Is this the worst piece of sidewalk in Lansing? Probably not, but it is the worst one I can think of on the east side, and I’ve walked all over the east side. It’s worse than no sidewalk at all since it’s an outrageous trip hazard. It looks like the rubble left after a Godzilla attack.
Of course, the culprit is not Godzilla or even Godzilla weed (though eventually I think the east side is going to be destroyed by the latter), but the usual suspect: a big old tree. These things happen and I’d rather have trees and busted sidewalks than perfect sidewalks on barren avenues. It’s the length of time this has been broken that lands this in the Hall of Shame. It has been this bad for at least the time I’ve been walking this stretch regularly (that is, around three years) and probably longer, and the most the city has done about it is spray fluorescent paint on all the edges. That doesn’t help much with my night-time mountaineering expeditions over it.
Anyway, in case anyone wants some advance warning, it’s on the south side of Eureka Street between Rosamond and Clifford.
This “Type 2” DPW stamp is on the south side of Eureka Street just west of Pennsylvania. It’s in front of a really handsome 1906 Dutch Colonial house.
You’ll have to take my word for it about the handsome house. I am reluctant to be too obviously pointing a camera at someone’s house when I’m wandering around outside at 11 at night.
This is on the south side of Eureka Street between Virginia and Jones. I see these E.F. Sheets stamps here and there, especially in the neighborhood near Sparrow Hospital, north of Michigan. I find it curious that stamps often seem to be more common in some blocks than others.
Unfortunately, and surprisingly, I have not been able to turn up any information at all about E.F. Sheets. I welcome any information any reader may have.
Looking west on Eureka, toward a stretch of scofflaws who have not cleared their damned sidewalks.
Here’s an interesting one (another 1924 stamp, like yesterday’s) on the north side of Eureka Street between Jones and Bingham. I wish I had kicked that cigarette butt out of the way. It was getting dark and I was worried about losing the light, so I must not have noticed it. Well, it adds authenticity. The curving layout is something I notice mainly in stamps from the 1920s and earlier, though occasionally it pops up in newer ones, like one of the variations of Able Construction.
In an August 11, 1928 advertisement in the Lansing State Journal classified pages, I find this: “CEMENT WORK Of all kinds. Phone 2793. 609 N. Grand River. Wm Meister.” There is no such address as 609 N. Grand River today, but Grand River’s routing is such a mess in that part of town that the spot in question has very likely received a new address since the 1920s and might be on a different street entirely.
I also find this interesting brief news item:
In Fred Johnson and William Meister, the city park board has found a happy combination for the building and laying of a new entrance to Moores Park from Woodlawn Avenue. Johnson, fireplace builder and expert stone mason, and Meister, cement worker, volunteered for the job. Both have been employed for years in Lansing in contracting work in their line. According to Lee Bancroft, city forester, the new walk will be one of the most attractive and artistic of any in any of the municipal walks. The walk leads from Woodlawn Avenue down a grade into the east part of the park. Because of the grade several landings will be made. The whole length of the new walk is about 55 feet. Cobble, or field stones, are being used by Johnson for the sides of the walk and for ornamental purposes. Meister is laying the landings and steps. The walks wind down into the park by easy stages and nearly all of it is under fine old trees. Following the completion of the walk the park board plans to embower the walk with shrubs and ornamental bushes. An artistic approach of pergola effect is to ornament the head of the walk at Woodlawn Avenue.
Lansing State Journal, July 7, 1927
Today I learned that “embower” is a word. I am not very familiar with Moores Park, so I don’t know what the walk in question looks like today. I will have to go over there and look for it sometime.
Looking east on Eureka St.
I can find a William Meister buried in Hillside Cemetery in Delta Mills. He lived 1872 to 1935. This could be our Mr. Meister. Then again, it could well have been a common name at the time, or this could be a relative. And sadly, that’s all I can tell you about William Meister.
Here’s an old DPW stamp, on the north side of Eureka Street between Lathrop and Clifford, and for a change I can read the month on it: May.
Figuring out when they quit stamping a month with the year will be interesting. It looks like they had already quit stamping the exact date, which they did at least through most of 1918.
