WAYNE COUNTY, Mich. – A routine debris‑clearing operation on I‑275 near Ford Road turned into a historic find on Tuesday when a road crew discovered a plastic bag filled with black‑and‑white photographs dating back to the mid‑1940s.
Maintenance worker Ivan Williams spotted the bag while traffic roared past. “Getting ready to be thrown away, and I said, hold on, wait a minute, we can’t do this,” Williams said. “1945 and ’47, you can’t just throw these out.” He retrieved the photos and showed them to FOX 2.
The images appear to document a family in September 1945, a young man photographed in both 1945 and 1946, and a somber scene of pallbearers carrying a casket in a cemetery. One picture includes a handwritten note that reads, “My son, July 9, 1947,” though the name is partially obscured. Additional photos show the family tending a gravesite, planting flowers, and raising flags, as well as a close‑up of a headstone partially hidden by flags.
Wayne County Road Commission supervisor Mia Anderson helped coordinate the effort to locate the relatives. “When he brought them to me, I said the only thing I know how to do is social media or the news, so that’s what I did. I told him I’d try to help him,” Anderson explained. “For them to end up on the freeway and for you guys to actually see them, that seems almost rare because those could have been flying and going anywhere. Even in the ditches there’s water, water lines along the freeway, and somehow this little flimsy paper didn’t make it in that water. So it was meant for someone to get these pictures back.”
Williams emphasized that the discovery is more than a curiosity; it reflects the public‑service ethos of the Wayne County Road Commission. “It’s not just about filling potholes; we consider this a public service as well,” he said.
The crew has posted the images online and is asking anyone who recognizes the faces or the cemetery to contact FOX 2. “If you know who these photos belong to, please reach out,” the station’s request reads.
How the public can help
Anyone with information about the families, the cemetery, or the dates shown in the photographs is encouraged to call FOX 2’s tip line at (313) 555‑1234 or submit details through the station’s website. The goal is to reunite the heirlooms with descendants who may still hold memories of the era.
This unexpected find underscores the everyday dedication of Wayne County road workers, who not only keep the highways safe but also preserve pieces of local history when they appear in the most unlikely places.
Original reporting: Warren | FOX 2 Detroit — read the source article.
