History on the Eastside of Flint, Michigan.

In the 1700s during the early 18th Century, many former residents known as settlers from the East Coast of the United States had settled to find homeland on what is known as the Eastside of Flint, Michigan today. The late 1700s is where farmers from the East Coast had settled in the Flint area. These citizens were known as the pioneers of Flint, Michigan. Many setters had came from New York, New Jersey, Vermont, and Maine to settle in Flint. In fact, citizens from Canada had settled in Michigan state to become settlers as well. This are would later become to be known as Eastside and Eastside Flint as people would refer it to.


In the 1800s during the 19th Century, The Eastside of Flint was vastly all farmland and community gardens. Many vast lands on the Eastside of Flint were once farmlands for dairy products. The Eastside of Flint was once considered valley land out in the country surrounded by numerous forests. Nothing was really out there.

During this time around the 1800s is Canadian citizens had become settlers in Michigan. Citizens from Canada had settled in Michigan state to become settlers. That is how Michigan has such a close friendly relationship with the country of Canada. Canadians had settles in Flint and Detroit proper.

The sight of dairy farms were a common sight to see when traveling down Dort Highway (Michigan Highway 54). Vegetable farms and grass farms were a common sight as well. Community gardens were a prevalent element to the Eastside of Flint too. Some of the land on the Eastside was owned by the Perry family. The land that the Perry family owned land were Lowell Junior High School currently sits. The Perry family had owned much land on the Eastside where Williams Elementary and Lowell Junior High are currently located.

In the 1890s is when the Eastside of Flint was in its first stages of urbanization. This is when significant sights of farmlands started disappearing around the turn of the 20th Century. Farmland started being bought out from the city of Flint and by realtors. Much of this area was not even close to urbanization and gentrification however. Many residents of the Eastside were poorer citizens as Eastside Flint was designed for lower class citizens of the economy system as originally planned by the Flint city planners.


During the very beginning of the 20th century around 1900 is when the city of Flint officials decided to ask realtors to build houses on the Eastside of Flint to make it a small urban area as a residential place. The Eastside was becoming a residential place ideal for people to move there.

Prior to 1930, the Eastside of Flint, Michigan was not developed as the Civic Park and Dewey Park neighborhoods along with Downtown Flint. The Eastside of Flint was vastly all farmland and community gardens. The Eastside of Flint was once considered valley land out in the country surrounded by numerous forests. Nothing was really out there. The sight of dairy farms were still a common sight to see when traveling down Dort Highway (Michigan Highway 54). Vegetable farms and grass farms were a common sight as well. Community gardens were a prevalent element to the Eastside of Flint too.

In 1930 is when the city of Flint officials decided to ask realtors to build more houses and businesses on the Eastside of Flint to make it a small urban area. The Eastside of Flint had a small urban center with many small local businesses by 1940. The location in the neighborhood was an ideal place for retail and business expeditions. Business ventures were created on the Eastside. The Eastside of Flint was in its prime during the 1940s and 1950s.


The 1950s was the decade of prosperity when Flint was at its peak. This was when Flint was doing at their peak years. The state of Michigan proved to be a beacon of prosperity and business. Even though Flint was prosperous, the seeds of decline were eventually planted.

Race relations were not always in good standing in Flint prior to 1950 despite many public schools in Flint being integrated before Federal discrimination laws were put into place in the United States requiring public schools to be racially integrated and to be desegregated. Many schools in Flint were already desegregated before 1950.
Dort Highway (Michigan Highway 54) was the racial barrier of Flint that divided Black citizens from the White citizens and Hispanic citizens prior to 1950. Black citizens were not permitted by law and local ordinance to reside on the Eastside of Flint.

Churches started popping up around the Eastside in the 1950s. Churches are very well a common sight to see when traveling down the numerous roads on the Eastside of Flint. Religion had a stronghold in the community despite Flint being a Democrat controlled city.


The late 1980s is when the Eastside along with the rest of the city of Flint started financially collapsing, deteriorating, and have buildings becoming vacant only to later be boarded up. The area was getting bad. Steel factories started leaving the city and outsourcing their work to different countries across the globe away from the United States. Services were being cut off. Gangs started moving into the area infesting the Eastside with more crime and vandalism. Vandalism was a common criminal mischief element on the Eastside.


In the 2000s during the 21st Century is when the Eastside of Flint started financially deteriorating and falling apart. Buildings were abandoned and boarded up. Many of the retail store buildings are currently vacated. The city of Flint would have these buildings becoming vacant only to later be boarded up. Jobs were being outsourced. Police services to the community were being cut off. Community services were being cut off. The Eastside of Flint was once a thriving bustling place. Now the Eastside of Flint in economic despair from this country's financial turmoil during the 21st century. By 2014, the Eastside of Flint, Michigan has gotten completely gotten worse comparatively speaking in terms of crime and quality of life issues.

The year 2015 has not proven to be any better for the Eastside of Flint, Michigan as the state of Michigan has declared financial emergency. However, there is good in the Eastside neighborhood and Flint proper. Many community gardens have been popping up on the Eastside neighborhood of Flint. Community gardens have been popping up in Flint proper. Restoration to houses and business is slowly but surely happening.



The Flint Community Schools had saw the Eastside neighborhood had potential for educational powerhouse institutions known as schools to be built in. So the Flint Community Schools had bought out many dairy farms and farmland from many farmers and longtime residents in the Eastside area. They had built many educational institutions on the Eastside.

Alice Moss Perry was member of the Flint Community Schools PTA Committee. She was very vocal in the community as she was known as an educational local PTA activist. Alice was very active in her community in her lifetime as she was known as strong community activist. Alice had very deep beliefs in educational values and thus raising educational awareness into the communities. She was know as Alice Moss.


The Flint Community Schools had purchased the land where Lowell Junior High School is today from the Perry family back in 1900. Lowell Junior High School is where the former farmland owned by the Perry family was once formally. This land used to be farmland and also was a dairy farm. Alice Moss Perry had a petition she had signed by local citizens of the community in order to have Lowell Junior High School built. 1912 is the year Lowell Junior High School was built.
Lowell Junior High School was a feeder school for many elementary schools on the Eastside of Flint and also the Rollingwood area. That's how the Flint Community Schools had designed Lowell Junior High School.

Prior to 1950, Lowell Junior High School was an all-white school even though black students lived just blocks away. Lowell Junior High School was originally intended for whites only as Eastside Flint was historically planned out to be by city planners and urban development.
The year of 1950 is when Lowell Junior High School integrated allowing black students to attend. By then Lowell Junior High School had became an integrated school.

In 1988, Lowell Junior High School closed down due to budget cuts by the Michigan Board of Education.
In 1991, Lowell Junior High School would later be rezoned to be an alternative middle school for troubled students. Fights were common. Metal detectors were later on put in Lowell Junior High School. Due to the declining enrollment of students in the Flint Community Schools and financial budget cuts, the administration decided to close Lowell Junior High School in 2003. These actions made were also due to administrative decisions and budget cuts.

In 2005, Church of ROC - Flint rented Lowell Junior High School from Flint Community Schools on their lease. In 2008, Flint Community Schools found out that Church of ROC - Flint had failed to provide documentation on whether or not they were paying their rent lease. In 2009, Lowell Junior High School was set on fire by a home barbeque pit that had spread from someones home from the area to the school. 2009 was also when an arsonist set fire to Lowell Junior High School. These drastic events alone made Flint Community School board up Lowell Junior High School all together thus leaving it abandoned for criminal activity to occur. By 2010, all of Lowell Junior High School was boarded up.

The building now sits vacant as a former shill of itself with broken wood panels that line directly within the windows. The former educational institution known as Lowell Junior High School is constantly being vandalized and tagged with graffiti all over the property. Windows are missing. Doors inside are missing too. The outside building structure is still intact. All of the surrounding building infrastructure is boarded up.
Lowell Junior High School sits at 3301 North Vernon Avenue, Flint, Michigan 48506.


Williams Elementary opened its doors in 1924 as T. Wendell Williams Community School. Williams Elementary would later on feed into Lowell Junior High School as many elementary schools in the Eastside community would. However, it too had faced financial budget cuts along with numerous public schools on the Eastside of Flint. Declining enrollment was a factor as well. Williams Elementary had finally closed in 2010. Williams Elementary is now used as storage and classes for teacher who work for Flint Board of Education and Flint Community Schools.
The Williams Elementary School is located on Utah Avenue, Flint, Michigan 48506.

Williams Elementary was considered to be an explementary school by Michigan Board of Education at one point in time. Yes, Williams Elementary was considered as a great school in the community. Many parents had sent their children to this school because they were thrilled with the academic excellence that Flint Community Schools were producing and putting out.


Washington Elementary School opened its doors as a school in 1908 as Washington Community School. The architectural design for Washington Elementary School bared the Greek Revival architectural style many early Flint schools had along with Victorian architecture that had the Neoclassicism resemblance. Revival architectural style was a common sight for schools such as this one. It too proved too exceed in academic excellence. Washington Elementary faced closure too due to financial budget cuts, administrative decisions, and lack of enrollment. Washington Elementary closed in 2013. Washington Elementary is now abandoned. It is boarded up.
Washington Elementary School sits on 1400 North Vernon Avenue, Flint, Michigan 48506.


Lewis Elementary School was built in 1936 less than four blocks from Lowell Junior High School. At the time, Lewis Elementary was known as Lewis School when it first opened. Lewis Elementary was an all-white school at one time even though black students just had lived blocks away from school grounds. Lewis Elementary was originally planned to be an all-white school. By 1950, Lewis Elementary was an integrated school. In 1980 is when Flint Community Schools closed down Lewis Elementary due to statewide budget cuts and lack of enrollment which led the remaining students to attend Williams Elementary.
Lewis Elementary School was located at 4000 North Vernon Avenue, Flint, Michigan 48506.


Many retail stores, restaurants, and grocery stores lay askew on Franklin Avenue. Franklin Avenue was designed by city planners to be the urban center of Eastside Flint and Rollingwood. Retail stores were essential to Franklin Avenue. Coney Island Hot Dogs, Cicero's Pizza, and the Tex-Mex Restaurant were notable restaurant institutions of Eastside Flint. Many restaurants were once located on the Eastside of Flint. The original intent that Flint city planners had was to make Franklin Avenue a small urban area on the Eastside of Flint for businesses, grocery stores, and restaurants. The location of Franklin Avenue was an ideal place for retail and business expeditions.
But now lack of finances hurt these businesses widely across Flint. Most of these businesses are boarded up or burnt down as a result of numerous years of urban decay and urban blight.