Idlewild
Stephens, Ronald Jemal.
Idlewild the rise, decline, and rebirth of a unique African American resort town / [electronic resource] : Ronald J. Stephens. - Ann Arbor : University of Michigan Press/Regional, 2013. - 1 online resource (pages cm)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
" In 1912, white land developers founded Idlewild, an African American resort community in western Michigan. Over the following decades, the town became one of the country's foremost vacation destinations for the black middle class, during its peak drawing tens of thousands of visitors annually and hosting the era's premier entertainers, such as The Four Tops, Della Reese, Brook Benton, and George Kirby. With the civil rights movement and the resulting expansion of recreation options available to African Americans, Idlewild suffered a sharp social and economic decline, and by the early 1980s the town had become a struggling retirement community in the midst of financial and political crises. Meticulously researched and unearthing never-before-seen historical material, Ronald J. Stephens's book examines the rapid rise and decline of this pivotal landmark in African American and leisure history, in the process exploring intersections among race, class, tourism, entertainment, and historic preservation in the United States. Featuring a wealth of fieldwork on contemporary Idlewild, the book also takes a candid look at recent revitalization efforts and analyzes the possibilities for a future resurgence of this national treasure"--
9780472029204 0472029207
SOCIAL SCIENCE / Ethnic Studies / African American Studies.
HISTORY / United States / 20th Century.
African Americans--Social conditions.--Michigan--Idlewild
African Americans--Social life and customs.--Michigan--Idlewild
African Americans--History.--Michigan--Idlewild
Idlewild (Mich.)--Social conditions.
Idlewild (Mich.)--Social life and customs.
Idlewild (Mich.)--History.
Electronic books.
F574.I35 / S74 2013
977.4/68
Idlewild the rise, decline, and rebirth of a unique African American resort town / [electronic resource] : Ronald J. Stephens. - Ann Arbor : University of Michigan Press/Regional, 2013. - 1 online resource (pages cm)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
" In 1912, white land developers founded Idlewild, an African American resort community in western Michigan. Over the following decades, the town became one of the country's foremost vacation destinations for the black middle class, during its peak drawing tens of thousands of visitors annually and hosting the era's premier entertainers, such as The Four Tops, Della Reese, Brook Benton, and George Kirby. With the civil rights movement and the resulting expansion of recreation options available to African Americans, Idlewild suffered a sharp social and economic decline, and by the early 1980s the town had become a struggling retirement community in the midst of financial and political crises. Meticulously researched and unearthing never-before-seen historical material, Ronald J. Stephens's book examines the rapid rise and decline of this pivotal landmark in African American and leisure history, in the process exploring intersections among race, class, tourism, entertainment, and historic preservation in the United States. Featuring a wealth of fieldwork on contemporary Idlewild, the book also takes a candid look at recent revitalization efforts and analyzes the possibilities for a future resurgence of this national treasure"--
9780472029204 0472029207
SOCIAL SCIENCE / Ethnic Studies / African American Studies.
HISTORY / United States / 20th Century.
African Americans--Social conditions.--Michigan--Idlewild
African Americans--Social life and customs.--Michigan--Idlewild
African Americans--History.--Michigan--Idlewild
Idlewild (Mich.)--Social conditions.
Idlewild (Mich.)--Social life and customs.
Idlewild (Mich.)--History.
Electronic books.
F574.I35 / S74 2013
977.4/68