John and Horace Dodge were pivotal figures in the American auto industry. After splitting with Henry Ford they laid the foundation for their own auto company, which became a huge presence in the auto industry.

In the process, they transformed the village of Hamtramck from a dusty little farming town of 3,500 people to a major city of 48,000 in the span of 10 years. This astonishing growth was due to the opening for the Dodge Main factory at the southern edge of Hamtramck in 1914.

Dodge Main became one of the largest factories in the world. And the Dodge Brothers - who were as flamboyant and notorious as they were talented - flourished until their untimely deaths within the space of one year of each other in 1920.

The story of the Dodge Brothers will be recounted in a special program - "Dodge Days Afternoon" at 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 24, at the Hamtramck Public Library, 2360 Caniff.

"Dodge Days Afternoon" will feature a slide show and lecture by Charles K. Hyde, author of "The Dodge Brothers: The Men, The Motor Cars, and The Legacy" and an authority on the Dodge Brothers and the Chrysler Corporation.

Hyde will recount the colorful lives of John and Horace Dodge with photos of their lives and work. Hyde will also be available to sign copies of his book.

In addition, the Hamtramck Historical Commission's collection of Dodge memorabilia will be on display at the library. And there will be a viewing of a film showing the demolition of Dodge Main in 1981.

History buffs, auto enthusiasts, former Dodge employees and anyone interested in this important and dramatic story of the local auto industry will find this presentation fascinating.

"Dodge Days Afternoon" is sponsored by the Hamtramck Historical Commission and the Hamtramck Public Library.

It's free and refreshments will be available. The library is easily accessibly, just a few blocks east of the I-75 - Caniff exit, 1 mile south of Davison.

For information, contact Greg Kowalski, chairman, Hamtramck Historical Commission.

A host of events will be held by the Hamtramck Historical Commission over the Labor Day weekend.

The highlight of the weekend, which coincides with the city festival, will be the dedication of the Dodge Main state historical marker. The dedication ceremony will take place at 11 a.m. Monday, Sept. 3 - Labor Day - at Veterans Memorial Park on Jos. Campau, south of Holbrook in Hamtramck.

Members of the Dodge Brothers Club, Inc., will bring in their classic cars for the ceremony. The cars will also take part in the annual Polish Day Parade at 1:30 p.m. that day on Jos. Campau.

The historical marker was acquired by the Dodge Brothers Club, Inc., a national association of Dodge enthusiasts, working in cooperation with the Hamtramck Historical Commission. Keynote address at the dedication will be delivered by Charles Hyde, author of the book “The Dodge Brothers.” Mr. Hyde is a Wayne State University professor, historian and the recognized authority on the Dodge Brothers and the history of the Chrysler Corp.

Dodge Main was one of the largest factories in the world and was credited with building modern Hamtramck. At its peak nearly 45,000 people were employed at the plant that covered 5 million square feet of floor space. Construction of the plant began in 1910 and the first Dodge rolled off the assembly line in 1914. Dodge Main was demolished in 1981.

Virtually no trace of the plant remains, and the site is now occupied by the GM Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly Plant. The site of the historical marker is about one-quarter mile north of where Dodge Main stood.

In conjunction with the dedication, Mr. Hyde will present a lecture and do a book signing at 2 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 2, at the Hamtramck Public Library, 2360 Caniff.

In addition, at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 1 - the anniversary of the start of World War II - Greg Kowalski will do a slide presentation and signing of his new book, “Hamtramck: The World War II Years” at the library. The book includes more than 200 photos of Hamtramck taken during the war years. Most have not been seen in 60 years, and include such memorable scenes as the big bond rally hosted by Abbott and Costello.

All events are free and open to the public.

Walter J. Chrusciel had a deep love of Hamtramck, and when he died recently his wish was to help preserve Hamtramck’s history.

In his will, he left $20,000 to the Hamtramck Historical Commission and the Hamtramck Public Library to work on a joint project to digitize all the historic photos in the Commission and Library’s files. These will be placed on a new Web site that will make the photos available to all persons. The Historical Commission frequently gets requests from all over the country for photos, and this project will make it possible for anyone anywhere to tap into the resources of the Commission and the Library.

The $20,000 donation was made at a special ceremony held July 14 at the library. Chrusciel’s attorney, Robert Kaczmarek, made the presentation.

The Historical Commission and the Library have hundreds of photos. Not all have been archived as yet. That will be done as part of this project. The next step is for the Library and the Historical Commission to appoint a committee to develop the project scope, guidelines and begin the digitization process.

This is the largest contribution the Historical Commission has received to date.

Other projects

The Historical Commission is actively workings on a variety of projects. Here’s a rundown:

* The Commission is working in conjunction with St. Florian Parish to get a state historical marker for the church and the surrounding historical district. The plan is to have the marker in place for St. Florian’s 100th anniversary celebration in 2007. Along with that, the Historical Commission is working on producing a 100th anniversary book for the parish. Dr. Ted Radzilowski, of the Piast Institute, has agreed to update the superb 75th anniversary book he did for the parish.

* As part of its Restore Hamtramck program, the Commission is rebuilding and will replace the historic huge birdhouse that once stood in front of St. Francis Hospital. A local artist is recreating the birdhouse along the design of the original structure, which was about 4-feet tall. It will be placed on a pole at Zussman Park in front of City Hall, which used to be St. Francis hospital.

* Commission Chairman Greg Kowalski has received notification from Michigan History magazine that a story he submitted on the Tau Beta organization has been accepted for publication. No date has been set yet for its appearance. Tau Beta was once one of the most significant social organizations in Michigan and was critically important in molding Hamtramck as we know it.

* New Commissioner Hillary Cherry is working on two projects: She is conducting a survey of all corner stores that once existed in Hamtramck. At one time there were hundreds, and many remain, although converted into living spaces. Hillary is also contacting Wayne County to track down some records of Hamtramck Township we have learned still exist.

* Commissioner Dennis Orlowski has nearly completed his wonderful mural on the history of Hamtramck. The mural, more than 100 feet long and 5 feet tall, traces the history of Hamtramck from Ice Age to the present. It is highly detailed and superbly executed and even features some local faces that Orlowski used as models. The mural lines the wall of the main room of Peoples Community Services building on Jos. Campau. A September dedication is being planned.

* The Commission continued to acquire new material. Our collection now numbers several thousand individual items. Some of the most interesting items we have acquired lately include two newspapers from 1792, featuring items about Col. Hamtramck. We also have three newspapers from 1870 that have stories about Hamtramck Township events.

* New displays have been placed at City Hall. They include a variety of items, ranging from Mayor Rudolph Tenerowicz’s doctor’s bag to an original wooden water pipe.

* We continue to fill in the gaps in Hamtramck’s early history. We have acquired more old maps and some county records that mention the construction of ditches in Hamtramck in the 1860s.

* Student volunteer Joshua Saganski is doing a survey of all building name and date stones.