Detroit, MI
   
Frederick Douglass-John Brown Meeting Marker
Abolitionists Frederick Douglass and John Brown met with several Detroit residents at this site on March 12, 1859, to discuss methods for ending slavery in America; while Douglass sought an end to slavery through political means, Brown believed revolution was the way to end the system; 8 months later, Brown would die for his beliefs after the famed Harper’s Ferry Raid in West Virginia

Congress and St. Antoine

Underground Railroad Station Marker
Site of a barn built in 1846 by Seymour Finney, a station superintendent; ample hiding space in the barn assisted hundreds of people at several crossing points along Jefferson and across the Detroit River to freedom in Canada

intersection of Griswald and State Streets

Nation of Islam Founding Mosque
In 1930, W. Fard Muhammad appeared in Detroit and founded the Nation of Islam, with this site as the first mosque; in 1931, Elijah Poole met Fard here, replaced his slave with Muhammad and was trained by Fard; in 1934, after severe police harassment, Fard mysteriously departed; Elijah Muhammad to continue building the Nation of Islam at this site until he moved the main mosque to Chicago; the NOI’s Detroit mosque #1 has since moved to two other locations

11525 Linwood Ave

Ambassador Bridge and Detroit-Windsor Tunnel
Built in 1929, it spans the Detroit River, connecting Detroit with Windsor, Canada; the bridge is North America’s #1 international border crossing and the longest suspension bridge in the world; Canadian approaches to the bridge were designed by African American Cornelius Langston Henderson, Sr.; Henderson is also credited with supervising construction of the steel tubes that enclose the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel (opened 1930) the only vehicular international underwater border crossing in the world; almost a mile long and only 75 feet below the surface of the Detroit River, the tunnel has been recognized as one of the great engineering wonders of the world; both residents of Detroit and Windsor and visitors to the area use the tunnel via car or Tunnel bus to enjoy all that both cities have to offer

Breitmeyer-Tobin Building
This Beaux Arts-style building became the center of black professional activity in 1936 when the owner, Metropolitan Life Insurance, allowed African American patrons into this building to make insurance payments; soon afterwards African American doctors, lawyers, judges, public officials, and officers of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters leased office space; it remained vibrant until desegregation in the 1960s began the exodus to Detroit suburbs

1308 Broadway Street

First Independence National Bank
Founded in 1970; the largest African American owned bank in Michigan; Chairman Donald Davis

44 Michigan Ave at Griswald

313-256-8400

20 Grand Lounge Historic Site
When Motown perfected their stage acts before touring, this was the spot to see the Temptations, Supremes, Four Tops, Marvelettes, Smoky, Marvin and the others up close; one can easily imagine the line of luxury cars depositing guests at the lounge on those nights; unfortunately, a fire destroyed most of the nightclub property; it reopened as the New 20 Grand Motel, sans nightclub

2100 West Warren

Orchestra Hall
Built in 1919 and once known as the Paradise Theatre, it was recognized as a peer to Chicago’s Regal Theater, New York’s Apollo Theater, Philadelphia’s Uptown Theater, Washington’s Howard Theatre and Baltimore’s Royal Theater; the Paradise drew folks from all over to hear a bevy of some of the greatest Jazz performers of the day like Nat King Cole, Lionel Hampton, Duke Ellington, Billie Holiday, Count Basie and numerous others; The theater remained in the Jazz forefront from 1941 through 1951, when it succumbed to the decline of the popularity of Jazz music; the new Hall stands today as a reminder of those glory years, and is a great place to enjoy frequent tributes to The Duke and many other venerable Jazz composers; for many years it was home of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra

3663 Woodward Ave

313-833-3362

Dunbar Memorial Hospital
Founded in 1918, by a group of African American physicians in 1918, it was the first hospital to serve Detroit’s African American community; this building also served as the city’s first black nursing school; in 1928, the hospital moved to a larger facility at Brush and Illinois; that same year, Michigan’s first African American state senator, Charles Diggs, Sr., moved into the home with his family; Diggs’ son, Charles, Jr. would go on to become Michigan’s first African American member of the U.S. Congress; listed on the National Registry of Historical Places and open for free tours

580 Frederick Street

Dr Ossian Sweet Residence
In 1925 Dr Sweet, a prominent physician and graduate of Howard University Medical School, purchased this two story brick house; a mob of whites attacked his home in an effort to prevent integration of the neighborhood; while he and 9 associates defended his house in the ensuing melee’, a neighbor was killed and Dr Sweet was charged with murder; the NAACP asked famous trial lawyer, Clarence Darrow to defend Dr Sweet; Darrow was successful in this nationally publicized murder trial where a citizen’s rights to defend their property was upheld by the courts

2905 Garland near East Warren

Orsel McGhee Residence
Many African Americans who live in the suburbs owe a debt to the McGhees; in 1944 next door neighbors, citing a restrictive covenant against non-whites, filed suit against the newly moved-in McGhees; McGhee was represented in a lengthy legal battle by the NAACP and its imminent attorney, Thurgood Marshall; after the Supreme Court heard the case in 1948, restrictive housing covenants were legally abolished

4626 Seabaldt

Elmwood Cemetery
Detroit’s oldest cemetery is the final resting place for many of the city’s most famous and influential African Americans of the 19th century; incorporated in 1846, abolitionist George DeBaptiste and William Lambert (treasurer and manager of the Detroit terminal of the Underground Railroad) and 14 members of the 102nd U.S. Colored Troops who fought in the Civil War are among those buried here

1200 Elmwood off East Vernor Highway

Windsor, Ontario

John Freeman Walls Historic Site & Underground Railroad Museum
This museum & 20-acre former Underground Railroad site pays homage to John Freeman Walls, an escaped slave who traveled the Underground Railroad from North Carolina and built a log cabin; his descendants worked to have this site recognized for its historical significance in 1976; the guides bring history to life, effectively re-creating the journey and giving insight into the dangers slaves faced along the way; open by appointment only; Eight miles east of the Windsor/Detroit border in Lake Shore Township, Ontario

401 exit Puce Road, north one mile

519-258-6253

International Monuments to the Underground Railroad
Designed by renowned African American sculptor Ed Dwight, two bronze monuments grace both sides of the U.S. Canada border, as a memorial to the thousands of former slaves who escaped through Detroit to freedom in Windsor via the Underground Railroad; the Detroit monument features eight bronze figures gesturing over the river towards Canada; in Windsor you’ll find a 22-foot sculpture of former slaves celebrating their newfound freedom

Hart Plaza, Detroit and Riverfront Civic Esplanade

Dresden, Ontario

Uncle Tom’s Cabin Historic Site
Unbeknownst to many, Uncle Tom from Harriet Beecher Stowe’s famous novel, Uncle Tom’s Cabin was not a Black man – he was White; Stowe’s book is based on the life of Reverend Josiah Henson, who founded this 19th Century settlement for escaped slaves in 1841; see the settlement’s original buildings, including one of the oldest fugitive slave structures in Canada--the Harris House; Henson’s home and a church; visit the site’s museum for displays and information on other early African American communities in Canada as well

29251 Uncle Tom’s Road, one hour and 15 minutes from the Detroit-Windsor border

Wed-Sat 10a-5p, Sun Noon-5p

519-683-2978