Still, even with the “whiteout” that Detroit is going through, its black roots refuse to stay buried deep beneath the concrete sidewalks, black asphalt roads, and constant development over the last 200 years and some. Earlier this week, the new Shinola Hotelopened on the corner of Woodward Avenue and Grand River. The retail alley directly behind it was named “Parker’s Alley” after Thomas Parker, one of the first blacks to own land in the city in 1809, after the city of Detroit burned to the ground in 1805.
One block north is Club Bleu Detroit, a popular nightclub situated at 1540 Woodward. It was once land deeded to a man named Pompey, a black slave in Detroit as told by blogger Paul Sewick. A skilled sailor, Pompey was originally owned by a named you are sure to recognize, wealthy businessman Joseph Campau, who sold him in June of 1792 to prominent Judge James May for 38 pounds. October 19, 1794 May sold Pompey to merchant John Askin for 45 pounds, who sold Pompey to James Donaldson January 3, 1795 for 50 pounds.
Successful lawyer and merchant James A. Abbott Jr. then became the owner of Pompey. His father, James A. Abbott Sr., was a very wealthy fur trader and postmaster who died in 1800 and passed down his property and estate, including Pompey, to his children.