I recently reconnected with a neighbor of mine, and discovered that Detroit, Michigan was her hometown, also. My family had left in 1962, while she left more recently. I was pleased to hear that some of the areas in Detroit are built back up. It had taken such a dive after the US auto industry crashed and burned. The riots and what became known as Devil’s Night (Halloween — in which roving gangs ran through Detroit, burning houses and other buildings down.) added immensely to Detroit’s fall into ruin.
This picture was gifted to me by a brave soul who traversed into my old neighborhood in 2010 as a favor to me. Our house had been declared a historical landmark a few years after we moved. The people who lived in it in 2010 did their best to keep up the house. I have many fond memories living in Detroit, as a child. This old house had some of the best places to hide from my brother or to hide away to read a book.
One of my fondest memories were of all the times we went boating on the Detroit River and spent time on Belle Island.
Even though I have many fond memories of growing up in Detroit, Michigan, I know that I would not want to move back there, or even go back to visit my old neighborhoods. The changes are far too drastic and I would be heartbroken to see my old haunting grounds in such disarray.
Posted for the A2Z Challenge with some inspiration from Linda G. Hill’s Stream of Consciousness Saturday.
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