The Henry Ford - More Henry Ford than you can shake a stick at
JC, MG & I visited the Henry Ford, which consists of several
attractions. The Henry Ford Museum showcases American Industrial
history, and the beginnings of the automative age. Greenfield Village
was created by Henry Ford. He moved many historical buildings to the
Village to preserve them for future generations. We saw sites such as
the Wright Brothers' cycle shop, and Thomas Edison's laboratory.
Friday and Saturday were spent in Dearborn, the
location of "The Henry Ford." The Henry Ford what? Nothing, it's just
the Henry Ford. I guess if you change how the entire industrialized
world works you can name museums whatever you want.
The Henry Ford consists of several complexes. The museum has a
history of transportation...planes, trains, and automobiles. They have
several presidential vehicles, including JFK's car, and the last
presidential horse-drawn carriage. There are several locomotives,
including a really nifty snowplow.
The Rouge Tour was up next. The Rouge is Henry Ford's all-in-one
dream factory. It starts with two movies that explain the history of the
factory, and the Ford F150 manufacturing process. Then we were taken up
to the observation deck where you could see the buildings of the Rouge.
After the deck we were able to tour the Dearborn Truck Plant, which is
where the F150 truck is made. We weren't allowed to take pictures, and
the camera phone pics I managed to sneak are too low quality.
Another section of the Henry Ford is Greenfield Village. The village
is a recreation of many different periods of American history. Henry
Ford brought historical buildings to Greenfield Village to preserve them
for the future. One of the most interesting places was the Edison
compound. It included Edison's glassworks, a laboratory, and a
scaled-down electricity generating plant.
There is also a section of 1800s craftsmen's shops. There was a
potter, a silver smith, wood carver, and glass blowers. A relocated
lumber mill shows you how the old water-powered mills worked.
Back to museum...there's a great exhibit about the evolution of
industry and manufacturing, which I think my Dad would get a kick out
of. You start out with handcrafts, moving on to items such as looms and
carding machines, and then dive deep into the steam age. There are many
different complex machines, such as water pumps, AC generators, and
steam plants. It really conveyed how much mankind can do, but also
showed the darker side of the industrial revolution. Machines were
cheaper than manual labor,and the pollution was changing the
environment. Poor working conditions were deadly to the factory workers.
OSHA would have had a field day.
A side note: I also got a greater appreciation for stories set in
steam punk worlds.
The museum's automobile exhibit showcases the history of the car,
from the horseless carriage to modern Nascar racers. You can even check
out the Wienermobile if you've never seen one tooling around outside
Washington, D.C. or Philadelphia.
Hand-operated Chucking MachinePlacardComputer-controlled Chucking MachinePlacard 11930's Draper LoomCaptain PlacardGlass blower for making lightbulbsPlacard 2UnknownLinotype machinePlacard 3Exploded Model T from another angleModel T's placardMilling machinePlacard 4Rifling machinePlacard 5IMG_0110.JPGIMG_0111.JPGIMG_0112.JPGIMG_0113.JPGPlacard 6Small steam enginePlacard 7Otto Engine, the predecessor of the modern internal combustion engine.Placard 8Assorted pistolsAssorted shotgunsWater turbinePlacard 9Steam engine and electric generatorSteam engine and electric generator 1Steam engine and electric generator 2Placard 10Marine steam engine from a cargo shipPlacard 11Water turbine/electric generatorWater turbine/electric generator 1Water turbine/electric generator 2Water turbine/electric generator 3Water turbine/electric generator 4Placard 12Watt rotative steam engineEngland's Dark, Satanic MillsPrecision LathePlacard 13Watt rotative steam engine 1Placard 14Newcomen Steam EngineNewcomen Steam Engine 1Placard: Newcomen EngineNewcomen Steam Engine 2Ford racing carAnother carThe kennedy CarThe Rouge - Henry Ford's factory complexSteel refinery now owned by a Russian companyAnother shot of the Rouge.The roof of the Dearborn Truck PlantThe roof of the Dearborn Truck Plant - note the vegetation growing on topPlacard: Sedum, the plant on the roofPlacard: The Green RoofSome cars at the end of the Rouge TourMore cars at the Rouge1932 Ford V-8Another Ford956 Ford Thunderbird1965 Ford MustangMustang againAnother shot of the RougeJC and I in front of the steel refinery.The patented milk rack!Some Bush and Kerry supporters debate politicsThe TOWER with JUGSInside an old lumber millThe round house where train engines are turned aroundHow to run an electric power plant in 5 easy stepsA scaled-down version of an Edison power plantA blurry carousel pictureAnother blurry carousel pictureAgain...a blurry carousel picture. Froggy!Sir John Bennett's jewelry/clock/watch shopClose-up of Gog and Magog, England's protectors.Placard: Sir John Bennett Jewelry shopThe Heinz house.Placard: The Heinz houseThe Wright brothers' bicycle shopInside one of Edison's labsA rather autumnal pathwayYe olde windmillNoah Webster's housePlacard: Noah Webster HomeThe front of the Edison power plantInside the power plantMore generation equipmentEven moreThe boiler roomIMG_0208.JPGThe water wheel at the entranceCar used by Ronald Reagan, a 1972 LincolnPlacard: Reagan Car1931 Bugatti Royale Type 41 Cabriolet1923 Stutz Bearcat RoadsterA Texaco truckThe last presidential horse-drawn carriagePlacard: Brougham Carriage1923 Canadian Pacific snowplow, in service from 1923 to 1990 in New England1984 March 84 CFord Lotus racer1987 Thunderbird racerPlacard: Ford Thunderbird Nascar Racer1911 Ford RacerPlacard: 1911 Ford Racer1939 Mercury Sedan. This is the first production Mercury ever built1911 Hupmobile Coupe, an early, inexpensive closed car1906 Locomobile "Old 16" - The first American car to win an international raceAnother shot of the "Old 16"IMG_0255.JPGPlacard: 1952 Wienermobile1929 Caterpillar tractorPlacard: 1929 Caterpillar tractorSperry New Holland CombineThe Henry Ford Museum
