Michigan

Once considered the most famous African-American resort community in the country, Idlewild was referred to as the Black Eden of Michigan in the 1920s and '30s, and as the Summer Apollo of Michigan in the 1950s and '60s.

Showcasing classy revues and interactive performances of some of the leading black entertainers of the period, Idlewild was an oasis in the shadows of legal segregation. Idlewild: Black Eden of Michigan focuses on this illustrative history, as well as the decline and the community's contemporary renaissance, in over 200 rare photographs. The lively legacy of Lela G. and Herman O. Wilson, and Paradise Path is included, featuring images of the Paradise Club and Wilson's Grocery. Idlewild continued its role as a distinctive American resort throughout the 1950s, with photographs ranging from Phil Giles' Flamingo Club and Arthur Braggs's Idlewild Revue.

Henry Ford innovated the American automobile and the assembly line, but few know that Ford also applied his ingenuity to creating his ideal of a modern hotel. That vision, combined with a touch of grandeur, became the Dearborn Inn. Designed by noted architect Albert Kahn, with meticulous oversight by Henry Ford and his son Edsel, the inn opened in 1931 in Dearborn, Michigan. The famous landmark, with the charming appointments of a New England inn, originally accommodated pilots and passengers from the Ford Airport as well as visitors to Dearborn. Designated as both a national and Michigan state historic site, the Georgian-style Dearborn Inn includes five historic cottages replicating homes of famous Americans. As renovations have brought updates to the facility, great care has been taken to preserve the original character and integrity Ford envisioned. Follow the exciting journey from vacant land to airport hotel to world-class inn that still offers today's visitors charming and hospitable lodgings as well as outstanding, memorable meals.

Over the centuries, residents of Michiana have never wanted for superb dining choices.

Once a stagecoach stop, The Old Tavern Inn has been open since the time of President Andrew Jackson. Tosi's is known for its gorgeous starlit garden and gastronomic traditions stretching back almost a century, and The Volcano was amongst the first pizzerias in the country. These restaurants and other classic eateries remain part of the thriving local food scene. But the doors of others have long been closed. Some like Mead's Chicken Nook and Robertson's Tea Room linger in memories while The Owl Saloon, O. A. Clark's Lunch Rooms, and Lobster Lounge are long lost to time.

Award-winning author Jane Simon Ammeson leads a culinary road trip through Northern Indiana and Southwestern Michigan.

During the first three decades of the 20th century, Detroit's Washington Boulevard was transformed from a minor backstreet into a major commercial and social center. Three brothers named Book dreamed that Washington Boulevard would become "the Fifth Avenue of the Midwest." It was through their efforts, as well as those of businessmen like E.M. Statler, that the dream became a reality. The two fundamental developments that anchored this dream were the massive Statler and Book-Cadillac Hotels.

Between the 1920s and 1960s, Detroit's finest hotels fiercely competed with one another for the lion's share of tourist, convention, business, and dining traffic. This book serves as a comparative study of the Book-Cadillac and Statler Hotels of Detroit, and their impact on the development of Washington Boulevard. Here you will find the story of these two legendary institutions, illustrated with over 180 photographs from the Burton Historical Collection, Manning Brothers, the Walter Reuther Library, and private collections.