Raising a Douglas Pole In Livonia & Elsewhere

Detroit Free Press, September 15, 1860

Now this is the kind of story that I like. That of utter nonsense disguised as patriotism. While there are many articles mentioning the actual raising of a so-called Douglas Pole most were very brief snippets. After browsing many mentions of Douglas Poles I got wind of the idea that it was a political matter and it made more sense. Not much but some. As in Lincoln vs. Douglas for President. Still there are hardly any mentions of the actual purpose though I did track down a 1950 article discussing some of Iowa's notable raisings. This would be an interesting topic for a book.

The Des Moines Register, May 17, 1950

Anyhow, a Douglas Pole was raised in Livonia on September 15, 1860 at the store of Horace Heath near the Nankin Post Office.

The raising of Lincoln Poles in the area apparently didn't go as smoothly. Or at least the Free Press chose to highlight the failures since they were opposed to the so-called black republicans (anti slavery).

Detroit Free Press, August 1, 1860

In any case the raising of one such pole in Detroit on July 31, 1860 at St. Antoine and Fort at Bloynk's Saloon ended in a brawl between German factions. The Republicans gave three cheers once their Lincoln Pole had risen and their flag run up. The assembled Douglas Germans across the street at the grocer Schmittdiel's establishment responded with their own hoorah yell. The Republicans didn't respond well to said response and led by a Justice of the Peace named Fecht and a knife-wielding German piano maker named Frederick Quistorf engaged in fisticuffs, stone throwing and whatever other means of combat availed them. When the fight was over Quistorf had a broken nose and the Free Press termed the Douglas response unjustifiable and the Republican reaction abhorrent.

Detroit Free Press, September 5, 1860

A month later in Ann Arbor a more civil battle between opposing factions took place. While a successful 125-foot-tall Douglas Pole was being raised by Germans at the residence of Mr. Nubling, which drew the attendance of Gov. Felch, the lower town Republicans had a less-than-successful Lincoln Pole raising. They attempted to raise their 100-foot-pole but with so few men failed to bring it to fruition. While struggling in their endeavor the amused Democrat onlookers gave them tips but no physical aid. As a last resort the black republicans decided to raise it as high as possible and then to save face by dropping it. The results were a splintered pole irrevocably broken into three pieces.

A Dudley Randall Poem in Milestone 2

I bought this Milestone 2 poetry Magazine at a Livonia estate sale this week. Milestone was the literary publication of Wayne (State) University and this second issue dates to 1949. While I don't recognize most of the names, Dudley Randall was both a nationally known poet and the librarian for the Wayne County General Hospital at Eloise via the Wayne County Library System. The poem featured is The Southern Road which was a revised version of the completed poem from 1948 that h as a handful or two of word differences between the two. I don't know if Randall edited the poem for later collected works editions or earlier but this link features it in its likely final form in 2009. Neither version particularly enchants me but the block print in the magazine is an added bonus.

A Cabinet Card of a Dead Man Lying in Repose From Wayne Photographer Susan Doolittle

The City of Wayne, Michigan was not a large village at the turn of the 20th century so it stands to reason that there wasn't a glut of photographers practicing their trade there. As such, the 3 cabinet cards and carte de visites that I own represents roughly a quarter of the early ones. Considering that the wives of Frank Hickok and William Corlett, first Village President of Wayne, took over after Frank's death in 1892 the list grows smaller beyond those two families. Had I snagged the Doolittle dead man cabinet card I'd be even that much more Wayne-rich in photographs. Speaking of Susan Doolittle, of whom I have learned very little about, it is interesting to note that Wayne had three women photographers in an era oft dominated by men in that very field. This photograph of a corpse is a startling example of her work.

Frederick Soop: Not An Equal Opportunity Restraunteer

Detroit Free Press , March 28, 1890 If you don't want to hear a racist tale of a suburban namesake then close your eyes now. As early as 1876 Frederick Soop had left his Belleville farm once again, having done a stint at the Hawkins House in Ypsilanti during the Civil War and the City Hotel in Detroit thereafter, and ventured off to Chatham, Ontario to run the Rutley Hotel , which was conducted as a Temperance House. Detroit Free Press , August 17, 1879 In 1879 he was searching for a good restaurant or small hotel to operate. Eventually he ended up on Washington Avenue near State Street running a dining hall which he ran until around 1890. Detroit Free Press , April 16, 1890 It was in 1888 when the aforementioned racial incident occurred at his dining establishment. It was then that William H. Haynes, a black doctor, sat down with his former classmate S. W. Barkwell for dinner. The men ordered but when the food was served none was placed before Mr. Haynes who, ironically, ha...

The Nankin Township Historical Society

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