2021 Tours!!
POSTPONED!!! SEPTEMBER 23-26 — -MARYLAND & WASHINGTON D.C.
It has been postponed until 2022!!!!!!!!!!! What else can I say?? I was reading on the internet today (Sat.) ONLY 12 PEOPLE WILL BE ALLOWED (FROM GROUPS) TO GO TO THE AFRICAN–AMERICAN MUSEUM!!!!!!! I am just crushed to have to tell you this. They say that it applies to all of 2021. We really had a GREAT GROUP OF PEOPLE. They did say it was caused by the pandemic. I have never had something like this before. I am going to apply for March or April of 2022. Does anyone know what else I can do?
Maryland & Harriet Tubman & Washington D.C. & The African American Museum.
Double Room-$325 Each Single Room $690
Deposit Info-$100—July 26**** Full Payment-$225-August 26
So sorry for late notice!!
Sept. 23- Henry comes first! Best DRIVER & PERSON in the world!! We check for people for LUNCH!! Masks, gloves, and other stuff? You are on your own!!!!! We then look at Stewart’s handouts, answer questions, and discuss videos. We will see videos that are most relevant. Introduce yourself if you want. (2 minutes unless you are really good—-then 3 minutes!!) We will stop about every 3 HOURS for a potty break & EXERCISE!! (Unless emergency!!!!) Stewart has water and snacks!! We will check into a Day’s Inn & Suites in Cambridge, Maryland.
Sept. 24-We will see the Harriet Tubman Museum in the AM. What a brave, fearless, and incredible WOMAN! (But she did not get on the $20- What’s the story?) We will eat lunch in Cambridge. We will go to the Smithsonian when we get to D.C. Smithsonian’s have about 18 MUSEUMS and they are all FREE!!!!!! We will check into a Day’s Inn for the next two days.
Sept. 25- We go to the African-American Museum for the day. The Washington Monument is now open after being closed for about a year. We will meet where the bus is after the Museum.
Sept. 26-We will see several sites in Washington D.C. before we depart. On the way home, we will see many more videos!!
VIDEOS–
1-The Africans- Many Rivers to Cross- Henry Louis Gates-PBS-2017
2-Underground Railroad–Alfre Woodward
3-Uncle Tom’s Cabin- by Harriet Beecher Stowe.
4-Unfortunate Blackness-The Rise & Fall of Jack Johnson
5-AMAZING GRACE- This is the BEST!!
6-William Still Story -President of the UGRR in the EAST.
7-Maya Angelo- “And Still I Rise” (The Better Hour) Legacy of William Wilberforce
October 13, 2021 —
EDSEL & ELEANOR FORD HOME Tour-(9:00-5:00) ($55)
October 13, 2021– The home is an authentic witness to the past. It inspires, educates,& engages visitors thru exploration! The home is located at 1100 Lake Shore Drive in GrossePointe Shores. It stands on the site known as “Gaulker Pointe. The home became the new residence of Edsel & Eleanor Ford in 1928. Previously they had lived in the Indian Village area. They had their first home at 2171 Iroquois less than a block from Stewart’s home at 2136Seminole. We will go thru Indian Village on this tour. Their second home was on the site of the UAW Solidarity Home at Jefferson & Van Dyke You can see a structure just to the right of the UAW House. That used to be the place where Edsel & Eleanor kept their boats. It seemed quite the coincidence that the UAW & a capitalist (Edsel Ford) would be juxtaposed(placed side by side). Now, back to Eleanor & Edsel Ford’s wonderful home. The architects were Albert Kahn & Jens Jensen. Jensen was a Landscape Architect. The Architectural Style English Cotswold. (Cotswold is an English sheep that is long-wooled). With our guide, we will walk around the grounds, tour the home & enjoy the BEAUTY! Edsel & Eleanor Ford had four children: Henry the 2nd, Benson, Josephine & William Clay. We will see the Fairlane Estate on October 18 when we will tour Dearborn. Part When you enter the home it is like GOING TO EUROPE. There are many impressionist & post-impressionist paintings in the home. They in-clude: Van Gogh, Renoir, Degas, Cezanne, & Matisse. You do not want to miss this trip!!
THE PIQUETTE PLANT-
Birthplace of the Model T (9:00-5:00) ($55 includes Piquette Plant & Edsel & Eleanor Ford also) The Piquette Plant is a factory located within the Milwaukee Junction area in Detroit. (about 4 blocks from the Fisher Building) The Ford Plant in Detroit is “considered one of the most significant automotive heritage sites in the world”.It was the second center of automobile production for the Ford Motor Co. Ford’s first fac-tory was on the north side of Mack near Bellevue. At the Henry Ford Museum, there is a replica of the first Ford Plant. (however, it is half the size) Visiting the Piquette Ford Plant is a unique experience————–it is the oldest auto plant open to the public ANYWHERE!! The Piquette Plant is now a MUSEUM–full of ANTIQUE CARS!! See the only complete collection of early Ford “alphabet” cars on display. Another interesting thing is to see the world map & notice all of the different countries people are from. Next, the Piquette Plant is all about the VOLUNTEERS! So much HARD WORK & TIME!! Finally, the Piquette Plant may have not happened if it was not for Dr. Jerry Mitchell!!! As a matter of fact, he was reading the Free Press when he saw an article about the possible razing of the building!! He made a few phone calls, & got the razing talk quiet. There is more! He was teaching in the Wayne State Medical School & he made the move to take an early retirement!!! He also bought the home on Edison in Boston Edison that Henry Ford lived in. There is a HISTORIC MARKER there. Thank god for Dr. Jerry Mitchell !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
October 18, 2021– THE HENRY FORD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ($60) (8:45-5:00)
While there are many great museums & many great monuments to our American heritage, in scale & scope there is no single history attraction in the United States that presents the depth & breadth of the American like the Henry Ford.
Here we use our artifacts –some ordinary, some extraordinary–to courage current &future generations to make innovative contributions of their own. We are also active change agents, and to help create a better world. Here, we celebrate the people behind these artifacts- the dreamers, designers, risk-takers, & inventors of the things that have made this country great!! Our goal is to inspire each & every person who walks through our gates to make their mark in this world. We want to challenge them to think differently, to do things better, and to influence the future.
Visit the HENRY FORD & you will walk into a three-dimensional record of American achievement-the astounding work & accomplishments from innovators of our past, inspiring future generations. Our collections are unique in the world. Our visitor experiences are unparalleled. Weare America’s premier history destination and, as I’m sure you’ll agree, a place everyone must visit at least once in their lifetime. Patricia Mooradian – President –The Henry Ford
In 1929 Henry Ford formally dedicated The Edison, now known as the Henry Ford to his friend & mentor, Thomas Edison. The Institution began as a school to tell the story of America & the genius of its people that Ford believed was missing from traditional textbooks. Ford assembled his own “animated” textbook by collecting the objects that ordinary people designed, produced & used. Early on, there were wagons, threshing machines & grease lamps. He later added artifacts that reflected industrial progress & paid homage to his heroes- Edison, Abraham Lincoln, & the Wright brothers, among others. Ford laid the groundwork for re-creations & reenactments that would bring American stories to life. It also allowed people of all ages to discover the many facets of the American experience. Today, The Henry Ford, with its powerful & diverse exhibits, demonstrations, programs & reenactments, is America’s premier his- tory destination. We present tradition & celebrate innovation. We share the stories & accomplishments of ordinary & extraordinary individuals, the people we call our heroes–people like Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King Jr., Orville & Wilbur Wright & others. Here visitors of all ages can discover & explore the richness of our heritage.
It began as a simple yet bold idea to document the genius of ordinary people by recognizing & preserving they used in the course of their everyday lives. It grew into the ultimate place to explore what Americans past & present have imagined & invented — a remarkable destination that Americans past & that brings American ideas & innovations to life. The sheer scope & design of the Henry Ford Museum is as grand as the vision that inspired it. It’s impossible not to feel a sense of awe! Your mind adjusts to a different sense of scale–more vast, more expansive & more diverse–by far–than anything you’ll encounter in everyday life. The sweeping single-floor space with its soaring 40-foot ceilings covers 12 acres dedicated to showcasing the finest collection of its kind ever assembled.
The desire to exercise our freedom is in all of us. Imagine if this wish were never granted!!! Imagine if freedom was hard to obtain. WITH LIBERTY & JUSTICE for ALL is a powerful & moving exhibit that examines 4 pivotal points in American history in which our civil liberties were threatened but, ultimately reaffirmed. Hear the angry voices of opposition & the sweet sounds of hope as you walk past some of America’s most significant national treasures–George Washington’s camp bed, the chair Abraham Lincoln was sitting in the night he was killed & the bus on which Rosa Parks refused to give a white man her seat. Each in its own way represents America’s greatest innovation: THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE & the promise of freedom for all!!!
MOBILITY- There’s the whimsical & -breaking the records. The beautiful & the behemoth. From the ordinary to the extraordinary, our transportation exhibition captures the essence of how ideas & innovations in mobility have changed our world. There are pure gems, big & small, from a letter written by bank robber Clyde Barrow that praises Henry Ford for creating the V-8, to the wood-burning locomotive that carried Pres. Hoover to an event. Every artifact is an expression of change. The ” car that put the world on wheels” was the Model T. Roadside diners became popular after WWII!! This dynamic display, from rail to road, shows us that where we’ve been is as important as where we’re going.
AVIATION- Imagine building a machine that allowed you to fly through the air!!! It’s easy today, but imagine building that machine at a time when nothing like it existed. In Henry Ford’s Museum, we take a look at the first 40 years of aviation from 2 brothers who changed the world on Dec. 17, 1903, at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, to the explorers, entrepreneurs & daredevils who followed. This eclectic display of people & their flying machines represents inspiration through innovation & offers visitors a glimpse into the thrill & the sheer ingenuity & resourcefulness of those pioneers in the early days of flight.
ENGINES-STUNNING!! Not a word typically used to describe our steam engine collection, but walk among these giants & you may find yourself uttering STUNNING!! Our curator of industry uses another word: HUMBLING!! For in a corner of H.F. Museum lies one of the most significant displays of power generation in the world. From the “WORLD OLDEST SURVIVING STEAM ENGINE”!!!to the exquisite Gothic Engine & the mammoth Highland Park Engine, these machines changed the way we lived and worked!!! Along with their makers–the innovative minds behind these machine-these wonders created the INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION!!!!
DESIGN- FURNITURE- FABRIC–Design at Henry Ford comes in all forms, styles, & represents all levels of living. There are, of course, the familiar names Buckminster Fuller, Harry Bertoia. There are unfamiliar names also. John Gaines, Hannah Barnard. There are the typical pieces– easy chairs, dressing tables-and the not-so-typical–a potty seat on rockers, a house named Dymaxion & a love seat named Marshmallow. Beyond the fetching fabrics & the functional forms lies the mind-boggling ingenuity that opened our eyes to a world of comfort, alternative shelter & mobility. This resourcefulness laid the foundation for designers today to build a house out of materials other than wood & bricks or to simply take a chance & create something extraordinary out of ordinary objects.
OCTOBER 28-31, 2021 Underground Railroad Tour (UGRR) Ohio & Kentucky-
Double Room-$275 Each Single Room $600
Deposit Info -$100—September 15—–Full Payment –$175—-September 30
Oct. 28- The way things are going these days, it makes sense that this must be HALLOWEEN! But, I digress!! Let us get on with what we are going to do. We are leaving the Military Museum at 9:00 AM. This 3 night 4-day adventure is my FAVORITE TRIP!! On the bus, we will go thru some of my stuff which is an overview of what we are going to do. We will introduce ourselves (two minutes is the limit –unless you are really GREAT–then it is 3 minutes) We will get off the bus about every three hours to go to the restrooms & EXERCISE!! Please bring your lunch so we make better time. I have water & snacks!! Our first major stop is Wilberforce. We would learn about “Cry Baby Bridge” & visit the home of Charles Young. We go to the home of Sterling & Burt which was a home designed for fugitives. The home was built by the man that started Springboro!! Springboro was 2nd to Ripley in having homes for runaways. We eat dinner in Springboro & go to Middletown for two nights. (Super 8).
Oct. 29-On our second day we visit the spectacular home of Harriet Beecher Stowe! For lunch, we eat at a choice of restaurants near the Ohio River. After lunch, we are going to visit for about 5 hours the place that really is the place for the UGRR.! This is the second most cool place on the trip!! (Ripley is the first) After this we will go out of the Freedom Center & walk along the Ohio River. We will learn about a woman who killed one of her children. She did not want her child to experience slavery. For dinner, we eat at the same place as we did for lunch.
Oct. 30- On our 3rd day we will drive along the Ohio River & see small towns & examples of the UGRR. One of the towns has the home of Ulysses Grant. (best General in the Union Army) Next, we see the FAMOUS TOWN OF RIPLEY—THE NUMBER ONE PLACE where the people HATED SLAVERY!! John Rankin (white) & John Parker (black) were the LEADERS in being abolitionists!! John Rankin had more than 21 children– only about 6 were his. He used them for John Rankin’s home was at the top of that hill. We will have a tour of Rankin’s home. After the climb, we will eat at your choice of restaurants. After lunch, we will tour Main Street where we see a number of stations (homes today). John Parker was an incredibly brave abolitionist!! He as a black man would go to the opposite side of the Ohio River & try to rescue them before THE SLAVE CATCHERS get them. That takes guts! After Ripley, we will drive to Maysville. Stewart will guide us as we walk along the levee on the Ohio River.
There are many beautiful & historic murals in that area. Next, we visit Washington, Kentucky— a quiet a very relaxed place. The whole place is like a Museum. Walking around this place seems to take you back 200 years. By far the most memorable event in Washington was when Harriet Stowe first saw enslaved people being sold and it HORRIFIED HER!! The result–Harriet started writing her book–Uncle Tom’s
Cabin. We then check into our Super 8, & head to downtown Maysville for dinner.
Oct. 31- HAPPY HALLOWEEN!! Today we are leaving our Motel. We go to a cemetery that has a black woman?? I forgot her name. pancakes ??___________
We will eat lunch at a Ponderosa Restaurant in Hillsboro, Ohio. We will leave after lunch for Wellington where we will learn about the “Wellington Raid”. That incident really put OBERLIN ON THE MAP! We then arrive in OBERLIN–our last major stop of the trip. We will learn about the history some of the AMAZING PEOPLE who walked on this campus. We will tour those historic sites in Oberlin. I cannot predict our timing for getting back! I hope you had a GREAT TIME!!
ADDITION MURAL INFO —
1- In 1803 Meriweather Lewis (of the Lewis & Clark Expedition) picked up the famous & infamous John Coulter. Lewis was going from Pittsburgh to Louisville. Lewis was impressed with John Coulter. So he took John Coulter to Louisville. On the way back John Coulter was the first white man to see the geysers & in Yellowstone Park.
2- Lafayette made a trip back to the USA from France 45 years after his French Army helped beat the British in the American Revolution. Lafayette was only 19 when he came to America. He became a General!!!!
One 2021 Tour, a Party, and all of the rest are 2022 TOURS!!
Miscellaneous- HENRY FORD PHONE -313-982-6001
2022 STUFF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
(Day Trips)1—Fort Wayne Tour–($50) (not Fort Wayne, Indiana — It is the FORT at DETROIT!!)
2– Black History Tour–($50)
3– Woodward Avenue Tour– ($50)
4– Pewabic Tour –($50)
5– Arab Tour——($60)
6– People Mover Tour ($30) (no bus) Meet in Cobo (TCF) Hall. Station on 2nd Floor!!!!!! (Park on Top of COBO)
7– Tour of Canfield–($30) (no bus) Meet at TRAFFIC JAM & SNUG
8—Stahl’s Auto Tour & Brunch-($40)
9—Elmwood Cemetery- (no bus) ($20)
10–Mt. Elliott Cemetery- (no bus) ($20)
11–Woodlawn Tour- (no bus) ($20)
12–Walking Tour of Grosse Pointe ($50) (37 Historic Sites)
13– There will be an EASTERN MARKET TOUR
2022 OVERNIGHT TRIPS
13-Creation Museum & Ark Encounter-(one night in Kentucky) Watch FOX NEWS for advertisements for Ark Encounter & the Creation Museum. (PRICE LATER-PL)
14-Amish Tour– (Indiana -one night) (PL-PRICE LATER)
15-Mackinaw Island & Traverse City-(PL) (3 or 4 nights??–let me know?) PLEASE!!!!!
I appreciate IDEAS, TRIPS & EVERYTHING!!!!
16- CANADA- It is open!! What do you want to say? PLEASE!! (1-3 nights??)(PL)
17- HOLLAND SPRING FESTIVAL (1 or 2 nights)(PL)
18-GRAND RAPIDS TOUR (2 nights(PL)
19-CHICAGO TOUR–(3-5 nights)(PL)
20-CANADA-Toronto, Ottawa, & ONTARIO (Province)-(3 nights)(PL)
21-CANADA-Montreal, Quebec, & QUEBEC (Province)-(4 nights)(PL)
MISCELLANEOUS- Stewart’s website is —-www.mcmillintours.com
Call Stewart McMillin-313-922-1990—Call Stewart on cell phone at 586-218-9042
Stewart’s -E-Mail–stewart@mcmillintours.com Tours leave from 16600 Stephens Rd. City of Eastpointe. Stephens is the equivalent of 9 & one half mile road. It is less than one block from Gratiot.
Call Stewart at 313-922-1990. Tours leave from Eastpointe. A Military Museum is the departure point on 16600 Stevens Road just one block from Gratiot. Stevens is also known as Nine and a Half Mile Road. The museum has a phone. Its number is 586-872-2581.
Please E-MAIL me about your questions, comments, etc!!! I really need to know what you want to do? Phone-313-922-1990. Cell–586-218 9042. I prefer e-mails.
STEWART’S BACKGROUND-
This is his 54th year conducting tours. I taught Social Studies at East Detroit High School for 30 years. (1964-1993)
From 1994-2001 I taught Humanities at Wayne State University. Of course
TRAVELLING has also been very important to me. I also have been blessed to have visited all of the states and 142 countries!!! Please send checks to- Stewart McMillin–2136 Seminole- Detroit, Michigan 48214