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Our Flag

Detroit’s seldom-seen official flag seems to have gained more traction recently. Once almost completely relegated to government buildings, it now can be spotted on stickers, draped on the backs of attendees at outdoor festivals, and in miniature form at the Detroit Historical Museum gift shop. This gradual warming toward the flag mirrors its history. Detroit was without a flag for 206 years, and after David Emil Heineman finally remedied this in 1907, it took the city another forty-one years to adopt it officially.

"Hello, My Baby!"

First, watch this amazing video. Did you notice that the setting for the 1958 student film is none other than our own Streets of Old Detroit exhibit at the Detroit Historical Museum?

Up, Up and Away

The Piccard Gondola.

 

A Great Detroiter: Thomas E. Clark (1868-1962)

Who was called the “Wireless Wizard” by the Port Huron Sunday news in 1909? Who worked with Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, and Charles Steinmetz, and was an informal student of Nikola Tesla? Who was the consulting engineer when one of the first commercial broadcast stations (WWJ) came on the air? Who was the first to equip steamships on the Great Lakes with wireless and place stations at strategic locations on shore to communicate with them? Why, it must be Thomas E.

You Are Being Watched

Control Center in the 1960s.

 

Brain Teasing Buildings

1957, ornate cornice of the Michigan Consolidated Gas Co. Building in the background.

 

"There’s a Museum in your future"

Now that you have learned about the construction of the Detroit Historical Museum, have you wondered what was there prior to our building? Well . . . it was a billboard, but at least it was an interesting billboard.

The Model Museum

You may notice this model looks familiar. It is, of course, the Detroit Historical Museum. But if you have been to the museum, you’ll notice that this model is not quite the same as today’s museum. This model represents the original vision for the site, which extended along W. Kirby Street all the way from Woodward Avenue to Cass Avenue.

The Other Half of the Story

Mayor Jerome Cavanagh receives Stanley S. Kresge’s pledge.

 

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