So apparently the Detroit Police once had their own private country club on Lake Erie, just outside of Wheatley. It was built in 1926, but I can’t find any other information about the place. These are construction photos I’ve come across, so it was actually built. I’m hoping someone out there knows something about it… Like where exactly it was, what happened to the building, the club?
From the Border Cities Star – November 20, 1926:
- Situated on the shores of Lake Erie, six miles from, the village of Wheatley, is the Detroit Police Country Club, one of the most unique of its kind in America. A luxurious $50,000 clubhouse is under course of construction and the ground is being prepared for golf, tennis, baseball and children’s playgrounds.
Surrounding the club house is 23 acres of beautiful landscape, while in front there is a stretch of 700 feet of bathing beach. Officials of the organization hope to hold the opening next spring.
A 9 hole golf course was one of the features of the property. The second and third floors contained a total of 41 bedrooms, for the accommodation of club members, for weekend getaways and longer vacations as well. There were also plans to run a bus service for members who didn’t want to drive.
Quite a place, and a bit of the forgotten history of Essex County.
The Roaring Twenties. Money must have been no problem for the Detroit Police in that time. Detroit was one of the most successful cities on Earth! Sad how fast things can come crashing down.
I wonder where exactly this was, and if there is anything in its place now?
And was it in Essex County or Kent?
Doing a little measuring would place it either on the East Side of Point Pelee or somewhere around Lakeside Motel Camping & Trailer Park on the Talbot Trail near Robinson Motorcyles.
Looks like there wasn’t a happy ending to this story. A notice in the 4 Feb 1933 edition of “The Border Cities Star” has a notice posted entitled: “MORTGAGE SALE Detroit Police Country Club Property”
http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=lIaPce-xyHYC&dat=19330203&printsec=frontpage&hl=en
Within this notice is a description of the location:
“… South part of the center part of Lot Number 198 on the Talbot Road West…”
For those not wanting to find and read the actual notice within that edition, I should also add that it was in Romney Township and the property “consisted of 23 acres more or less”.
A bit more of the post-Detroit Police Country Club history of this building has come to light.
By 1945, newspaper notices refer to this former club site as being renamed “Convention Hall” where evangelical events were scheduled to take place in the auditorium. This still appears to be the use in 1947, as well.
Then, according to the 13 May 1954 “Leamington Post” the building and property changes hands:
“Convention Hall which is on No. 3 Highway seven miles east of Wheatley has been purchased by a couple from Windsor who will operate it as a nursing home. This is a very desirable spot on Lake Erie.”
Now home of the Lakeside Motel camping & Trailer Park. Spot on Shawn!
According to an 1880 map of Romney township, the south/center spot of Lot 198 (thanks Vicki!)is exactly where the park stands today. There appears to be a road on the map, which, if I’m right, still exists today on private property as a farm road/driveway, which goes all the way up to Concession Line 2. Which you see here: http://goo.gl/maps/3F5LA
Everything to the right of this gravel road, from the lakeshore to CL2, is lot 198. The property ends at the driveway to the east of the Motel, seen here:http://goo.gl/maps/ukd0e
Which, according to the 1880 map, is the reminents of another road that ran from the shore to CL2, and was already removed as of 1880. Probably when the other driveway/road I mentioned was created.
This would put Lakeside smack in the center, of the southside of lot 198.
I’ve come to discover that on December 6, 1960 the building burned to the ground. Owing to the fact that Romney Township did not have a fire department at the time, a truck sent by Merlin’s fire department arrived too late to be able to save the structure:
“…A large crowd watched the building go up in flames and finally collapse in blazing rubble…”
— “The Leamington Post” December 8, 1960, pg. 2
http://ink.ourontario.ca/lp/reel39/00484-x0-y0-z1-r0-0-0?query=police%20club&p=1
At the time the place was owned by an Ohio resident.
At least the building escaped a stucco fate.
Very awesome research! It’s amazing what you can find out with the internet eh!?
Surprised they would send a firetruck all the way from Merlin!
Wheatly would have been the reasonable option! Unless Merlin was bigger than Wheatly at the time??
Ah, so even the Detroit police weren’t paying a lot of heed to prohibition as long as they could jump the border. My family has had a cottage a km or two west of the Lakeside since about 1966. The motel was new at the time and used to have a restaurant etc. – now I think it’s mostly an RV park.
Not surprised Romney didn’t have a FD but still would’ve pegged a response time from Wheatley as quicker than Merlin.
Awesome i have always wondered about the life of that building. The design and structure of that building being a balloon type structure is gorgeous. i wished there were more pictures on it i have never seen new ones. Thank you i have known that building since i was a kid. I had to laugh from the shorter trip the Wheatley FD would have i would have to agree.
At the turn of the century my grandfather, Milton Crewe purchased the 23 acre property on lot 198 with intentions of setting up his commercial fishery there. He also purchased lot 199 which is next to the lakeside Village trailer park. He sold the lot 198 to the Detroit police Country Club after that.
When the stocks crashed in 1929 construction immediately stopped. They walked away from it all leaving concrete to solidify in the mixers . My grandfather held the mortgage to the place so he got it back at that time. My aunt got a group together and organized dances at the place for a short time.
Milton died in 1937 and my grandmother Rose Crewe, sold the property shortly before my parents were married in the 1940s. It was purchased and operated by a local chapter of the Penticostal Church and as far as I know it was still theirs when it burned in 1960. I have old 35mm movies of the fire. As a keepsake, I still have the keys to the front doors.
This place was just west of the Craig Hurst orchard. Mr. crewe did you know Mr. T Craig or his partners in his apple orchard?
Yes I know Tom and Shelly quite well. They recently moved this summer.
The orchard they had was run in partnership with Tyherst orchards in Leamington. They removed the apple trees there about 10 years ago.
Aaron was not quite right with his map, but George Crewe’s information is correct. The property is just east of Robinson
Motorcycle on the lake shore. I have aerial pictures from my Mom and Dad, of the building with large event tents set up in the yard. It is quite interesting looking at the old cars in the yard as well. Mom told me stories of the beautiful building, the marble dance floor, the huge fireplace. They used to hold pageants on the stage in the large auditorium.
As a result of some construction work being done on the second floor making bedrooms, there was an electrical fire. The night that it caught fire, my Mom thought it was the “moon” over the lake, but it was actually the fire. The building was destroyed. Some time later, my parents bought the property and its still in the family today.
George Crewe’s information is not accurate. I have seen the architect’s plans for this facility. A central feature is a curving road down to the beech. Given the straight 75 foot cliff ridge along this extended shorefront this is a unique and identifiable marker. West, there came to be such a cut down at Coatsworth Dock and east at Port Crewe.
Look at a current aerial photograph. The only site that fills the bill is where the RV park is. To either side it is plain there has not been a cut down. If you zoom out you can easily see the layout of the lots. Count from Campbell Rd east. Note the drain a bit further along east. Using the 1880 atlas the site is Lot 188.
Keep in mind there was something of a community hereabouts. Post office, church, school, township hall a bit east. Renwick just up the sideroad later a rail siding.
The larger Crewe et al family bought and sold in this region big time. The only probably certifiable authority lies in the municipal archives at the McGregor facility in Chatham but you will get nothing but obstruction from that lot. Alternatively a forensic read of the old newspapers. TOdette library in Tilbury for the Wheatley Journal.
The Crewe family transplanted in stages from business in Gosfield. Port Crewe as it was dated from 1909. The site in question was favoured because the ridge wall at the lakeside had collapsed to a convenient degree. Coatsworth dock thrived by being a large business. At Port Crewe later there was a sort of light rail system installed to better haul goods up the incline.
There is evidence that fronting the road on the south, the stubland, there were houses and a side street on the 199/198 terrain. Also, from a separate source, that the Police association only leased the south end of the stub. The projected golf course was to be on land to the west.
The key word here is “leased”. To just buy the land outright was easily within the reach of the Police Association. But it would be consistent with the conveyancing practices of the times to arrange a lease.
The Crewe family was not a bank. They had not the security to risk a morgage. My family, the Ainsley’s of Comber did own a private bank. The financing of this building would have come out of the US and been routed through a local bank in Leamington or Chatham. There would have been contractors. Locals would get hired on.
The Wall Street crash did not influence the continuation or termination of this project. There was enough money and favour for a retreat. It was rather the immanance of the repeal of prohibition.
The Police Association likely just abandoned the works and the lease. They walked away. Cut their losses. Which all would have defaulted to the Crewe’s as the property owner.
At such a late point in the construction it is long past the time when pouring concrete is needed. The demonstrated appearance of the building testifies to that. And at that time there was no on site delivery service for concrete. You had to mix it up where you were.
How was it that drinking water was provided? Where would it come from? There was no electical power unless they had a generator. Wood had run out so they had to on run coal. How’d it get there? Who cooked the food and laundry? Romney didn’t have a single police constable. There were only 200 OPP at the time all focused on booze smuggling. If the Detroit cops loaded onto boats and headed to Romney they wouldn’t be facing any customs interfearance. Come and go as they please.