Secret societies have operated in Detroit for most of the city's history. Many started for fun and companionship. Others had more serious ends in mind. The African American Mysteries: The Order of the Men of Oppression helped enslaved people escape the South for freedom in Canada. During the Civil War, so-called black lantern societies like the Knights of the Golden Circle and the Union League waged a covert war in Detroit and across the northern Midwest. In the last century, it wasn't uncommon for a sober suburbanite to catch the train to Detroit and don yellow silk pantaloons, a purple fez and embroidered vest to drink Tarantula juice. Join Bill Loomis in this fascinating look into the secret world of these groups.

A New York Times Bestseller Detroit, mid-1930s: In a city abuzz over its unrivaled sports success, gun-loving baseball fan Dayton Dean became ensnared in the nefarious and deadly Black Legion. The secretive, Klan-like group was executing a wicked plan of terror, murdering enemies, flogging associates, and contemplating armed rebellion. The Legion boasted tens of thousands of members across the Midwest, among them politicians and prominent citizens—even, possibly, a beloved athlete. Terror in the City of Champions opens with the arrival of Mickey Cochrane, a fiery baseball star who roused the Great Depression’s hardest-hit city by leading the Tigers to the 1934 pennant. A year later he guided the team to its first championship. Within seven months the Lions and Red Wings follow in football and hockey—all while Joe Louis chased boxing’s heavyweight crown. Amidst such glory, the Legion’s dreadful toll grew unchecked: staged “suicides,” bodies dumped along roadsides, high-profile assassination plots. Talkative Dayton Dean’s involvement would deepen as heroic Mickey’s Cochrane’s reputation would rise. But the ballplayer had his own demons, including a close friendship with Harry Bennett, Henry Ford’s brutal union buster. Award-winning author Tom Stanton weaves a stunning tale of history, crime, and sports. Richly portraying 1930s America, Terror in the City of Champions features a pageant of colorful figures: iconic athletes, sanctimonious criminals, scheming industrial titans, a bigoted radio priest, a love-smitten celebrity couple, J. Edgar Hoover, and two future presidents, Gerald Ford and Ronald Reagan. It is a rollicking true story set at the confluence of hard luck, hope, victory, and violence. .

Readers interested in American history, Civil War history, or the ethnic history of Detroit will appreciate the full picture of the time period Taylor presents in "Old Slow Town."

In 1724, Thomas Newton is cast out of his home by his aristocratic father. Desperate to make a new life for himself, he heads to London. Through a string of intimate encounters, he enters the underground world of male-male desire.Soon enough, Thomas meets Margaret Clap, who runs one of the male brothels. Without a child of her own, "Mother Clap" finds herself drawn to Thomas. She offers him a place in her house, but also a place in her heart. Thomas's homecoming is too brief. The Society for the Reformation of Manners, a group of Christian zealots, begins raiding the Molly houses. They plan to force the arrest, conviction, and execution of any man guilty of "crimes against nature." When Margaret Clap's house is raided and Margaret herself is arrested, Thomas has to make the most difficult decision of his still young life, one that could destroy everyone around him in a desperate effort to save them.

Detroit is known for its automotive heritage, the Motown sound, and American's first mile of concrete highway. But this cityon the river has more than three hundred years of history, and most of it iseasy to experience if you know where to look. There's the Michigan Theatre, theornate movie house turned parking garage with a grand stage looming over itscars. Picturesque Alfred Brush Ford Park once stored nuclear missiles among itsplaygrounds and fishing spots. Then there are incredible landmarks like Detroit'smassive salt mines and a monument to urban graffiti known as the Dequindre Cutas well as the world's oldest operating jazz club. Secret Detroit explores thisgreat American city to investigate everything that is odd, unexpected, andextraordinary. Detroit is the kind of city you need to see and experience tounderstand why locals brag about being from the Motor City. Full of stories andtall tales, this book is a must-have for urban explorers, history buffs, andtravelers of all experience levels

Examines a variety of secret societies including the Ku Klux Klan, M16, and Al Qaeda.

ABE: black hardbound 8vo. dustwrapper in protective plastic cover fine cond. nice clean copy. binding square & tight. covers clean. edges clean. contents free of all markings. dustwrapper fine cond. , not worn or torn or price clipped. first edition so stated . first printing (nap). endpaper maps. xi+227p +acknowledgments. glossy b&w photo. illustrations. biblio. index. american history. conspiracy theory. history of detroit. politics. organized crime. mafia. purple gang. secret societies. true crime. police corruption. political corruption. bootlegging. history of canada. sam orlando. joe moceri. leo moceri. sam stemlo. chas delberto . rocco. frank di mercuro. chas postestio. max stern. pete licavoli. giannola~vitali gang war. black hand. joseph zerilli. black bill tocco. frankie cammarata. scarface bommarito. abe bernstein. killer burke. legs laman. russian shorty kozak. mayor richard reading. eddie sarkesian. isadore bernstein. jaworski gang. reubin cohen. irving feldman. lou jacobs. red o'riordan. buffalo harry rosenberg. ferguson grand jury. " ~prohibition era Detroit was a place of tremendous wealth and brutal violence. The boom years that this country witnessed after World War I brought great wealth to many For those with newfound prosperity, it became a status symbol to invite their personal bootlegger to their parties and to hobknob with known gangsters. The life of the gangsters was a glamorous one. Not only did they supply the booze, they carried with them an aura of excitement and danger. The Violent Years, a companion volume to Kavieff's best~selling book The Purple Gang, tells the story of these wild times. The Purple Gang, briefly covered here, was a predominantly Jewish group of thugs. Though the Purples were the dominant organized crime force in Detroit, there were numerous others, representing many European ethnic groups. All scrambled to grab a piece of the profit to be made selling illegal liquor. It is these secondary groups that are the grist for this book. In these pages you will read about the gruesome gang warfare that went on between two Italian mobs, the Giannola and Vitale gangs. Kavieff describes in detail the brutal kidnappings that were the specialty of the Irish "Legs" Laman Gang. Then there were the bold daylight holdups executed by the Polish Jaworski gang as well as many other unbelievable acts of crime and violence ~The Violent Years shows how the Italian mafia families consolidated their power and cornered the market on such rackets as narcotics and numbers running, thus paving the way for Detroit's modern mafia family.". Bookseller Inventory # 8211207.

Spanning eight decades and chronicling the wild ride of a Greek-American family through the vicissitudes of the twentieth century, Jeffrey Eugenides’ witty, exuberant novel on one level tells a traditional story about three generations of a fantastic, absurd, lovable immigrant family -- blessed and cursed with generous doses of tragedy and high comedy. But there’s a provocative twist. Cal, the narrator -- also Callie -- is a hermaphrodite. And the explanation for this takes us spooling back in time, through a breathtaking review of the twentieth century, to 1922, when the Turks sacked Smyrna and Callie’s grandparents fled for their lives. Back to a tiny village in Asia Minor where two lovers, and one rare genetic mutation, set our narrator’s life in motion. Middlesex is a grand, utterly original fable of crossed bloodlines, the intricacies of gender, and the deep, untidy promptings of desire. It’s a brilliant exploration of divided people, divided families, divided cities and nations -- the connected halves that make up ourselves and our world.

The largest Masonic temple in the world, Detroit's Masonic temple is a monumental structure with a rich and colorful history, befitting one of the most historic organizations in the world. Encompassing more than 1,000 rooms and more than a million square feet, the temple has served Masons since 1926 and provides a venue for many leading entertainers and theater productions. Its lodges, chapels, and ballrooms are masterpieces of architecture rich with the symbolism of Freemasonry, evident even in the smallest details. The temple stands as an artistic work of architecture and as the physical embodiment of the history, traditions, and symbolism of Freemasonry. What are the secrets of the craft? Just look; they are carved into the walls, inlaid in the marble floors, and depicted in woodcuts on every floor.

Michigan's historic Fort Wayne, located on the narrowest point of the Detroit River, is named for Revolutionary War hero Gen. "Mad" Anthony Wayne. The fort was built in the 1840s to protect Detroit from British invasion following the strife of the 1838 Patriot War in Canada. Originally constructed of earth and wood, the fortifications were rebuilt in masonry during the Civil War, but the fort has never mounted cannons, as peace came to the international border and remains to this day. Fort Wayne has served the military as a training center, home to infantry regiments, supply depot, prisoner of war camp, and major induction center. It was a source of work for the unemployed during the Great Depression, a place of confinement during the Red Scare of 1920, and home for those displaced by civil unrest in Detroit during the 1960s. The fort continues to invite people to its riverfront view, not as soldiers but as guests, to enjoy community events on its broad parade fields and to learn about those who lived, drilled, and worked there.