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The National Prohibition Act was no match for Hamtramck. Once a small farming village, Hamtramck grew to be a major industrial city in just a decade. With that came enormous social problems and a peculiar concept that the legality of alcohol wasn't a constraint but, rather, an opportunity. Flaunting the infamous law became a way of life in Hamtramck, where it was as easy to get a drink as an ice cream cone. Paddy McGraw proudly ran his speakeasy and brothel with impunity. Mayors Peter Jezewski and Rudolph Tenerowicz were sent to prison for violations but were rewarded by the public. Join author Greg Kowalski as he delves into Hamtramck's raucous prohibition history.

Founded in 1798, Hamtramck shrank in size even as it grew in population. Stuffing tens of thousands of people in 2.1 square miles is bound to breed conflict, and many of those conflicts boiled over into murder. Sunday, September 7, 1884, was supposed to be a day of joy for Fritz Krum, whose child was being christened. Instead, it ended in a fatal stabbing. The 1930 killing of police officer Barney Roth in a reputed mob hit drew national attention. The murder of Hamtramck teen Bernice Onisko remains an open case today, more than eighty years after it occurred. Gathering cases from the late nineteenth century to more recent times, prolific local historian Greg Kowalski takes readers on a journey through Hamtramck homicide.

Experience the sights, sounds, smells and tastes of Hamtramck's past In the twentieth century, Hamtramck rapidly transformed from a gentle farming village into an industrial city. The large field at the south side of town developed into the Dodge Brothers auto plant, which became one of the biggest factories in the world. Virtually overnight, the sounds of farm animals gave way to the clanging of giant steel presses, and boards being hammered into new homes broke the silence of the countryside. The change was so dramatic and swift that it left town officials scrambling to cope and even drew national attention. Tracking these changes and others decade by decade, author Greg Kowalski brings this story to life in extreme detail.

Fueled by a massive immigrant influx in the early 20th century, Hamtramck went from being a small farming village to a major industrial town in the space of 10 years. This phenomenal growth attracted national attention and set the city on a sometimes precarious path toward the future. Despite often teetering on financial ruin, the city has always managed to right itself. Once predominantly Polish, Hamtramck has recently turned in a new direction to become one of the most diverse cities in the nation. This human tapestry--intertwining memorable people, places, and events of the past and present--is woven with the many colors that are so richly evident on these pages.

Hamtramck's population bulged to 56,000 from a mere 3,500 in the early twentieth century, a sixteen-fold increase that created the perfect environment for crime and corruption to flourish. Post-Prohibition, bars sprang up in quick order, until there were at least two hundred within this wide-open town's 2.1 square miles, giving it more bars per capita than any other city in America; even the Dodge brothers served barrels of beer to their workers. Follow local historian Greg Kowalski through the underbelly of Hamtramck, from the "painted women openly flaunting their tainted charms from undraped windows" to the nefarious plots crafted behind the walls of the International Workers Home on Yemens Street. Welcome to the height of Hamtramck's infamy, where anything could happen--for a price.

With a population made up overwhelmingly of Polish immigrants and descendents of Poles, Hamtramck was especially hardhit by the impact of World War II. Most of the citys residents had family contacts with the old country. When Germany invaded Poland on September 1, 1939, Hamtramckans reacted with shock and angerand with a determination to see fascism defeated and Poland freed. Thousands of Hamtramckans fought in the war, hundreds died. And those who remained at home dealt with the wartime life as best they could. Hamtramck: The World War II Years presents a portrait of the city at war. It tells and shows how Hamtramckansof all ages, races, and backgroundscoped with shortages, the threat of attack, and the everpresent dread that the next telegram may bring news of a soldiers death. It was a challenging time that demanded strength, dedication, and sacrifice. Hamtramckans stood up and delivered all that was requiredand more.

Take a fascinating tour of the influential art deco movement and its manifestations in and around Detroit. Since the 1920s, Art Deco, or "The Modern Style," has delighted people with its innovative use of materials and designs that capture the spirit of optimism to create the style of the future. Although the Detroit metro area is primarily known as an industrial region, it boasts some of the finest examples of Art Deco in the country. Through a panorama of photographs,Art Deco in Detroit explores the wide-ranging variety of these architectural marvels, from world-famous structures like the Fisher and Penobscot Buildings, to commercial buildings, theaters, homes, and churches. The grandeur evident in some of the major buildings reflects a time when artisans and architects collaborated to craft structures that transcend functionality - they endure as standing works of art.

For decades, the city of Hamtramck, MI, has had a legendary association with bars. Its 2.1 square miles was packed at one point with at least 200 bars, clubs and other places that served alcohol in some form. During Prohibition, there were hundreds of speakeasies that openly flaunted the law and played host to the whole metro area's leading political figures and upstanding citizens--as well as murderers and thieves--among many others. Hamtramck's bar scene seemingly was not like anywhere else. Through the decades bars in Hamtramck have served as social centers, power bases for politicians, dens of crime, and red-hot venues for cutting-edge music. With their pervasive presence, the bars became cornerstones of the community. It's a staggering thought but the vast array of bars that has flourished in the city have made a powerful contribution to its character and even its existence. Exploring the history of Hamtramck's bars is a fascinating journey that lays out the character of the community--for better and for worse.

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