The history of Oakland County centers on its tradition as a throughway between the great lumber bonanza of Northern Michigan and shipping ports along the southern lakes and rivers of the Great Lakes system. Finding the oldest bars in Macomb, Oakland and Wayne counties required persistence, plenty of phone calls, and visits to out-of-the-way spots, and an open-minded definition of the concept of “oldest bar.” Here then, in no specific order, is what we found. Undaunted, we’ve decided that it’s only fair to expand our search beyond the city to the rest of metro Detroit. Relying on word-of-mouth and interviews with old-timers at old bars can lead to some sticky conundrums, not to mention sticky elbows from all those bar tops. In fact, the challenge raised far more questions than it answered, since dating the provenance of bars and liquor licenses is extraordinarily tricky. Not too long ago, armed with a notebook and a sense of adventure, we ventured out in search of the answer to a contentious question: What exactly is Detroit's oldest bar, anyway? We found some surprising answers and not a few new questions.
