BROWSING:  History

The history of Greater Flint is steeped in relevance. We have seen titans of industry, great inventors, triumphs of commerce, heroes, villains, failure and renewal, and through it all stood our castles of time – the historic homes of Greater Flint. If walls could talk, the area’s oldest homes would give us nearly the full

Photos by wikicommons The history of Greater Flint is steeped in relevance. We have seen titans of industry, great inventors, triumphs of commerce, heroes, villains, failure and renewal, and through it all stood our castles of time – the historic homes of Greater Flint. If walls could talk, the area’s oldest homes would give us

The Witch of November came in the night, and she was angry. As the storm sent wave after wave breaking over the deck of the L. C. Waldo, Second Mate Feeger was desperately trying to navigate across the bouncing and heaving ship. The snow flew in the gale-force wind, blinding him to all but the

Since the 1960s, Flint’s circumstances have slowly deteriorated. The population trickled out of the city, taking their tax money with them; General Motors began to pull up shop closing offices and factories, and small business faltered. With little money or population left, city leadership began to cut back while desperately searching for ways to reverse

Hewett Judson, a longtime teacher at Lake Fenton High School, along with his sister Phyllis Judson Heusted, has worked hard to preserve the Judson family’s history. He is the treasurer for the Pioneer Memorial Association of Fenton & Mundy Townships and Heusted is the secretary/editor. The group’s goal is to preserve the history of both

From the early 1960s to the late 80s, the City of Flint rode a roller coaster of social and economic change. While the city made gains in social equality and culture, it lost ground in labor force and development. Crime began to rear its head as unemployment increased and business walked away. Population began to

Before the cars, the bricks and the buildings, the roads and highways, and before the United States were established, a small footpath led the way from the lands of the Ottawa in the south (Detroit) to the lands of the Chippewa (Saginaw) in the north. Native Americans strode this path for centuries, up and down

From the mid-1940s to the beginning of the 1960s, Flint was operating at peak efficiency and success. General Motors was nearly unrivaled in car production, Flint schools were the envy of the state in both education and sports programs, impactful social groups and organizations were being started, infrastructure updated and major businesses were built. Parades

In the late 1920s, Flint was hoppin’. The automobile industry was driving population, production, innovation and expansion. The city as we know it today was mainly shaped during this time period. In 1928, Hurley Hospital was built, the Kearsley Dam was installed forming the Kearsley Reservoir, the Flint Institute of Arts was founded by George

From 1912 to 1928, Flint became known as one of the centers of manufacturing and commerce in the nation. “Business” was the name of the game and new ventures popped up daily – some that still operate today. Immigrants and wandering workers flooded the city bringing with them new ideas, work ethics and politics. The

The time period between 1901 and 1912 was characterized by an explosion of population and industry in Flint – the fastest growing city in the nation. Buggy, road cart and car production dominated business. In 1908, Billy Durant and friends started the General Motors Corporation and propelled the city’s economy into the stratosphere. Flint was

As the century ended, Flint was poised to explode in both vehicle production and population. Carriages were going strong and utility companies were beginning to spring up around the city offering power to businesses and individual households. The mayors of this time period acted as stewards to the city’s upcoming growth and economic strength. At