Black Eden: The Idlewild Community

by Lewis Walker, Benjamin C. Wilson

Black Eden chronicles the history of Idlewild, a Michigan black community founded during the aftermath of the Civil War. As one of the nation’s most popular black resorts, Idlewild functioned as a gathering place for African Americans, and more importantly as a touchstone of black identity and culture. Benjamin C. Wilson and Lewis Walker examine Idlewild’s significance within a historical context, as well as the town’s revitalization efforts and the need for comprehensive planning in future development. In a segregated America, Idlewild became a place where black audiences could see rising black entertainers.

     Profusely illustrated with photos from the authors’ personal collections, Black Eden provides a lengthy discussion about the crucial role that Idlewild played in the careers of artists such as Louis Armstrong, B. B. King, Sammy Davis Jr., Jackie Wilson, Aretha Franklin, and Della Reese. Fundamentally, the book explores issues involved in living in a segregated society, the consequences of the civil rights movement, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and subsequent integration, and the consequences of integration vs. racial solidarity. The authors Did integration kill Idlewild?, suggesting rather that other factors contributed to its decline.

Genres: Nonfiction, History

284 pages, Paperback

First published February 28, 2002

Reviews

[VerJean Mirrielees · Rating 4 out of 5]

An article in Michigan History Magazine and Oh, the things that geocaching reveals.
No clue that this area existed until reading and then searching out a cache in this area.
A interesting expansion on the History magazine article, if you’re close to this area, but you may want to give up about half way through when it becomes a “study” on the economy and sociology of the decaying resort area. Book written in 2000; now the question is what has happened there since? I think, unfortunately, not much. Sad the changes that life takes . . . .

[Nancy Holverson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Little known town of Idlewild, Michigan, and it's big impact on the black community during the time of segregation. Not allowed to vacation where the white population did, a "colored-only" resort emerged, drawing the likes of Sammy Davis, Jr., B.B. King, Aretha Franklin, Jackie Wilson and Della Reese to name a few.

[Jon Miner · Rating 5 out of 5]

The fascinating story of the community of Idlewild Michigan. It was a hopping resort area for African Americans when there weren't many places for them to go and enjoy music, nature and each other.