Famous Detroit home of civil rights hero Ossian Sweet spared from blaze

In September 1925, a black physician and his family bought a charming bungalow in an all-white neighborhood on Detroit’s east side.

A few days later, a hostile white mob tried to force Dr. Ossian Sweet and his family from their Garland Street home. But some of Sweet’s family and friends were armed and shot into the volatile crowd, striking two people.
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An all-white jury acquitted the family and their friends of murder charges in what famously became known as the Sweet Trials.

The house survived another close call Wednesday night after a fire spread through three neighboring homes.

Firefighters arrived to find a fully engulfed home that was two houses from the famous 2905 Garland bungalow. The fire spread to the house next door, but firefighters were able to contain the blaze.

The neighborhood at Charlevoix and Garland has rapidly declined since the 1920s. Many of the houses are vacant and gutted of scrap metal.

The house played an important role in African American history because it affirmed black people’s rights to defend their homes against white mobs. In the first half of the 20th century, black people were largely prohibited from living in white neighborhoods. It wasn’t uncommon for violent mobs to force African Americans from their homes.

  civil rights, fire, Fire department, Garland street, Ossian Sweet, steve

Steve Neavling

Steve Neavling lives and works in Detroit as an investigative journalist. His stories have uncovered corruption, led to arrests and reforms and prompted FBI investigations.

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