A light powder and floral blend
Unique, like an exotic perfume

Delray, a small community once home to thousands of new Hungarian immigrants in the early years of the twentieth century, is one of Detroit's forgotten pockets of ethnic history. Delray's streets feature some of the oldest housing stock in the city, but years of industrial pollution and an unofficial policy of civic neglect have made it nearly inhospitable territory.

Delray's boundaries are roughly the Detroit River, Fort Street, Clark Street, and Dearborn Avenue. The French who made up the first European settlement in Detroit found local Algonquin and Hurons in the area, who liked its proximity to excellent fishing waters. The name Delray came from a local citizen, Augustus Burdeno, who had served in the Mexican War and named his property after a south-of-the-border town that charmed him, Del Rey. Incorporated as a village in 1898, Delray was formally annexed by city of Detroit eight years later.

Attracted by local foundries, steel mills, and soda-ash plants that set up shop in the area, waves of Polish, Hungarian and Armenian immigrants began to make Delray their home in the first years of the twentieth century. It remained a thriving, vibrant and predominantly Hungarian neighborhood for years, with Hungarian markets and bakeries, taverns that featured lively Gypsy music on Saturday nights, and even a Hungarian-language newspaper. Zolkower's Department Store and two immense Roman Catholic parishes anchored the area. The death knell for Delray came in 1965 when I-75's immense Rouge River overpass bridge cast a long shadow. In 1974, under new federal environmental regulations, the city of Detroit built an expanded sewage treatment plant adjacent to the church of St. John Cantius, and 300 homes and several businesses were demolished as a result.

Even the city seemed to give up on Delray, and has officially classified it as an industrial zone. The last vestige of old Delray is the Delray Café, located at 8032 Jefferson and still serving authentic Hungarian and Polish cuisine. Because of the junction of several railroad lines, a vintage railroad switching tower off Dearborn Avenue — the last staffed one inside city boundaries — is a favorite site for local train enthusiasts.



Purchase this candle which includes this Detroit Scents of History


Read more:

Delray Community Council
Motor City Candleworks, based in the historic Russell Industrial Center in Detroit, Michigan, makes candles and incense with local flavor.

Our Detroit Scents of History™ candles are all named for a piece of Detroit History. It could be a person, a place, or a thing. Included with each of these candles is a short story about it's namesake.

We also make candles named for places around our great, Great Lake State. We call these candles, Great Lakes Scents.

In addition to candles, we also make some killer incense. We call it Motor City Incense and it, too, is named for places around Michigan.

You can always find great deals on our home page, or click any of the links above to browse through all our products.

Do you want to know more about Motor City Candleworks, and our cool home in an old auto factory? Then click here.

In addition to all this, we can also create a fundraising program for your non-profit, or create custom candles for your business or event.

To reach us, you can alway send us an email, or call (313) 254-4799.  
 

Candle & Incense Burning Tips    -    Retail Locations   -  Privacy Statement   -    Contact Us

Scents of History™, Detroit Scenic Scents™, D-Lights™, Motor City D-Lights™ and Great Lakes Scents™
are trademarks of Motor City Candleworks.
All rights reserved.

© 2009 Motor City Candleworks