Recognize this? Look around and you may find this clue to the Hamtramck Historical Museum's upcoming scavenger hunt.
Join the Hunt
April 30 11:00am - May 3 4:00pm
Entry fee is $20 for a team of 1-4 people Pay at the Museum or online - anytime including day of. Pickup the clue packet any day that weekend Search the city for answers at your leisure! (Hunt should take 2-3 hours)
Get out of the house and have some fun!
For more information call
313-262-6571
From the Executive Director
Following tracks to the past
Every so often I like to get in my car and go exploring. I have lived in Hamtramck my entire life but I find there are still places in the area I never knew existed. Many of these are in the neighboring area of Detroit that once was a part of Hamtramck Township.
One of my recent drives took me down Clay Street. This now turns into St. Aubin Street at the far south end of Hamtramck by the Russell Industrial Center. But at one time Clay Street ran all the way to Jos. Campau - and it was one of the most notorious streets in Hamtramck. This is where Paddy McGraw's infamous brothel stood alongside the railroad tracks during Prohibition. Paddy McGraw's was known across the Midwest for its bawdy character and characters. It was torn down to make way for the GM factory, and had been long abandoned by that time. But just yards away from where Paddy McGraw's stood is Edgar's Sugar House, which is still standing. A sugar house was a place that provided sugar for home brewing of alcohol during Prohibition. That was legal, but how much may have been steered to the glut of speakeasies and illegal stills that operated in Hamtramck then is impossible to know. And maybe none of it came from Edgar's Sugar House, but we know that it did operate at that time. We can imagine much but we can actually see the classic old building with its faded name painted on its side.
Making such real contact with the past helps make it more meaningful. That is one of the things we try to do at the Hamtramck Historical Museum. It's part of what we call interpretation. It is vital to our mission to preserve Hamtramck's past.
That's not exactly why are sponsoring the upcoming Hamtramck Scavenger Hunt, as you have read above. That's more for fun than anything, but in the process it will help participants become more aware of Hamtramck's past using objects they can see for themselves.
So don't forget to sign up. You may be amazed at some of the historical wonders that are still around us.
Greg Kowalski
Executive director
Works still in progress
Despite the limitations imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic, the Hamtramck Historical Museum continues to make progress in a number of areas. Here are some examples:
2022 will mark the 100th anniversary of the formation of the City of Hamtramck. Prior to that it had been a village and township. Plans are being proposed now for the big celebration in the post-pandemic time.
The museum is in the process of helping draft a history and art curriculum to be implemented in the Hamtramck Public Schools. This will be a groundbreaking step forward for the schools and the museum.
Work continues of the reorganization of the museum archives. The museum has acquired PastPerfect, the computer program that is standard for archival organization in museums. It will greatly help with sorting and tracking the museum's collection of items.
Remember Cunningham's?
Follow us on Facebook
Everyday the Hamtramck Historical Museum publishes a different historical photo on Facebook. We have presented over 300 photo so far. Some give insight into Hamtramck's history. Other are purely nostalgic. All are interesting.
Please consider donating by mail or on our website.
We have thousands of photos in our archives and we want to continue sharing them with you.
Photo by Tom Cervenak
Wayne State University professor Krysta Ryzewski is interviewed by Joe Kochut and Greg Kowalski for the museum's Now and Then podcast.
Tune in to 'Now and Then'
For some interesting insight into the history of Hamtramck tune in to the museumHamtramck Now and Then podcast program. It's available through Podcast Detroit, Facebook and a variety of podcast apps.
The program schedule is updated each Thursday. Many programs feature guests discussing a wide variety of aspects of Hamtramck's history.
A look back at the law.
What's new
Our thanks go to the Detroit Historical Society for donating a set of wonderful Hamtramck Township documents. These date from the 1880s and 1890s, and are all legal in nature, including summonses, complaints and police reports, such as this one regarding some stolen chickens. Township documents are relatively rare and of special importance to us. We really appreciate this donation. Come see some on display at the museum.
Be a Friend
In order for the Hamtramck Historical Museum to thrive and be sustainable for the future, we need your support. One of the best ways to do that is to become a Friend of Historical Hamtramck.
There are a variety of Friends' membership levels, and it's easy to join. Membership information can be found on the Museum website, www.hamtramckhistory.org.
If you are not a member, please become one, and tell all your friends about how they can become our Friends. We have made tremendous progress in the past few years as we have renovated the Museum building and expanded our outreach programs, but much remains to be done.
