Community Corner

New Signs Help Tell Sylvan Lake, West Bloomfield History

Wayside signs share the communities' ties to the automotive and labor industries.

A new series of wayside signs, largely funded by a federal grant, will help communities like Sylvan Lake and West Bloomfield Township share their historic ties with the automotive and labor industries

Brian Yopp of MotorCities National Heritage Area, which developed the program, said the signs "offer a voice for the community to tell its story."

"It connects the city's past to its present, so there is evidence of its role in the automotive and labor industries," he said. "These signs will be left behind for years and years, for future generations to enjoy." 

On Thursday, Sylvan Lake volunteers dedicated two of the signs during the community's annual ice cream social. The one located near the front door of the Community Center tells the story of the Detroit Free Press Fresh Air camp for underprivileged children from Detroit, which once occupied the Community Center property. 

Local historian Helen Jane Peters noted the original $1,250 cost of the signs was reduced to $350, thanks to a federal grant administered through the Michigan Department of Transportation. 

Yopp said close to 250 signs will be posted in communities including Lansing, Kalamazoo, Flint, Saginaw, Farmington and West Bloomfield by next year. 

Pontiac alone will have more than 50 signs, volunteer Ron Gay said. Because he wrote a book on the history of Pontiac, he was asked to get involved with the program and brought in his home community of Sylvan Lake, where he attended Daniel Whitfield School. 

Three more signs will be installed in Sylvan Lake, and as many as 11 will be posted in West Bloomfield Township. 



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