Michigan Civil War Blog

"We eat our history"

Finally caught up to the video of Richard Dreyfuss's a bit long-windedness at the CWPT event at the National Press Club, and it is well worth seeing. Take eleven and a half minutes and watch.

 2009 Annual Preservation Report

Fort Wayne update

I had no more than uploaded y'day's post when, in checking the daily papers, this detailed story appeared on the News frontpage:

Fort Wayne under siege

Volunteers fight years of neglect, lack of money to save historic Detroit site

Oralandar Brand-Williams

DETROIT -- Tom Berlucchi remembers the first time he visited Historic Fort Wayne. It was 1969: The buildings glistened with fresh paint, the grounds were perfectly manicured and the old star-shaped fort stood proud.

Today, it's a different story. Passers-by could be excused for deeming the 88-acre fort an abandoned eyesore.

But the 44-building campus remains a gem to Berlucchi -- a window into the nation and city's military past that has survived despite decades of neglect. He's made it his mission to reclaim the fort from ruin, putting in thousands of hours of sweat on restoration work.

"I remember Fort Wayne in its prime ... when it was gorgeous," said Berlucchi of Troy, as a saw hummed in the background.

Berlucchi, who is chairman of the Historic Fort Wayne Coalition and president of the Advisory Council for Historic Fort Wayne, and his group of 300 other volunteers, may offer the last hope of saving Fort Wayne. The city is expected to seek a tax in February to pay for improvements, but it could face a tough sell because of the economy and voters' memories of other, tax-subsidized plans to preserve the campus.

Just about every weekend, Berlucchi and a group of about 20 volunteers and their families come from as far away as Lapeer County to mow expansive lawns, fix plumbing and paint ancient window frames. They hope to return it to some semblance of its onetime glory. At worst, they're forestalling further blight at the complex along the Detroit River.

They say they do it for "love of country" and to save a huge piece of history that is barely hanging on. Grass peeks through the run-down roofs of infantry housing. The wood frame of the old white commanding officer's home is decaying. Nature threatens to claim even more of the famous fort on Jefferson near Livernois Street on the city's southwest side.

Funds don't cover costs

The fort exists on a $310,000 annual operating budget from the city's Department of Parks & Recreation, which oversees Historic Fort Wayne. That barely covers the $298,000 it costs to pay utilities and water, said Alicia Minter, deputy director of the department. The city is expected to seek $1 million from voters in February for more repairs at the fort as part of a multimillion-dollar bond proposal.

The cost of renovating the fort: about $50 million, according to a master plan approved by the Detroit City Council in 2003. The plan also calls for the fort to be used for family events such as picnics and family reunions.

The February tax is expected to be included in a $263 million bond request for capital projects to be spent over the next four to five years, for everything from $30 million for fire stations to $9 million for Belle Isle renovations. That tax is estimated to cost an owner of a $67,000 home $53 the first year and $31 a year for the remaining debt years.

At Historic Fort Wayne, the money would fix roofs on officers' quarters and repair the visitors' center.

Political observer Eric Foster, the director of political strategy for Urban Consulting Group, said the bond proposal faces a tough sell. And $1 million for Fort Wayne won't go far, he added.

"Given the general concerns of how the city is spending dollars there are a lot of questions on how the city is spending the money it receives," Foster said. "It's got a poor chance of passing."

"The city needs a strategic plan for Fort Wayne. Giving it a million dollars without a plan is like throwing a bucket of water on a raging fire."

Most plans unrealized

Officially, at least, the city has plenty of plans. Over the years, organizers have discussed holding concerts and other activities such as powwows on the grounds. Most have gone nowhere. A master plan calls for $35 million to $50 million in investments over the next five to 10 years, but its prospects could be murky because of the economy.

Councilwoman Sheila Cockrel said Fort Wayne's master plan must be re-evaluated because of the "depression" in Michigan and Detroit.

"Everything is up for review," Cockrel said.

Many Wayne County voters thought they were saving the fort in 1996 when they approved a tax that was supposed to send $4.75 million to Fort Wayne.

Some of that money went to parks elsewhere in the county, and Fort Wayne didn't see a dime until eight years later, when county and city officials approved $2 million to install heating and air conditioning systems.

Centuries of memories

The fort gets about 70,000 visitors a year, including Boy Scout troops and war re-enactors. The Tuskegee Airmen have a museum on the grounds of the fort that was built in the 1840s to protect the United States against an invasion that never came. Recommissioned as an infantry battalion, it served as an induction center for Michigan troops preparing for conflicts from the Civil War to Vietnam -- and housed prisoners of war from Italy during both world wars.

For thousands of Michigan armed forces members, the fort was one of the last places they saw families before heading off to war. The Army abandoned it in 1971, four years after it provided shelter during the city riots.

"Fort Wayne is a linchpin of the history of the city," said Ed Vitez, 61, a Brighton resident who volunteers as a docent at the fort for events such as Civil War Days and field trips.

"This is our heritage, our history. Shame on us if we don't save it."

Phillip Smith, the director of the Vietnam Veterans of America state council of Michigan said the fort holds a lot of memories for him and he hopes the preservation work of Berlucchi and others pays off.

"The museum is great. It should be restored," Smith said. "The whole Fort Wayne should be restored. It's long overdue."

Smith credited the late former Detroit Mayor Coleman A. Young, a Tuskegee Airmen, for doing what he could to keep the fort.

"The other mayors let it fall by the wayside," he said.

Minter said the city is committed to saving the historic fort and will make every effort to do so.

"Any of the properties we have are treated as a jewel," Minter said.

"We are trying to allocate for some improvements. They might not be viewed from the outside."

Berlucchi is also planning to petition the state to get a green and gold historical marker placed at Historic Fort Wayne.

"This is something the state of Michigan definitely needs to save," Berlucchi said.

Fortifying

A second in posts arising out of the Detroit News online library about Michigan/Detroit history.

In February 1999, the News ran a story about the tragic condition that had befallen one of Detroit's most historic sites. Built before the Civil War, a mustering station and training facility during that War, Fort Wayne served as a key component in Michigan's participation to help save the Union. You would have never known it so in '99: News.

But...

I recently enjoyed learning much more about a group named the Historic Fort Wayne Coalition: HFWC. It got started just a year or so after the News story, when an individual who is now a key Coalition member went by to see the Fort that he had enjoyed visiting so much as a youth with his family. Reaction? Sobbed all the way home during his drive back. Yet, instead of just accepting the grim reality of a place no one seemed to care about, he decided to do something. Starting with a handful of like-minded crazies, with roots in the reenactor community, the Coalition has grown to some 300 members and just held its election for 2009 officers, showing its continuing vitality.

A visit to the Fort these days still reveals a lot of issues. It also inspires. The enlisted men's barracks inside the starfort has seen a lot of improvement, as have several outbuildings. The place is pretty tidy; it's not overgrown or looking like it's lost to nature, like it did in 2001.

The Coalition has some great ideas and plans. As we approach the Sesquicentennial, one can hope that, by the time 2011 rolls around, the Fort will be an even more hospitable place for visitors/tourists/students of history. The place, after all, is absolutely priceless.

A Grand story

On Veterans' Day, one of the local papers featured a story on Michigan's lost unit in WW1. Made me stumble across other articles the paper had done over many years of a similar nature. Meaning, the Detroit News for a long time has done features on historical events that might otherwise have been forgotten.

Most interesting in these articles was a piece on the Grand Army of the Republic, published originally over a decade ago. Thanks to the web, it is still available: Detroit News. Includes photos and a reference to the property Lewis Cass once owned on which the Detroit GAR building was erected. That structure still stands. Unfortunately, it's in the same condition today as in the article.

But, if the Book Cadillac can come back from the grave...if Campus Martius can be restored to a greater grandeur...perhaps other downtown Detroit heritage sites will... 

Grant house needs TLC

You be the judge of whether the description is accurate.

           

Perhaps, though, a brighter future will be on the way, someday ...

Inside the Grant House

Few people are privileged to peer inside this historic home in Detroit. Tours used to be a regular thing during the State Fair, according to publications of the day. When I called last month, though, the staff said it would not be open. Thankfully, the Detroit Historical Society had a 'behind the scenes' tour of the grounds Saturday, which included a tour of the home.

Here is what greets you in the front entry hall: Here're stairs to the upper floor: Here is a period sofa:   Living room fireplace: Master bedroom: Upstairs landing:  

You've toured the interior -- best of, anyway -- so we'll go outside again tomorrow for some exterior shots.

Grant's home

A little known fact in Michigan is that Ulysses S. Grant, victorious Civil War general, was once an inhabitant of the Great Lake State. While in the US Army, in April 1849 "I was ordered to Detroit, Michigan, where two years were spent with but few important incidents." Memoirs, p. 193.

Grant didn't count himself a true resident because, as the Memoirs say, "I did not wish to consider myself a citizen of Michigan." This turn of phrase might indicate unhappiness. Not so: he spent the time in a house quite nice for its day, and one that he must have been particularly fond of -- he had been married on August 22, 1848, and brought his new bride here for their first extended time together. Their first child, Fred, was born on May 30, 1850. You do the math.

The Grant house was located at 253 (later 1369) East Fort Street (location now gone). In the 1950's it was moved to the Michigan State Fairgrounds to save it from urban renewal. It remains there today.

The Fairgrounds are open on a regular basis for those having specific business onsite. During the State Fair, in the week before Labor Day, the grounds are open, and the house can be seen. The outside, that is: the interior is off limits: The signs commemorating Grant's stay, and his role in saving the Union, remain out front:    

"Savior of his country," one reads. Such a description explains why it was vital to prevent the destruction of this historic structure a half-century ago.

Tomorrow, the beginning of the rest of the story (hint: notice the open door above).

Imagining Fort Wayne...

A couple days ago was promised here some commentary on how Michigan has preserved Fort Wayne.

First, let's look at a comparable fort, Henry, in Ontario. Built in the same era, it also saw no combat. Has that stopped Canadians from doing a world-class job of bringing it back from the dead? From its website: "The fort was abandoned by the British Army in 1870, and was garrisoned by Canadian troops until 1891. The fort subsequently fell into disrepair until 1936. When the restoration began, Fort Henry was little more than a pile of rubble after years of neglect." So, another parallel, maybe worse. But you won't see much physical comparability now: http://www.parks.on.ca/fort/home.htm

World-class. That phrase has been used in my presence a number of times over the past year in conjunction with things historical, and I like it, a lot. It conveys a stretch objective, usually unattainable, but in trying for the stars don't we often reach farther and achieve more than we otherwise would? So, why not look at Fort Wayne in the light of what dreams can yield? Let's go look at the Fort Wayne website ... http://www.savefortwayne.org/ There's quite a difference from the Canadian exemplar, n'est pas?

We could simply say, let's let a hearty and devoted band of volunteers continue laboring away on our behalf and that of future Michiganders, with piddling support, fighting the good fight; let's hope they can continue to make progress against a rust that never sleeps, resulting in a pic that encapsulates it all:

Or we could do more.

But why bother to bring it back? Isn't it a colossal waste of good money? What do the Canadians say? "Fort Henry became, and continues to be, a major tourist attraction." Would we really want to restore, on a level comparable to Fort Henry ONT, this historic Michigan site that began with the first Michiganders, saw major construction after the War of 1812, saw service through the Civil War, became a military base and induction center through two world wars, and now houses a museum honoring the Tuskegee airmen?

Oh, right. Almost forgot to show the Native American cemetery--don't fret, it's in there somewhere: 

We could do more. Michigan, we can do better.

Fort Wayne update

Coincidental (?) with my providing an update on the situation at this Civil War-era installation comes this blurb in today's Detroit papers:

This coming Saturday and Sunday, from 9 am to 5 pm, the Fort will be open to the public for "Civil War Days." Visitors will see battle reenactments both days at 2 pm. At other times, if last year is any indication, there will be opportunities to tour the fort and grounds and visit with reenactors. Admission is free; parking is $5 per vehicle. More information can be found at: www.historicfortwaynecoalition.com

Three-fourths of our family attended last year, and it was well worth it. This pic gives a good sense of the condition of the site (note the renovated walls and unrenovated dormers, symbolizing the good and the not so good):

Here's my favorite pic:

Historic Fort Wayne

Mannie inquires as to the current state of this site. Here's what I know.

The fort is a mixed story. The casemate is in good condition; it should be, made of masonry. On the walls, when I was last there, weeds grow. Inside the fort, thanks to the proceeds of bond money from Wayne County and the dedication of a group of volunteers, the enlisted men's barracks has been significantly restored. Tours are conducted of that structure to show living conditions (eg, bunks in the sleeping room). Thanks to these volunteers, much of the grounds of the site are periodically worked on. There are summer weekend opportunities for touring, and a Civil War weekend is the highlight. Since the fort property includes a number of wooden structures outside the parapet, and there haven't been funds available to maintain them, a number are seriously deteriorated. Several recently had to be demolished due to safety concerns.

Money is a big issue. The site is managed by the City of Detroit Recreation Dep't, which has suffered serious cut-backs in recent times. The Detroit Historical Society stores artifacts there, but it also is far from flush with cash. The federal government used to have an ownership stake, but I'm informed this is no longer the case. Also onsite is the Tuskegee Airmen's Museum, which is housed in what its supporters state are temporary quarters. Between the fort and the river is a large field, used for recreation activities. Fishing is also permitted nearby on the west. On the east, a federal installation takes up much of the ground between the eastern edge of the fort proper and the river. The neighborhood is marked by urban blight.

There are other issues. Perhaps we'll talk about those someday.

Up north, three historic forts are in very good condition. On the Keweenaw Peninsula is Fort Wilkins; on Mackinac Island is Fort Mackinac; across the straits is Fort Michilimackinac. There is a fourth fort in Michigan, one with just as much, if not more, history than these other three. Michigan's Civil War soldiers trained here; the 'greatest generation' were inducted here; the site is holy ground, with the footfalls of those who embarked upon service of their country here still audible, if you listen closely, through the broken pavement lanes, the tall trees, the sturdy casemate, the historic buildings. The immense heritage of Fort Wayne still remains. How much longer? Will it ever be restored? Can it? Only a great Providence knows.

I think it remains for us, the living, to be dedicated here to that unfinished work..