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New Book Focuses On Historic African American Resort Town

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During two periods in the 20th century, Idlewild, Mich., was a popular resort community for the black middle class, attracting intellectuals such as W.E.B. Du Bois during the 1920s, and entertainers like Jackie Wilson, The Four Tops and Della Reese during the 1950s.

Today the Lake County town has become an "idle place," according to Ohio University Associate Professor Ronald Stephens, author of Idlewild: The Rise, Decline, and Rebirth of a Unique African American Resort Town.