DDA tells background of Harris Park to mark Black History Month

At the March 2 meeting of the Van Buren Township Board of Trustees, via Zoom, a presentation on Harris Park was made to mark Black History Month.
Supervisor Kevin McNamara apologized for being two days late, since Black History Month was in February.
Susan Ireland, executive director of the Van Buren Township Downtown Development Authority, showed pictures donated by the Harris family that illustrated the history of the Harris Park site.
Albert Raymond Harris, who served on the DDA since its beginning and was well-known in the community, was born in Van Buren Township on June 4, 1912 and died Feb. 11, 2002. He was preceded in death by nine brothers and sisters.
George and Rose Harris had moved to VBT in 1900 and built a home, which is now the real estate office at 10145 Belleville Rd. The Harris family was among the first black families in the township.
Albert built a house behind the original house and he and his wife Frances raised their five children there. That house was razed and rebuilt to make the new office of the DDA to resemble the original house and the site of Harris Park.
He established “Grandpa’s Toys” and was known for making wooden toys in his workshop and giving them to children. For years he brought many boxes of home-made wooden toys to donate to the Toys for Tots Christmas project at the Independent.
Ireland said Albert Harris was in the U.S. Navy and served in the Seabees (construction battalion) in World War II. He served on Guadalcanal. He was among over 1,000 black Seabees who went on a hunger strike March 2-3, 1945 to bring attention to a black issue. They continued to do their assignments but didn’t eat for two days. Ireland said this began his support for black rights.
Treasurer Sharry Budd said Harris, a builder, did all the cement work at her house and showed her youngest son how to lay cement. Harris was close with her father-in-law and they used to sit together and tells their stories.
She said Harris’ wife Frances worked in the clinic in Sumpter Township. Her garden with herbs and unusual plants was lovingly tended.
Harris was the recipient of the 1997 Belleville Area Chamber of Commerce Ted Kuckelman Community Service Award and served as the Grand Marshal in the Strawberry Festival parade.
A display telling the story of the Harris family is being put together for inside the DDA headquarters. The DDA also is looking into getting a display outside in the park, as well.
In 2020, the Michigan Downtown Association recognized Harris Park as the Best Placemaking Project in the state.
The DDA decided to preserve the legacy of the Harris family and its homestead by creating a public place for people to gather. Harris Park is an urban park in the VBT business district, just south of Aldi’s.