The Past as Prologue: 20th Century Grosse Pointe, Michigan History

This documentary traces the changing lifestyles of Grosse Pointers during the twentieth century. It investigates the community’s fascinating development from an elegant summer colony through villages containing grand estates and impressive mansions to its present five prosperous suburbs bordering Detroit. Photographs and comments from residents are interwoven with live action scenes featuring period surroundings.
Narrator: Joe Weaver
Producer: Kimberly Conely
Script: Kimberly Conely and Jean Dodenhoff
For more information, or to become a member, visit www.gphistorical.org.

[@giovanni5063]

I lived in G.P. from 1962 until I was thrown out in 1968. This place was from another planet. As a 12 year old I was amazed at what was supposed to be normal. Grosse Pointe was a freak show of how America was supposed to be and I sucked all of it in to be like my contemporaries, GPHS class of 68. At the 50th reunion , nobody knew who I was because I was invisible back in the day. What a life!

[@melissa12546]

I lived in GPF (Mapleton) and GP (509 Lincoln Rd.) until I was 12. My mother, who went to Liggett as did her mother and my sister, was an editor at the Grosse Pointe News. My father was the AME at the Free Press. My sisters and I swam for the Detroit Boat Club. This was an amazing walk down memory lane.

[@denton1972]

The three Gs: Georgetown, Greenwich and Grosse Pointe. Grosse Pointe was the Newport of the Midwest.

[@josephsierzengaIV]

It was… and now it’s still one of the wealthiest suburban enclaves in the USA

[@beforeyourimmigrants8471]

Martin Luther King was allowed to speak there but he would not have been allowed to own a home because of the racial covenants or redlining. I was waiting to see how the people who put this wonderful documentary together we're going to address that part of the grosse pointe's history. Nonetheless it's very informative.

[@bruceogi4799]

as late as the 1960's Grosse Pointe was a sundown town where black people were picked up by the police and taken to the nearest bus stop over the border with Detroit when the sun went down.. I know this because I lived there then.

[@deloreswillis9224]

Agree

[@chrisadams416]

When crime was at a minimumal and nonsense was not tolerated.

[@salemdesigns65]

​@@bruceogi4799
It's still like that as well as many other communities: do your business before sundown.

[@bruceogi4799]

@@chrisadams416 we had more mafia members living in that town than anywhere else. I know this because I went to school and knew all the kids. the next block over from our house the cops pulled a tractor trailer of bootleg liquor out of the basement of a house.There was also so much drug use going on.. In 1966 the GPF boy scout troop had the most eagle scouts by 1971 we had the most drug addicts. There gang fights and lots of theft.. I know this because I was part of it.