The James T. Callow Folklore Archive

MISS QUAIL'S GRANDPARENTS REMEMBER AN EVENT QUITE A FEW YEARS BACK
WHEN E. OUTER DRIVE WAS THE CITY LIMITS OF DETROIT. THEY LIVED ON
A FARM AT WHAT IS NOW THE INTERSECTION OF MCNICHOLS AND GREENFIELD.
CANDY'S GRANDMOTHER WAS TO GO TO HER
FIRST DANCE ONE NIGHT AND SHE HAD
SPENT THE WHOLE DAY GETTING READY. SHE HAD A DRESS THAT MUST
HAVE HAD ABOUT
A MILLION PLEATS, ALL LITTLE ONES THAT HAD TO BE IRONED IN BY HAND.
IT WAS A LONG, HARD CHORE AND IT TOOK HER ABOUT THREE HOURS TO
FINISH IT. WHEN SHE WAS DONE SHE
LAID IT ON THE BED UNTIL IT WAS TIME
TO GET DRESSED. A FEW MINUTES LATER, SOME
COMPANY ARRIVED OUT FRONT.
THE WHOLE FAMILY, EVERY SINGLE PERSON WHO LIVED THERE WENT OUT ON THE
FRONT PORCH TO SAY HELLO. WHEN THEY CAME BACK IN, CANDY'S GRANDMOTHER
WENT BACK TO HER ROOM AND THERE WAS HER DRESS,
COMPLETELY STRAIGHTENED
OUT, NOT A PLEAT LEFT IN IT. THEY HAD THOSE BIG BEDS WITH THE IRON
RODS FORMING A GRILLWORK AT THE HEAD, AND THE DRESS HAD BEEN PULLED
IN AND OUT OF THESE RODS AND STRAIGHTENED OUT.
HER GRANDMOTHER SWEARS THAT NO ONE WAS IN THE HOUSE WHILE
SHE WAS OUTSIDE
SINCE SHE WAS THE LAST ONE OUT AND THE FIRST BACK IN.
THE ONLY CONCLUSION THAT THEY COULD COME TO WAS THAT FAIRIES HAD COME
IN AND DONE IT IN PAYMENT FOR SOMETHING
BAD THAT SHE HAD DONE. EVER SINCE
THEN, THEY HAVE REFERRED TO THE AREA AS "THE FAIRY FIELD". TODAY, A
BIG GAS STATION AND A NUMBER OF HOMES
ARE ON THE SITE OF THE OLD FARM.
BUT CANDY'S GRANDPARENTS STILL CALL THE PLACE "THE FAIRY FIELD"
WHENEVER THEY PASS IT.

Where learned: LOCATION NOT RECORDED BY COLLECTOR

Date learned: 03-16-1965