Idlewild, Michigan
“A national meeting place where the leading spirits from the various sections of the Country may gather and discuss problems of national and race importance… And Idlewild being located as it is in the heart of the great resort sections of Michigan makes it ideal for the combination of business and pleasure.” — Madame C.J. Walker
Historic Community Planning & Outreach
In 2022-2023, Idlewild embarked on a historic community planning initiative to identify key historic assets for additional historical markers, and to understand areas that could support preservation, adaptive reuse, and new developments while honoring the character and heritage of Idlewild.
This effort was led by a local community work group and supported by external consultants, The Right Place Inc., and MSU Extension. Funding for the process was generously supported by the Fremont Area Community Foundation.
“For sheer physical beauty - for sheen of water and golden air, for nobleness of tree and flower shrub… it is the beautifulest stretch I have seen for twenty years; and then to that add fellowship - sweet, strong women and keen-witted men… all with the wide leisure of rest and play - can you imagine a more marvelous thing than Idlewild?”
— W.E.B. DuBois, “Hopkinsville, Chicago & Idlewild”, The Crisis (August 1921).