An Gorta Mor - Potato Famine Memorial

Pictures on this post were from J. Moyer
October 28, 2020

    

     The An Gorta Mor is Irish for The Great Hunger or otherwise known as the Irish Potato Famine.  This memorial is located in Brooklyn, Michigan, In Lenawee County, on US 12 in the Irish Hills district.  It overlooks Iron Lake and shares its home with the St. Joseph Shrine Church.  This area is knows as Irish Hills due to the number of Irish who settled in this area of Michigan.  The rolling hills and lakes reminded them of Ireland and they decided to call this area home.  

An Gorta Mor was dedicated on September 19, 2004 by the Ancient Order of Hibernians (AOH) of Lenawee County.  AOH is the oldest and largest Irish Catholic Organization in the United States dedicated to preserving Irish heritage, and in honor of the Great Hunger, work towards fighting hunger across America.  

Sculpted by Kenneth M. Thompson, who has been making sculptures for over three decades now, has a studio in Blissfield, Michigan.  As of 2019 he has completed more than 50 large scale sculptures across the country, such as Reclamation Archway for Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Michigan in Detroit, Peach Arch for the city of Toledo in honor of those who fought in the Vietnam, and Ferris Arch outside of the Rankin Student Center on the campus of Ferris State University in Big Rapids, Michigan.  

     The Lintel, or the horizontal block that spans across the two vertical supports, is the step that formed the Penrose Quarry in Cork Harbor, which is the southern shore of Ireland.  For many, this was the last piece of Ireland they touched before making their way to the ships that sailed to America.  This is the same harbor that the famous ship Titanic stopped at before its journey across the Atlantic Ocean.  

    The empty bronze bowl on the bottom represents the famine that took place across Ireland between 1845 and 1852.  Surrounding the sculpture is a small wall of cobble stones from Donegal, Ireland to represent the the migration from Ireland to the United States.  

          On the 10th anniversary of the An Gorta Mor, four flagpoles were installed.  From left to right is the American Flag, Irish Flag, Papal Flag, and the Michigan Flag.  

The platform that the sculpture rests upon are 32 paver stones.  The four corners is the names of the four provinces of Ireland and the Coat of Arms.  The 32 paver stones represents the 32 counties of Ireland.  Beneath each paver is a stone from that county.  

  

What is the Great Potato Famine?

     In the 1840's, about a third of Ireland's population was dependent upon the potato crop.  Phytophthora infestans, also known as potato blight, ruined the potato crop.  It shrinks the size of the potato and rots out the inside of the potato making it inedible.  For seven years this lasted in Ireland.  Over 1 million people starved to death, and over 2 million left their home as they migrated elsewhere around the world, shrinking Ireland's population by 20% to 25%.  

     

 

Hamtramck Disneyland

Hamtramck Disneyland
Photos on this page by J. Moyer
May 14, 2021

Tucked between Klinger St., and Sobieski St., down a small alley, is Hamtramck Disneyland.  This exhibit is free to look, and does get many visitors during the year, but it is to view with your eyes only and not to go onto the property.  

Artist Dmytro Szylak, an immigrant from the Ukraine, retired from GM in the mid 1980's.  Looking for  something to do with his time, he decided to recreate his own interpretation of Disneyland and to incorporate parts of America as well as Ukraine.   His artwork became a collage of sorts while Szylak tried to use as much of his 30 foot backyard, in addition to the two adjacent garages.  The exhibit would light up and some of the attractions would even move about.  At times he would play Ukrainian music over loudspeakers for guests to listen to.  He continued working on this project until 1999 when he decided his property was full enough.  At first his neighbors and the city protested to his artwork and wanted him to take it down.  But the city started to realize that people in the thousands were flocking from all around to see this attraction so they backed off and began to admired his work.  Until the time of Szylak's death on May 1, 2015 at the age of 92, he could be found on his property repainting some of his work, or tinkering with the mechanics of some of the structures.  

After his death, the city was not sure what to do with his property as it had become a landmark tourist attraction.  Then on March 3, 2016, Hatch Art purchased the property and plans on maintaining it in honor of Szylak.  As the picture above indicates that Hatch Art plans to reintroduce lights and sound to the project as it was originally planned. 

A bust of Dmytro Szylak in his memory

Front of the home on 12087 Klinger St, Hamtramck, Mi.

Looking between the houses on 12087 Klinger, Hamtramck, to view the back yard. 

This is an UAW Daimler Chrysler 2003 Co Chairs Award; Daimler Chrysler Technology Center; Local Joint Training Committee; UAW Locals 212,412,889; 

 

World's Largest Working Weathervane - Montague

World's Largest Working Weathervane

All photos on this page were taken by J. Moyer

September 9, 2020

Standing tall and proud, in Ellenwood Park, on the corner of Dowling and Water St., in the small town of Montague, is the World's Largest Working Weathervane.  It raises 48 feet into the sky, the arrow is a lengthy 26 feet across and total weight is 3,500 pounds.  

The weather vane was originally built in 1984 on the small peninsula that jets out into White Lake by Whitehall Products LLC (formally Whitehall Metal Studio), which is known for being the world's largest manufacturer of cast aluminum personalized name and address plaques.  Due to poor subsoils, the weathervane started to tip and became unsafe.  The City of Montague made the decision in 2001 to move it to Ellenwood Park, its current location.  There is ample parking as the park shares its location with a grocery store and an ice cream shop, which is perfect for a cold sweet treat while admiring the gigantic structure.  

The ship that sits on top of the weathervane is the image of the ill-fated schooner, Ella Ellenwood, built in Saginaw, Michigan in 1869 and operated out of White Lake.  On October 1, 1901, it ran aground 8 miles from Milwaukee harbor.  The captain and crew made it to shore safely, but due to the winds and waves, the ship started to break apart.  Astonishingly, the next spring, the nameplate of the ship, ELLENWOOD, was found floating in the White Lake channel.  The nameplate and a small model of the ship is located in the Montague City Hall.  

My daughter joining me on this excursion on September 9, 2020.

I went back March 6, 2021, to show my mother this amazing weathervane as she has never heard about it before. 

I, Jill Moyer, excited to have been able to see the World's Largest Working Weathervane 
 September 9, 2020