 
Jrvass
Member
Username: Jrvass
Post Number: 763
Registered: 01-2007
| | Posted on Monday, June 23, 2008 - 4:30 pm: |    |
Try the hydroplane race organizers. They may have more info. |
Kennyd
Member
Username: Kennyd
Post Number: 21
Registered: 04-2008
| | Posted on Tuesday, June 24, 2008 - 12:12 am: | |
quote:He mentioned a hill by the mansion and I just listened. lol..Does anyone remember a John Brock?
Swtlorraine, I remember a John Brock. Knew him when he was about 15. He was a few years older than me and I knew him through his cousin Dave F*****field. I think Dave's gone now too.
He had kind of a gruff voice and curly hair. Might've lived around Manistique and Korte... That him? |
Davemarc
Member
Username: Davemarc
Post Number: 44
Registered: 06-2008
| | Posted on Thursday, June 26, 2008 - 5:06 pm: | |
No new info but for the bump,I talked to my dad today,He was assigned to the 5th pct.out of the academy.He recalls going there often.He went to lawrence tech for design before he got drafted,so he still remarks how amazing the interior was. |
Old_guy
Member
Username: Old_guy
Post Number: 7
Registered: 04-2008
| | Posted on Friday, August 01, 2008 - 7:33 pm: | |
I'm amazed that there's no sign of John Collier anywhere. He did such an amazing photo documentation of the Garwood and everyone that lived there. I can't seem to find him anywhere on the internet or elsewhere. Even the MySpace Garwood page has dropped the info about a book of his photos that was going to be published. Any info, anybody? |
Sumas
Member
Username: Sumas
Post Number: 183
Registered: 01-2008
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 05, 2008 - 2:06 pm: | |
I tried to find him too. If he is the photographer who retired from (can't remember if it the News or the Freep) He lives in Farmington, MI. That was all I could find out |
1kielsondrive
Member
Username: 1kielsondrive
Post Number: 1
Registered: 08-2008
| | Posted on Sunday, August 10, 2008 - 11:06 pm: | |
I lived at the Gar Wood - really. I paid rent a couple of times but seldom slept there weeknights because I had a summer job many miles away to pay for college. I did spend a lot of time at the house and crashed there frequently, regardless. The lease holders besides Skuratowicz, (if Skuratowicz did indeed hold the lease) were Breeze and/or his brother Tom. At some point, legal maneuvers made Victor and Annie the tenants of record and the remainder of the residents became servants - domestic help. It had to do with the zoning, which I believe was 'one family residential' or something to that effect. I think it was the same zoning regulation that had prevented Emanual 'Manny' Harris(on) from renting it for some years after he had attempted to tear the house down and build multiple units with a marina. 1KD |
Lefty2
Member
Username: Lefty2
Post Number: 1633
Registered: 07-2007
| | Posted on Sunday, August 10, 2008 - 11:24 pm: | |
WOW |
1kielsondrive
Member
Username: 1kielsondrive
Post Number: 3
Registered: 08-2008
| | Posted on Monday, August 11, 2008 - 8:12 pm: | |
Contrary to popular opinion, the Gar Wood was not destroyed by the 'hippie' tenants. We might not have taken the best care of the house but we DID NOT destroy it. It was a party and idiot magnet. People used to show up at all hours. They'd break in doors and climb through windows. I sometimes wondered if they even had a clue that we actually lived there. The house could be quiet, everyone asleep and a bunch of people would show up and start raising hell on the grounds. Boatloads of people would dock in front or in Gar Woods boat well, jump ashore and party like it was their own private boat club. It didn't help that they knew the cops weren't about to come out if called unless they wanted to bust us. 1KD |
Old_guy
Member
Username: Old_guy
Post Number: 8
Registered: 04-2008
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 12, 2008 - 12:06 pm: | |
Glad to hear someone else mention that. I've been upset about that perception ever since I ran across an old article from the free press that interviewed one of the bikers and that became history. The bikers came in at the end and trashed the place, not the other way around as most stories go. Actually, most of the people that lived there had jobs or worked in the music business. I can even remember one time when someone that lived at the house and taught at Wayne State set up a seminar at the house. Several Michigan supreme court judges showed up and I had brunch with William Kunstler in the ballroom. It was a group of people that were trying to connect with what 'hippies' were thinking and where the movement was headed. It lasted for several days. There were a large number of interesting things that took place at the mansion during that period of time. Yes, it was an incredible party house, but no, it was not destroyed by the 'hippies.' Thanks 1kielsondrive for verifying that. |
1kielsondrive
Member
Username: 1kielsondrive
Post Number: 4
Registered: 08-2008
| | Posted on Wednesday, August 13, 2008 - 1:23 am: | |
The idiot biker that was pictured in the paper had come out on a number of occasions. He usually came by himself or with just a few other bikers. He was a 'pussy' who wore biker oufits that made him look like Napolean. Caps, patches and ropes on his shoulders and such nonsense. He, I and a few others were on the roof of the boathouse one night at a party and one of the residents suggested throwing him into the boatwell. He certainly didn't react like most 'real' bikers would have, he just hustled his ass back into the house. I'm pretty sure he walked with a limp and a cane. Does that ring a bell? I can't remember how we accessed the roof of the boathouse. Old-guy, do you remember? 1KD |
1kielsondrive
Member
Username: 1kielsondrive
Post Number: 5
Registered: 08-2008
| | Posted on Wednesday, August 13, 2008 - 1:22 pm: | |
I've thought about it and I believe we crawled through a window from Gar Wood's master suite onto the roof. 1KD |
Old_guy
Member
Username: Old_guy
Post Number: 9
Registered: 04-2008
| | Posted on Thursday, August 14, 2008 - 8:30 pm: | |
I don't actually ever remember being on the roof of the boat house, but the master suite was on that side of the house and would have been a likely way to get there. Those were nice bedrooms with windows that also opened into the ballroom from the second floor. Wow, I haven't heard Breeze's name in a long time. He was a great guy. |
1kielsondrive
Member
Username: 1kielsondrive
Post Number: 14
Registered: 08-2008
| | Posted on Monday, August 18, 2008 - 4:36 pm: | |
Old_guy, I'm sure you remember that the windows of Gar Woods master suite and the two bedrooms directly across the ballroom from his suite all opened, veranda style, out over the ballroom. It was the best viewing place in the house if a party and/or concert was going on. It wasn't the best place to be if the organ was fired up, usually by Sam(last name lost to the Ozone). Movies were often shown from these locations to the walls on the opposite side, at or above second floor level. 1KD |
1kielsondrive
Member
Username: 1kielsondrive
Post Number: 15
Registered: 08-2008
| | Posted on Monday, August 18, 2008 - 7:12 pm: | |
Old_guy, run a few names by me of the residents and hangers on that you knew from the house. I'll reply with a few. 1KD |
Old_guy
Member
Username: Old_guy
Post Number: 10
Registered: 04-2008
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 19, 2008 - 5:17 pm: | |
Again, things are a little fuzzy after all these years. Of course there was Larry, from Stonefront, his gal Nancy, his brother Gary, was there for a while. I remember Fergie, a Detroit native and a guy, I believe his name was Chris, a carpenter from Detroit. Also Oklahoma Mike, Bushmark, Breeze & Gus. Other people from the band and Eugene. I can still picture a lot of faces but can't put the names with them. I have a friend that has a picture of about 40 people, mostly residents and friends that was shot outside the house by John Collier, but I haven't been able to locate him in about six years. |
1kielsondrive
Member
Username: 1kielsondrive
Post Number: 18
Registered: 08-2008
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 19, 2008 - 7:28 pm: | |
Old-guy, thanks big time for that. I knew Larry and Gary Merryman. Larry was kind of an as*h*le at times. He wasn't a happy camper. Gary was as nice and cool as could be. I vaguely remember Nancy. Fergie I knew as well as Stone and Charlie. Chris was an on again, off again junkie. Nice guy though. Never a problem with him. He lived in the attic. Last I saw Chris was at a bar in A2, many years ago, with Breeze and a couple of CMU'ers who hung at the house. Chris was blotto that night. Well, we all were. But I think he was the only one jonesed out. I don't remember Oklahoma Mike or Bushmark, unless you're calling Mark Hooper by that name - 'Bushmark'. Hooper was a mainstay. He lived in the house and somehow or other befriended J.Geils, amongst other bands. So J. Geils' would show up at the house whenever they were playing in town. Eugene Skuratowicz also wasn't the nicest person. I think that's why he and Larry Merrymen got along so well. They were both quite a bit older than most of the rest of us. But it's not like they weren't getting high, partying any differently, or showing any more responsibility. They just seemed to look down on us. Who really cared in the long run? I was too busy getting high and getting laid to worry about it much. It'd be great if you could find your friend. I'd love to see the photos. Thanks again. More later. 1KD |
Old_guy
Member
Username: Old_guy
Post Number: 11
Registered: 04-2008
| | Posted on Wednesday, August 20, 2008 - 4:16 pm: | |
Yeah, you're right, Larry and Gary were like night and day. Bushmark and Hooper weren't the same people. But Hooper was one of those people that I can picture, but couldn't put a name to. He was a good time. I was always amazed at how he could go to a concert or club, get backstage, and then show up at the house with the band after the show. And we're talking big name bands. Charlie sounds familiar too. |
Mortalman
Member
Username: Mortalman
Post Number: 66
Registered: 03-2007
| | Posted on Wednesday, August 20, 2008 - 6:34 pm: | |
Does anyone know if there are any Garwood descendants? And, why was it vacated in the 1st place? |
Kathinozarks
Member
Username: Kathinozarks
Post Number: 1405
Registered: 11-2006
| | Posted on Wednesday, August 20, 2008 - 7:45 pm: | |
Oldguy and Kielson, I just loved reading your remembrances, and clearing up the old "hippies done that place in" school of thought. My parents definitely told me that. Oh, and scary, scary biker guys like Hell's Angels would hang out there, was another way of keeping me uninterested in venturing a look see.
Too bad, I would've loved that place to death. |
1kielsondrive
Member
Username: 1kielsondrive
Post Number: 22
Registered: 08-2008
| | Posted on Thursday, August 21, 2008 - 12:03 am: | |
There were bikers hanging out at the house from time to time. I'd heard from residents that they'd threatened us on occasion. For what I don't know or recall, nor do I remember hearing any unusual threats personally. I do remember they were as welcome as anyone, if they behaved, and for most part, they behaved to my knowledge. Yeah, there were some moments with them, but considering just the shear number of people that came and hung out, not to mention the number of as*h*#s, it wasn't a huge problem. I'll talk more about us freaks leaving and the bikers taking over. It actually happened when I was out of town and I returned to an unexpected heartbreaking, ugly scene. Does this sound like an excerpt from a book? The adventures of 1KD and Old-guy at the Gar Wood. It is. 1KD |
Old_guy
Member
Username: Old_guy
Post Number: 12
Registered: 04-2008
| | Posted on Thursday, August 21, 2008 - 4:43 pm: | |
This might seem a little windy, but I can give you a little insight into the changeover when you were out of town 1KD. A few of us had moved to A2 and I thought the lease had been lost or they were trying to get everybody out of the house. Larry, and a few others thought it should all end with a big bang. Somebody who knew some of the Outlaws, knew they were looking for a place to hold their national convention that year. So they were invited to come there during the last big party. A few people managed to get a few nice artifacts out of the house the day before, like the chandelier in the entry way. They were trying to figure out a way to get the Steinway concert player grand piano out of the ballroom but it was just too big a project. The bikers ended up smashing it and burning it in the fireplace.
We showed up for the party that weekend and it was a big one. The bikers had chapters from all over the country, and there were a lot of them. The party got tense at times but because they'd been invited, they didn't pull a lot of shit. About six of us were partying in one of the upstairs rooms when the sun came up and we decided to head back to A2. The bikers were the only other people left in the house and they were passed out everywhere. As we were going out the door, I remembered that I had stashed an un-opened bottle of wine under a couch cushion in the ballroom. I thought, hey, that would be perfect for the ride home. So, like an idiot, I walked into the ballroom where probably 30 or 40 bikers were sleeping. My buddies were waiting by the door. I reached under the cushion and there it was. I grabbed it and started to walk out when I heard somebody yell at me. It was a big dude that asked me where I was going with the wine. I told him it was mine and started to head out again. Of course he claimed it was his. At this point a bunch of them are waking up and circling me. So, I said, here you go. When he asked me why I was stealing his wine, I came back with, well, actually I thought it was mine. At that point he moved on to, either it's my wine and you're stealing it from me, or you're saying it's your wine and you're calling me a liar, which is it. Gotta love biker logic. By then he's standing with his face about eight inches from mine and there's about 15 bikers standing around us yelling, kill the f.......er. I knew if I threw a punch, I was a dead man, and I knew if I tried to back down I was a goner. So I utilized a strategy I picked up from hanging around with the STP family a few years before in Colorado, I spit in his face. Dead on. He immediately got a big grin on his face and blew one straight back at me. Then, naturally, I spit in my hand and put it out to him for a shake. He did the same thing and said, you're alright for a hippie, we'll drink the wine together. I agreed, still surprised that I was still alive. I can still picture looking at the door, through the length of the ballroom with the sunlight streaming in and my buddies standing there, and I yelled to them that I was going to hang out and I'd catch up with them later. They tried to talk me out of it but it was an incredibly tense situation and the other bikers convinced them they better leave. So this biker dude and I bonded and drank all day and into the evening. Just before dark, I tried slipping out and got about halfway to the bridge on foot when I heard a motorcycle coming. It was him. He wanted to know where I was going and I just told him I thought things were winding down and I might as well head out. He laughed and said, hop on the back, you're with us now. So, I rode back to the house and continued drinking with him till about 3am. By then pretty much everybody had passed out again and I slipped off down the driveway again, this time sticking to the shadows. That time I made it, and then luckily made it on foot about twenty blocks through that neighborhood in the middle of the night. That was the last time I ever saw the Garwood. After that, I don't know what happened at the house other than seeing some of the pictures of the destruction around the grounds.
I was watching a documentary on PBS about 20 years ago about bike gangs. There was a part in there about this biker from Florida that had nailed a girls hands to a tree and raped her. And it was that same dude. I remembered some of the bikers at the party telling that story but I didn't think it was true. When I saw that on TV I remember my hair standing straight up. Whew, long story. Anyway, that was my last memory of the Garwood, and it was actually my only bad memory of the Garwood. |
1kielsondrive
Member
Username: 1kielsondrive
Post Number: 29
Registered: 08-2008
| | Posted on Thursday, August 21, 2008 - 8:54 pm: | |
Old_guy, that's an incredible story. I've told some stories in my day but that's a great one. Thank you for it. The best part of your story is that I can see it taking place. All of the surroundings. The ballroom, the grand piano, the driveway, the walk up Kielson Drive to the bridge (done that many times). Your life was probably in more danger walking through the neighborhood than it was with the bikers. I visualized you as a character in a Fabulous Furry Freak Brother's cartoon. I used to go out to the house with my friends on our bikes - a motley assortment of Harleys, Triumphs, Nortons, Enfields, Guzzis, etc. I always told my friends to never stop along Connors or any other streets around there due to the odd activities. Just slow down, look both ways and blast it. I'd heard different bits and pieces of the final 'battle', so to speak, on many occasions, but never as complete as yours. I'll tell you later when and how I came to the Gar Wood at the tail end of the final party. I probably missed you by hours. But first, did you move to Brooks Street in A2 with Breeze, Linda and Chris? 1KD |
Mortalman
Member
Username: Mortalman
Post Number: 76
Registered: 03-2007
| | Posted on Thursday, August 21, 2008 - 9:19 pm: | |
Does anyone know if there are any Garwood descendants? And, why was it vacated in the 1st place? |
1kielsondrive
Member
Username: 1kielsondrive
Post Number: 30
Registered: 08-2008
| | Posted on Thursday, August 21, 2008 - 10:44 pm: | |
Mortalman, I believe Gar Wood has children still alive. Don't know for sure where I got that from - maybe in the Detroityes Gar Wood archives. Check out whatever is on this site. I'll keep my ears open for anything additional and maybe we'll get lucky here. 1KD |
Mortalman
Member
Username: Mortalman
Post Number: 79
Registered: 03-2007
| | Posted on Thursday, August 21, 2008 - 10:59 pm: | |
1KD, do you have any idea how it came to be that the Garwood Mansion became abandoned? |
Lefty2
Member
Username: Lefty2
Post Number: 1771
Registered: 07-2007
| | Posted on Thursday, August 21, 2008 - 11:00 pm: | |
Yes there are a few, do you need to get in touch with them? |
Mortalman
Member
Username: Mortalman
Post Number: 80
Registered: 03-2007
| | Posted on Thursday, August 21, 2008 - 11:12 pm: | |
I don't need or want to get in touch with them. I'm just curious about the lineage and if there are any left. I rode with the Outlaws as an initiate just after I got back from Nam way back in the day and spent a couple of nights there partying. Then drifted down to Atlanta and rode with the Atlanta Chapter when David Allen Coe was the president just before he went to prison on that murder rap. |
1kielsondrive
Member
Username: 1kielsondrive
Post Number: 31
Registered: 08-2008
| | Posted on Friday, August 22, 2008 - 1:27 am: | |
Mortalman, read Old_guys post (the long one)just before mine. That pretty much sums up the last chapter of occupancy of the house. 1KD |
Mortalman
Member
Username: Mortalman
Post Number: 82
Registered: 03-2007
| | Posted on Friday, August 22, 2008 - 11:02 am: | |
1KD that's a good post. I think I was there the night he mentions in that post. I think I know the guy he's talking about whose face he spit into. If I'm not mistaken it was Earl "Moose" Hymes that is no longer with us from what I heard. Those were some crazy days for sure. And, if that wasn't enough i was so bored out of my mind that I reenlisted back in the Corps and went back for a 3rd tour in Nam which was my bad luck! But hey that's life in the fast lane and besides it was my choice!! But, getting back to the Garwood Mansion those were really days that make for great stories, now. Not to change the subject but there was a place called "the Hippie House" right behind "Old Main" on the campus of WSU where we use to party a lot, also. I'll talk about in more detail if anyone is interested. But, one of the things I remember the most from those days was a band called the Shadowfax (Not sure of the spelling)with a guy named Bobby MacDonald that was the lead singer if I'm not mistaken. It seems like a lot of the people I use to see at the Garwood Mansion also showed up at "the Hippie House" |
Old_guy
Member
Username: Old_guy
Post Number: 13
Registered: 04-2008
| | Posted on Friday, August 22, 2008 - 3:48 pm: | |
1KD, no I didn't live there. I was there on occasion. All I remember about it was that half the pictures that were hung on the walls(by him) were at about 7 feet and the other ones (that Linda put up) were at about 3 feet. I do believe that Breeze was one of the people with me on that last day, standing at the front door. |