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2: Continuation of a Good Deal
- Michigan State University Press
- Chapter
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2 Continuation of aGood Deal IDLEWILD FROM ITS INCEPTION WAS BOTH NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL IN in scope, and between 1915 and 1927, annual African American visitors to Idlewild increased from a few hundred to five or six thousand. Pioneers came from Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, Massachusetts, New York, Kentucky, Georgia, Indiana, Missouri, Texas, and Canada. Furthermore, it is said that there also were visitors from Hawaii and Liberia during the early twenties. According to a 1927 booklet entitled A History ofIdlewild, ... r6,895 lots have already been deeded to approximately 5,630 lot owners. Approximately 3,000 lots are now being bought under contract by ... r,ooo owners , making a total of6,630 people throughout the country who are financially and substantially interested in this wonderful project, and one ofthe outstanding features is the fact that these lot owners represent the cream of the colored popula· tion, men and women ofthe highest type ofeducation and intelligence, members ofall ofthe professions and various enterprises, people ambitious to do something meritorious, people whom it is a pleasure and an inspiration to meet. lhese facts and figures prove that Idlewild is now an established institution resting on the BLACK EDEN: THE IDLEWILD COMMUNIlY most substantial foundation conceivable and it follows that its future can only be one of constructive progress.! THE FORMATION OF IDLEWILD SUMMER RESORT COMPANY In the summer of 1926, Dr. Wilbur Lemon initiated the first carnival and chautauqua as a way of spreading the fame of Idlewild throughout the country . He also decided to capitalize on the resort venture by selling shares, after six weeks of haggling with Mr. William B. Gilmore, deputy chair of the Michigan Securities Commission.2 In the late summer of 1927, the Idlewild Summer Resort Development Company (ISRDC) was incorporated for the purpose of uniting the six thousand active and energetic resorters into one large, disciplined body, bringing Lemon's vision into reality. Since he was driven by the notion of bringing the "best class of colored" to Idlewild, Lemon thought that it would be wise to have two blacks on the ISRDC board. Reverend R. L. Bradby, pastor of Second Baptist in Detroit-the oldest black church in Michigan-was viewed as an ideal candidate. In a letter dated 6 July 1927 to Dr. Wilbur Lemon from W. C. Osby, president of Dunbar Hospital in Detroit, Reverend Bradby is described as "a man ofexemplary character, tempered with an indomitable will to do ... right; a man of vision, diplomacy and business efficiency which is the foundation ofhis present responsibility as pastor of a 5,000 membership church, president of the local branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), and president of the State Baptist Convention; a man whose personal property and other investments approximate $50,000."3 Once the ISRDC was incorporated and chartered to do business, Bradby became first vice president. The other black board member was Chicago attorney Charles A. Wilson. Edgar F. Olson, cashier of Franklin Trust and Savings Bank of Chicago, in a letter dated 7 July 1927 to the Michigan Securities Commission, stated that "... we have known Mr. Charles A. Wilson ... for a number of years, during which time he has carried a satisfactory account in this bank, and on a number of occasions we have referred clients to him, who have been well pleased with the service rendered. We feel confident that any statements that Mr. Wilson makes can be relied upon."4 Wilson became the legal counsel for the ISRDC. The other key players were 30 [18.232.169.110] Project MUSE (2024-03-28 21:02 GMT) Continuation ofa Good Deal David Manson and Herbert F. Kandler, both white, who were chosen as second vice president and secretary and treasurer, respectively. An advisory board, composed ofblack men and women from throughout America but limited to three per city or community, was created, and acted in a special advisory capacity to the officers. Those chosen for the board had to be accomplished role models in their particular line of endeavor and be reputable individuals in their respective communities. Each member of the board was furnished with special emblems of distinction and granted special privileges, and their names and addresses appeared on the stationary and literature ofthe ISRDC. Between the late 1920S and the 1960s, the management of the resort depended heavily on the opinions and advice of this board, which became the Idlewild Lot Owners Association in the late 1920S. Buying stock in the...