Prophet Jones parsonage, East Ferry Avenue

01 / The story of this place

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This three-story mansion on East Ferry Avenue, inside what's now the East Ferry Avenue Historic District, became the first Detroit parsonage of Prophet James F. Jones, known to his followers as Prophet Jones, after he arrived in the city in 1944. Jones built the Church of the Universal Triumph, the Dominion of God, into one of the largest and wealthiest Black congregations in the country, drawing huge crowds to his services with a flamboyant style that included fur coats, diamond rings and a fleet of Cadillacs, all funded by his followers' donations. He lived and held court in this mansion through the following years, becoming one of Detroit's best-known and most controversial religious figures before a 1956 scandal effectively ended his public ministry. The house remains standing today within the historic district, a reminder of one of the city's strangest and most colorful religious careers.

1. Prophet Jones's first Detroit parsonage, from 1944
2. Jones led one of the era's wealthiest Black congregations
3. Known for fur coats, diamonds and Cadillacs
4. Located in the East Ferry Avenue Historic District