

Diane72153
I remember when they built the church, it started its life as a catholic church, Saint Jowokum (Spelling I am sure is wrong) It was a french Catholic Church; I attended mass there several times. The park on Gilbo & Montlieu was not always there. It was not there before 1973. I do not remember the name of the manufacturing shop across from the church, but the manufactured machined metal parts. It was a very busy plant filled with all kinds of metal working machines. As a kid I used to go up to the shop and in the alley they had a large scrap container. Most of the scrap were metal shavings but you could find chunks of metal (steel, brass, & Aluminum).

The Exodus Missionary Baptist Church on the corner of Castle & Kenney has been there as far back as I can remember, I was born in 1953. It was a place that we could just sit on the steps and hang out or wait for friends. I was only in the church once a LOOOOONG time ago. Kitty corner was a store, Reds. It was like many other little stores in the neighborhood that was before the large supermarkets. The two larger groceries that I remember were the one on Van Dyke & Grinnell, and of course Tony B’s on Van Dyke & Kenny. Most of the kids that I hung out with worked there at one point or another. Conrad Maker turned out to be an apprentice of Tony and worked there for quite a while. Their was a lady that was like second in charge of the store, she did the scheduling, hiring, and the books. I do not remember her name.

Jim T

Permalink 04/04/08 @ 00:28

Comment from: dennisdj [Member]

THE CHURCH ON FRENCH ROAD WAS ST JOCOME CATHOLIC CHURCH
I REMEMBER WHEN THEY BUILT IT, BUT WE NEVER ATTENDED MASS, WE STAYED AT HOLY NAME
THE ONLY PARKS WE PLAYED AT WERE FLETCHER FIELD & THE PARK ON DUBAY, USED TO PAINT CERAMICS THERE, ALSO WENT TO LEMPKE ON VAN DYKE & USE THE POOL
DONNA S

Permalink 04/04/08 @ 06:04

Comment from: dennisdj [Member]

GREG MACDONALD

TALKED WITH MY COUSIN STEVE FURMAN
HE WANTED ME TO TELL YOU HE GETS TOGETHER WITH
LOUIS BIANCHI ONCE IN AWHILE & WOULD LIKE TO CONTACT YOU OR YOU CONTACT HIM
DONNA S. CLASS 68

Permalink 04/04/08 @ 06:19

Comment from: 6/hoover [Member]

The correct spelling is St. Joachim.

Permalink 04/04/08 @ 08:47

Comment from: linda g. (courtney) [Member]

After I graduated from high school, I started attending the English mass at St. Joachim every Saturday and I got married there in June of 1975. The priest who married us was, I believe, Fr. Anton Cliche. He was there for several years before '75 and he baptized my daughter in March of 1981. When we drove around the neighborhood last Sunday, we took photos of the church and it looks in good condition. I was surprised to see the park on Gilbo & Montlieu - it definitely was not there in the 60's or early 70's. We also noticed a purple cinderblock building on Dubay between Gilbo & French Road. I lived across the street from there and do not remember that building. The people next to the Gusek's had an extra lot and I believe that building is on that lot. Does anybody remember when it was built or what it was used for?

Permalink 04/04/08 @ 10:39

Comment from: pld4mi [Member]

Linda you are right about the priest, I don't know where I got LeBreque from. Thank you for correcting us all on the spelling.

Permalink 04/04/08 @ 13:00

Comment from: david klemmer [Member]

Thank you, member 6/hoover, for correcting the spelling of St. Joachim Church on French Road; you beat me to the punch!.

For those who may be interested in a little bit of Catholic Church history, St. Joachim was married to St. Anne and both, Sts. Joachim and Anne, were the parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of Jesus; therefore, St. Joachim was the maternal grandfather of Jesus Christ.

As for what used to be St. Joachim Catholic Church, St. Joachim was closed in first round of Church closings as spearheaded by Cardinal Edmond Szoka in June of 1989 (about one year earlier than the closing of Holy Name). Like Holy Name Church in 1990, St. Joachim Church, too, was struggling to survive when it closed in 1989.

Permalink 04/04/08 @ 14:59

Comment from: zona de surf [Member]

The "park" near Montlieu and Gilbo, to my knowledge, was not erected by the City of Detroit, though I may be wrong. Where the park now stands was once lined with houses and it was put up long before Mr. Happy embarked on his heroic endeavors.

I have no prior knowledge of the existence of this park. Through my travels through this area a few weeks back, I am proposing a theory that it was erected by a valiant guerilla and defiant effort by neighbors using salvaged or "liberated" equipment obtained from the wastelands of Detroit. Similiar play areas have sprouted up in other parts of Detroit with no help from the city. I am basing this assumption, in so much, as neighbors would tend to such a park whereas the City would neglect such an area, considering it's location, as it has so often done in other areas of the City, with Fletcher field being a prime example.

Please shoot me down if I am wrong and PLEASE POST if you have further knowledge, since I am merely making an assumption based on personal observation.

When the population exodus from Detroit occured, historic artifacts and architectural details such as stained glass, leaded glass, corner stones, masonary and wood embellishments, etc. also left either legally or illegally.

I have restored my slum cabin with 110 yr. old brick pavers and various woodwork salvaged from old buildings and streets around Elmwood Cemetery when new construction was began and old dwellings demolished to make way for the new.

This is why the "park" near Montlieu and Gilbo intrigues me.

Hamtramck Indiana Jones
Robert T. Zona
Class of '65

Permalink 04/04/08 @ 18:50

Comment from: My Hometown_Your Hometown [Member]

The park near Montlieu and Gilbo is definitely a "after market, generic fake".
Serial numbers filled off the play items.
I imagine that it wants to be just like the original Fletcher ,but cant.

Permalink 04/04/08 @ 19:43

Comment from: michael of nuernberg [Member]

One of the earlier mentioned architectural gems of the old neighborhood, the former Flis house, is indeed, according to Ms former Flis, still standing. Next Tuesday morn, after business in Hamtown with aged mother, will perhaps stop at the "Indy" habitat for further discussion.

Permalink 04/04/08 @ 19:53

Comment from: Michael Happy [Member]

There was a park, if memory serves me correct, on the corner of Dubay and Gilbo. I wonder if the city moved that park to the corner of Montlieu and Gilbo.

Permalink 04/05/08 @ 00:41

Comment from: jsara18 [Member]

Park on Dubay was closer to Lynch. Played ball there, sun-up to sundown, during the summer. Drove by what was left of it after the school/gym tour Sunday. Rusted out fenceposts are all that remain (surprised those were even there).

Permalink 04/05/08 @ 15:41

Comment from: zona de surf [Member]

Michael of Nuernberg,

Rejoice and Be Glad,
For the Springtime Has Come.
We Can Throw Down Our Shovels,
And Go On the Bum.

All Systems go for Tuesday the 8th. See you at the Rat Crib. Lots to discuss about the HNS Reunion Observations and Flis house info. Next Tuesday the 15th, I'll probably begin my Spring Planting,God willing, and if the creek don't rise.

RTZ

Permalink 04/05/08 @ 18:29

Comment from: greg macdonald [Member]

R.T Zona,
I noticed that park also as we drove to see if 1 of the 2 houses I lived in were still there(the one on Elgin is But the one on Kenney is gone). I thought there was going to be a traffic jam there Sunday after the services. The 4 of Us Family members that came drove throughout the entire area of the neighbor hood.Even when we lived there I don't remember as much traffic going thru there even when the homes in the area were still there LOL .I know that park was never there before,we moved out in 75 and it wasn't there then.

Permalink 04/05/08 @ 20:19