Automobile innovator Henry Ford and his wife Clara built Fair Lane Estate in Dearborn in 1915. At the time it was completed, the Ford Motor Company was seeing raging success with their business, thanks to the popularity of the Mode T car. The 31,000-square-foot home was built in a mix of Midwestern Prairie School and English country manor styles. It stands on 1,300 acres which includes a working farm, a hydroelectric powerhouse with a laboratory, a pool, and a bowling alley.
Henry Ford started the Ford motor company in 1903 in a rented manufacturing shop on Mack Avenue in Detroit, Michigan. Henry Ford was one of the few automotive pioneers who developed and improved successfully the transportation in the United Sates. Ford created one of the leading multinational automobile corporation in the world. The original Ford Mack Avenue burned down in 1941. It was rebuilt, though not in its original standing size. Today, the replica operates as the Ford Mack Avenue Museum and is accessible for tourists.
One of the largest and most significant museums of American history, the Henry Ford is a vast complex of indoor and outdoor exhibits. The complex includes the Henry Ford Museum and Benson Ford Research Center as well as two other major attractions: Greenfield Village and the Ford Rouge Factory. Among the one-of-a-kind treasures on display in the museum are the chair that Abraham Lincoln was sitting in the moment he was shot, the bus that Rosa Parks boarded in Montgomery, JFK's presidential limousine, and of course, many historic Ford vehicles. The museum places a special emphasis on mechanical innovation.
The Ford Motor Company's River Rouge Plant is a sprawling industrial complex that holds a special place in automotive history. It took over a decade to build, from 1917 to 1928, and became the world's largest factory space for the time. At its height, the complex consisted of around 2,000 acres with 100,000 employees that put out around 4,000 cars per day. Henry Ford's grand vision for the plant was to control all of the resources necessary for the auto-making process from start to finish all on one site. The plant and its operations would change dramatically over the years with the changing auto industry. Operations were almost completely shut down in the 1990s, but it has experienced a resurgence and Ford cars are still made on site.
Dedicated in 1992 and later moved to its present location at UAW headquarters, this historical marker shares the story of a protest by workers against Henry Ford. On the frigid morning of March 7, 1932, a crowd of about 3,000 to 5,000 unemployed auto workers marched a mile along the bridge from Detroit to Dearborn- where the largest Ford factory in the United States was located. The marchers, organized by the Detroit Unemployed Council, carried a list of 14 demands for Henry Ford which included rehiring the unemployed, ending racial discrimination, and granting workers the right to unionize. Despite its being a peaceful march, Dearborn Police and Ford Company's security began assaulting the marchers with tear gas, batons, and ammunition. Five marchers- including a 16-year-old boy- were killed and at least 60 others were wounded by bullets. Thousands then marched five days later in a funeral procession for the dead under the slogan "Smash the Ford-Murphy Police Terror". It wasn't until 9 years later (following a ten day long sit-down strike) that Henry Ford agreed to sign an agreement with the UAW union, making him the last major U.S. automaker to allow an union contract.
At this location beginning in 1892, Henry Ford began experimenting with and producing a simple automobile with a two-cylinder engine, which was essentially mounted on a frame and geared to bicycle wheels. Ford would go on to create one of the most influential automobile manufacturing companies in the world. In the early 1900s, Ford Motor Company led the world in automobile production. Built with Ford’s own hands at this location, the “Ford Quadricycle” began the future industrialists career as an automobile manufacturer. In 1896 at the age of 32, Ford sold his first car for $200 (equivalent to about $5,400 today). He built two new models in 1899 and 1901. Although seen as a toy for the rich at the time, the Quadricycle inspired Ford to continue innovating and eventually start his own company, which ultimately resulted in the founding of the Ford Motor Company in 1903. His Bagley Avenue workshop was reconstructed at Greenfield Village, where it remains today.
The Ford Piquette Avenue plant holds a very significant place in automotive history. Built in 1904, this plant was the first building built for Ford Motor Company. This is where Henry Ford and his team built the first 15,000 Model Ts, the first affordable car to be accessible to the average family.
The Ford Highland Park Plant opened in 1910 and holds a significant place in the history of the automotive industry. The factory was the second home of the Ford Motor Company as it produced the extremely popular Model T automobile, which transformed the lives of average Americans in many ways. At the Highland Park plant, Henry Ford introduced his innovative assembly line process, forever changing the way the industrial world's approach to manufacturing.
Edsel and Eleanor Ford’s home on Gaukler Point in Gross Point Shores was completed in 1929. The 30,000-square-foot home was built in a Tudor Revival style meant to resemble an English Cotswold cottage. The exterior is made of sandstone, with a stone roof and leaded windows. The interior is decorated with fine pieces of art and antiques collected by the Fords. The home lies along the shore of Lake St. Clair and has beautifully landscaped grounds that feature naturalist principles. The Fords raised their four children in the home and later donated it to a public trust. Today, it is used as a museum and event center.
This Tour is a Thematic Tour or Heritage Trail.
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Starting at Henry Ford's 1915 estate Fair Lane, this tour includes several Ford Motor Company factories, the Henry Ford Museum, and historical markers that share the history of events that range from labor conflicts to sites related to the Ford family and some of Henry Ford's early workshops and factories.
