My family moved to Mount Clemens in 1932. My brother Donald was in the 1Oth grade at Mount Clemens High School and I was starting first grade at Lincoln School. My Father was working at Fisher Body in Pontiac Michigan since 1925. He was making $5.00 per day! The stock market crashed in 1929 and the Country was in the Great Depression. He was laid off from Fisher Body, unable to make house payments, they lost their house. “The Depression was now a reality.” With the help of relatives my father opened up a popcorn store in downtown Mount Clemens, next to the old Priehs Dept. Store on Macomb Street. They rented a house on Welts St. for $15.00 per month . When the Country was ‘tooling’ up in 1937 my father went to work at American Aluminum Factory in Detroit. They were able to buy a house in Mount Clemens.I graduated from School in 1944. I was Edison Co. in Mount I married Philip Champion sons were born in Mount and Brian. Ross (Rosco) ens, Mark and Brian live in have four Grand Children. United Methodist Church Mount Clemens High employed at Detroit Clemens until 1955. in 1953 . Our three Clemens. Mark, Ross lives in Mount Clem Petoskey Michigan. I Member of the First since 1943 and am very active with many Church Committees. Past President ofthe Mount CIemens Garden Club and a member since 1981 . Resident of Mount Clemens until the year 2000 and now living in Clinton Township, although I consider Mount Clemens “home”.
Some of my memories of Mount Clemens are …
• Watching the new County Court House being built. I remember they had to stop work on the building until after the Great Depression was over.
• The widening of Gratiot Avenue … “They tore down the old ‘Flat Iron Building”‘.
• When I was a little girl, visiting with Mrs. Lightbourne on the front porch of her Bath House on Welts Street.
• Being nominated Grand DOM for the “Daughters of Macomb” is truly an honor and I am proud to have lived in Mount Clemens and Macomb County for most of my life. This Community is a wonderful place to live!
