Mapping Donald Goines’ Life in Detroit
Researching the Author, Father, Veteran, & Detroiter
Donald Goines was a lot of things; the son of a dry cleaner, a baseball player, an Air Force veteran, a pimp, a father, a convict, a life partner, an accomplished writer, a Detroiter, and a homicide victim.
Donald Goines is one of Detroit’s best-selling authors. Between 1971 and 1975, sixteen books by Goines were released to the public, including multiple posthumous releases. Despite only writing for a short period, Goines has inspired generations of readers and creatives through his brutal description of city life and blunt imagery of drug use and crime. Titles like Dopefiend, Whoreson, Black Gangster, and Black Girl Lost have influenced countless artists, including Tupac Shakur, Nas, Jay-Z, the late DMX, and Detroit’s Seven the General.
Goines spent time elsewhere, but Detroit was his home. This piece will explore the places where Goines lived and other locations that were important to him.
The map below plots locations that were a part of Donald’s life. Zoom out to see locations outside of Metro Detroit. If you click on any of the points, you’ll jump down to information about that place. Or, scroll past the map to continue reading.
13953 St. Aubin Street
Detroit, MI 48212
Donald’s family lived in Chicago and Evanston around the time he was born. The family wanted to return to Detroit, where they had lived previously, and this was the Goines family’s first home back in Detroit. Before moving into this home, they briefly lived with George and Clairette Baugh, Myrtle’s parents. While living on St. Aubin, Joe Goines, Donald’s father, set up a cleaner called Northside Cleaners on Victor Street. At one time, the Goines and Baugh families owned four homes in a row on this stretch of St. Aubin Street.
1037 Eliot Street
Detroit, MI 48207
Donald enrolled at Sacred Heart School at Eliot and Rivard Streets. By the time Donald went there, the Archdiocese of Detroit had designated the school for non-whites, though there were some white students. Donald was mixed-race and had light skin. According to the Detroit Free Press, the school had nearly 400 students in 1939. Donald struggled at Sacred Heart, failing and repeating the third grade.
1000 Eliot Street
Detroit, MI 48207
The Goines family attended Sacred Heart Catholic Church across the street from where Donald first attended school.
13224 Dequindre Street
Detroit, MI 48212
At some point, while Donald was still at Sacred Heart, the family relocated from St. Aubin Street to an all-encompassing home on Dequindre near Davison. This parcel included a house, a dry-cleaning storefront, and a dry-cleaning plant. Donald’s father, Joseph, continued running the storefront on Victor Street for a few years before closing it to focus on their Dequindre location. This home and business were later demolished for an expansion of the 75-Davison interchange.
2800 East Davison Street
Detroit, MI 48212
Donald left Sacred Heart and entered Davison Elementary School, a Detroit Public School, in January 1946. He attended the open-air school for health reasons. The Davison Open Air School was where the parking lot is today. At Davison, Donald fostered a love for baseball.
13200 Conant Street
Detroit, MI 48212
Donald enrolled at Elizabeth Cleveland Intermediate School, or Cleveland Junior High, in 1949. He took speech classes there. Today, Frontier International Academy, a charter school, occupies the building.
18875 Ryan Road
Detroit, MI 48234
Donald started at Pershing High School in 1951, though he’d only spend one year there, dropping out after the ninth grade. He was soon involved with the wrong crowd and doctored his birth certificate to join the Air Force. He was stationed in Japan and then Korea during the Korean War. He received an honorable discharge, returning to Detroit at age 17. Likely, he picked up his heroin addiction while overseas, an affliction that would stay with him for the rest of his life.
Geary Correction Facility
Junction City, KS 66441
Image from Google
After returning from the war, Donald’s criminal life began to pick up steam. He was a pimp and, eventually, tried taking his operation out of state. He knew of a military base, Fort Riley, near Junction City, Kansas, where he set up shop trying to make money with his women. He was found out and was handed a 20-day sentence for vagrancy.
Genesee County Jail
Flint, MI 48502
Image from Google
In 1959, Donald took his women north of Detroit to Flint to try the same game. Vehicle City officials handled his actions similarly, and he was fined $10 and given thirty days for aiding and abetting.
Jackson State Prison
Jackson, MI 49201
Image from Google
In 1961, Donald and two accomplices, Donald Hawkins and Marion Higgins, tried to rob a numbers house in Detroit. Thanks to the crafty work of one of the residents, Donald and his friends were caught and convicted. Donald pleaded guilty to assault with intent to rob while armed and was sentenced by Judge George Murphy. He would be released in 1962. He returned in 1969 for attempted larceny and was released on December 1, 1970.
The Federal Correctional Institution in Terre Haute
Terre Haute, IN 47802
Image from Google
In 1965, Donald was sentenced in Federal Court for bootlegging alcohol in Detroit. A jury found him guilty and given time at the FCI in Terre Haute, Indiana. He would be released in September 1968.
17186 Maine Street
Detroit, MI 48212
After being released from Jackson Prison for the second time in 1970, this is where Donald’s parents were living. Likely, he stayed here until he got enough money from his publishing deal with Hollaway House Publishing Company to move out. Additionally, this is likely where much of his early writing was done–and the refining of the works he had written while locked up.
Marie Richardson Home
Warner Robins, GA
Image from Google
Donald’s older sister, Marie, and her third husband, Warren Richardson, lived in Warner Robbins, Georgia, shortly after Donald was released from prison. In an attempt to kick the habit, find a peaceful place to write, and connect with his sister and nephew, Donald spent some time with them in Georgia. This was short-lived, and Donald returned to Michigan and met his longest-serving romantic partner, Shirley Sailor, who had children. The couple had a child together.
8060 Melrose Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90046
Image from Google
Hollaway House Publishing Company was Donald’s publishing company, and this was their headquarters when Donald’s books were first published. Additionally, Donald lived in Los Angeles near Western Avenue for less than a year with Shirley and their children. Donald didn’t like living in Los Angeles and wanted to return to Michigan as soon as possible.
232 Cortland Street
Highland Park, MI 48203
Donald and Shirley moved into an apartment at 232 Cortland Street in Highland Park with their children. Though Donald was seeing some success, the couple still had money troubles. Donald’s heroin habit hadn’t subsided, though he continued to pump out books at a fast rate. His younger sister, Joanie, helped him write his will and testament at this location. On October 21, 1974, Donald Goines and Shirley Sailor were murdered, both shot five times, in this apartment. The children were not harmed. There were no suspects, and the crime remains unsolved. This apartment was later demolished and is home to a makeshift park for neighborhood residents. In 2025, the parcel was owned by the City of Highland Park, which the City of Detroit and Hamtramck surrounds.
2341 Seven Mile East
Detroit, MI 48234
Donald’s funeral was held at the Church of our Lord Jesus Christ on Seven Mile. A few of his books were put inside his casket. The building still stands but is now home to Solomons Temple Church.
Detroit Memorial Park East
Warren, MI 48092
Donald was buried at Detroit Memorial Park East in Warren, Michigan. For years, the general public was unsure where his burial site was. Today, there is still no marker to indicate that Donald Goines is buried there. He’s buried in Section 38, plot number 2014. GPS coordinates for Goines’ unmarked grave.
Donald Goines was a product of many things: parents who grew up in the Jim Crowe South, the violent prelude to the Civil Rights movement, and an ever-changing landscape in Detroit. Even if today’s standards date his novels, their language, and depicted attitudes towards women, it’s hard to ignore his talent for writing about the life that surrounded him and the people he held closest. Goines’ literature is a snapshot in time to a very specific place at a very specific time that historians and politicians in Detroit often overlook. These people, places, and events are important, and Goines’ writing is a fictional look behind the curtain at an era of Detroit that many in power have tried to sweep under the rug. Donald Goines was a Detroiter, and his life mattered.
