Carbus Travels Journal: July 25, 2013

The Henry Ford

A couple of days ago we met a man at a campground we stayed at on Lake Huron. He was from Detroit and when we said we were headed that way he said if we did nothing else we had to go to Greenfield Village and the Henry Ford Museum. Excellent advice.

On our way south we stopped briefly in Grand Rapids to visit the Gerald Ford Museum and grave site.

Hard to read with the shadow. Inscription is on a semicircular wall. Not sure where actual burial sites are.

Greenfield Village and the Henry Ford Museum are part of a complex of attractions that also includes an Imax theater and a factory tour of Fords main factory. You can do attractions individually or more than one.

The museum is HUGE. Primary aim is innovation and development in things mechanical but also contains a number of items of historical interest. Actual historical items (not recreations) include: progression of Presidential Limos including car Kennedy was riding in when he was shot, chair Lincoln was sitting in when he was shot (it is a rocking chair), Rosa Parks bus (we sat in same seat she was in),original Wienermobile. Large automobile section with cars of every type and age. Large railroad section with progression of trains from small to very large. Airplanes displays from Wright Brothers to Lindberg to DC3 hanging from ceiling. Big area showing development of steam power and early electricity generation. Large area of farm implements. Area on early United States (Declaration of Independence, Constitution, Washington (actual camp cot used by him in war among other things), etc. It goes on and on. When you think you have covered just one area you turn a corner and there is a whole different set of displays. There are many very informative docents in every area with lots of knowledge to impart. To properly gain all the education available in the museum would take several days. Alas we only had several hours so we had to settle for a little education and a lot of amazement.

Center entrance to museum. Museum extends 400-500 feet to each side of center and at least that deep.

Edison and Ford were good friends. Edison signed this concrete slap probably on occasion of opening of first museum.

Kennedy Limo. Reagan and F.D.R. limos are off screen to right and left.

Classic ‘56 Chevy

Early Studebaker

They even preserved the mud!

No auto museum should be without one of these. Duesenberg.

Actual chair Lincoln was sitting in when shot.

Rosa Parks bus. (Actual)

Exploded Model T

Original Wienermobile.

On the left is one of the first televisions. Middle several years later. Right more modern. I remember watching on one like the left.

Greenfield Village is difficult to describe. The brochure puts it this way: “Step into the sights, sounds, and sensations of 300 years of American life. Spend a day in the place where yesterday feels like right now ….” Ford collected and moved or recreated a variety of buildings and homes of historic interest. Fords actual birth home and school. Actual Wright brothers home and bicycle shop (with machine shop in rear where first plane was created). Edison's invention complex. Actual slave homes and simple farm homes. Homes used by notable inventers and literary icons. All facets of American life and living. Again many very informative docents but also many people dressed in period attire interacting with guests. Model T rides and horse drawn wagon rides. Maintenance and delivery vehicles are period trucks. There is no sign of modern anything and like Disney no sign of behind the scenes buildings. The village has its own railroad with a fleet of three or four different working steam engines to pull sightseeing cars. Actual engines restored to full function and operation in period machine shops in the village using period tools and power sources. Round house to service engines and place in service. On and on and on. Again, it would take several days to gain the knowledge available in the Village. We had to rush through but were still impressed and amazed.