Category: Story

Stories from the Area 33 Historical Archive, curated by the Area 33 Archivist and the Archives committee.

  • The History and Evolution of Today’s March Roundup

    MARCH ROUNDUP Many unknown facts about the convention we now know as the March Roundup The March Roundup as we know it today had roots that go back to the…

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  • The Country Celebrates Ten Years Of Sobriety

    June 1, 1945 Detroit Celebrates 10 Years of AA It was decided by local (Detroit) members of AA that they would put together a celebration to mark the 10th Anniversary…

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  • The Prayer Used to Open Major Events

    THE DETROIT PRAYER Our Heavenly Father, We ask Thy Blessings on this meeting.Please Bless the Spirit andpurpose of this group.Give us strength to follow this programaccording to Thy will and…

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  • 1943-12-25 Northwest Group Celebration

    Around the Christmas of 1943, the group purchased a Fifth printing of the First edition of our beloved Big Book. It was sent to our co-founder Bill Wilson, for inscribing.…

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  • Westside > Northwest > Plymouth-Ilene Group #0003

    Westside > Northwest > Plymouth-Ilene Group #0003 The North-West Group of Alcoholics Anonymous of the City of Detroit was formed in 1941. It was the outgrowth of a separation. The…

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  • Bill Wilson’s 1st Talk In Detroit

    Bill Wilson’s 1st Talk In Detroit “Ex-Drunks Toast Freedom with Jokes And Ginger Ale”-Detroit News      “Religious Cure For Alcoholism Told by Wilson”-Detroit Free Press “Mix science and religion,…

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  • The First News Article About the Success of AA in Detroit

    The First News Article About the Success of AA in Detroit On August 3, 1941 a 2nd article about Alcoholics Anonymous appears in the Detroit Free Press. It has been…

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  • Metropolitan Area Groups

    Metropolitan Area Groups

    The 1st Inter-Group The first mention of the Metropolitan Area Groups in our files was June 1, 1941. This entity was created because of the urging by Bill Wilson for…

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  • The Saturday Evening Post

    The Saturday Evening Post

    The Saturday Evening Post The History of How the Article Came To Be Jack Alexander of Saturday Evening Post Fame Thought A.A.s Were Pulling His LegAA Grapevine, May, 1945 “Ordinarily,…

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  • East > Eastside > Manistique Group #0002

    East>Eastside>Manistique Group #0002 The archive’s has many small notes and information on this group, much of it appeared to be inaccurate and confusing. We had to dissect the many notes…

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  • The First of Many New Year’s Celebrations

    December 31, 1940 New Year’s Gala This event would be the beginning of many sobriety celebrations. The very first major event held in Detroit was a New Year’s celebration on…

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  • A Dawn of A New Era

    A Dawn of A New Era

    First Public Announcement of Alcoholics Anonymous in Detroit Before this date little or nothing as known about this recovery program for drunks in Detroit. A dawn of a new era…

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  • Detroit > Downtown > Central Group #0001

    Detroit>Downtown>Central Group #0001 We were at first confused by the many names of groups that we were “digging” up, but finally come to realize they were names of the same…

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  • Ypsilanti State Hospital -“First Treatment Center”

    Mutual Aid Organization-for Alcoholics There are many myths and urban legends about the treatment center that help start AA in the metro-Detroit area. We hope this clears up many views.…

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  • The First Pamphlet

    The First Pamphlet

    The Articles from the “Plain Dealer” Considered the 1st Pamphlet These articles appeared in the main Cleveland newspaper, the Plain Dealer, just five months after the first A.A. group was…

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  • Salvation Army > Cap’t Tom > Harbor Light

    CAP’T TOM CROCKER>BIRTH OF HARBOR LIGHT There are many myths and urban legends about Harbor Light in the metro-Detroit area. We hope this clears up many views. Tom Crocker was…

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  • The Bensons-“Friends of AA”

    THE BENSONS-“FRIENDS OF AA” There are many myths and urban legends about the non-alcoholics who helped start AA in the metro-Detroit area. We hope this clears up many legends. The…

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  • “Alcoholics and God”

    “Alcoholics and God”

    “Alcoholics And God” by Morris Markey Charles Towns, owner of Towns’ Hospital where Bill Wilson had sobered up, tried to get publicity for A.A. and finally succeeded. He had known…

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  • An Auto Executive Spirals Out of Control

    H.R. “Mike” Eshleman-“AN INDUSTRIALIST” There are many myths and urban legends about the “second” sober member of Alcoholics Anonymous in the metro-Detroit area. We hope this clears up many views.…

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  • Tom Morrissey-Among The 1st Five Members

    Among the First Five Sober Tom Morrissey, who’s sobriety date was July 29, 1939, was a very humble member. Tom did not leave any photo or much other information behind.…

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  • Sarah Klein-“Angel of A.A.”

    SARAH KLEIN-“ANGEL OF A.A.” There are many myths and urban legends about a non-alcoholic “member” of Alcoholics Anonymous in the metro-Detroit area. We hope this clears up many views. Sarah…

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  • The Connection of the Serenity Prayer to Detroit, Michigan

    THE SERENITY PRAYER…its origin is traced… At long last the mystery of the Serenity Prayer has been solved! We have learned who wrote it, when it was written and how…

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  • Alcoholics Anonymous a.k.a. “The Big Book” is Born

    The process for creating our book, Alcoholics Anonymous The title of the book Bill Wilson wrote is Alcoholics Anonymous, but it is referred to by AA members as the “Big…

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  • The Days Before –  “An Instrument of God”

    There are many myths and urban legends about the first sober member of Alcoholics Anonymous in the metro-Detroit area. We hope this clears up many views. In the late-1930s there…

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