A Ford Model T, used for giving tourist rides, is shown above at Greenfield Village.

The Henry Ford (also known as the Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village, and more formally as the Edison Institute), in the Metro Detroit suburb of Dearborn, Michigan, USA, is the nation's "largest indoor-outdoor history museum" complex. ^{[1] [2]} More than a museum, it is a museum-entertainment complex where patrons can take a ride in a Model T, ride the train, visit an IMAX Theater, or see a live show. Named for its founder, the noted automobile industrialist Henry Ford and based on his desire to preserve items of historical significance and portray the Industrial Revolution, the property houses a vast array of famous homes, machinery, exhibits, and Americana. The collection contains many rare exhibits including John F. Kennedy's limousine, Abraham Lincoln's chair from Ford's Theater, Thomas Edison's laboratory, and the Wright Brothers' bicycle shop, and the Rosa Parks bus. Image File history File links Picture of non-black 1927 Model T at Greenfield Village, photo by rmhermen File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File links Picture of non-black 1927 Model T at Greenfield Village, photo by rmhermen File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... The Ford Model T (colloquially known as the Tin Lizzie and the Flivver) was an automobile produced by Henry Fords Ford Motor Company from 1908 through 1927. ... A simulated-color satellite image of Metro Detroit, with Windsor across the river, taken on NASAs Landsat 7 satellite. ... Location in Michigan Coordinates: Country United States State Michigan County Wayne County  - Mayor John B. O’Reilly, Jr. ... Official language(s) None (English, de-facto) Capital Lansing Largest city Detroit Area  Ranked 11th  - Total 97,990 sq mi (253,793 km²)  - Width 239 miles (385 km)  - Length 491 miles (790 km)  - % water 41. ... The Louvre Museum in Paris, one of the largest and most famous museums in the world. ... IMAX theatre at the Melbourne Museum complex, Australia. ... Karl Benzs Velo (vélo means bicycle in French) model (1894) - entered into the first automobile race 2005 MINI Cooper S. An automobile (also motor car or simply car) is a wheeled passenger vehicle that carries its own motor. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Business magnate. ... Henry Ford (1919) Henry Ford (July 30, 1863 – April 7, 1947) was the founder of the Ford Motor Company and father of modern assembly lines used in mass production. ... History studies the past in human terms. ... A Watt steam engine. ... An apple pie and baseball bat sitting atop an American flag. ... This article or section needs copy editing for grammar, style, cohesion, tone and/or spelling. ... For other uses, see Abraham Lincoln (disambiguation). ... Fords Theatre in the 19th century Fords Theatre in Washington, D.C. was the site of the assassination of U.S. President Abraham Lincoln on April 14, 1865. ... Thomas Alva Edison (February 11, 1847 – October 18, 1931) was an American inventor and businessman who developed many devices which greatly influenced life around the world. ... The Wright brothers, Orville (August 19, 1871–January 30, 1948) and Wilbur (April 16, 1867–May 30, 1912), were two Americans generally credited with building the worlds first successful airplane and making the first controlled, powered and heavier-than-air human flight on December 17, 1903. ...

Henry Ford said of his museum:

"I am collecting the history of our people as written into things their hands made and used.... When we are through, we shall have reproduced American life as lived, and that, I think, is the best way of preserving at least a part of our history and tradition..."

History

Greenfield Village in Dearborn

The Edison Institute was dedicated by President Herbert Hoover to Ford's longtime friend Thomas Edison on October 21, 1929 – the 50th anniversary of the invention of the incandescent light bulb. Of the 260 people in attendance, some of the more famous were Marie Curie, George Eastman, John D. Rockefeller, Will Rogers, and Orville Wright. The dedication was carried on radio with listeners encouraged to turn off their electric lights until the switch was flipped at the Museum. Image File history File linksMetadata No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File linksMetadata No higher resolution available. ... The presidential seal was first used in 1880 by President Rutherford B. Hayes and last modified in 1959 by adding the 50th star for Hawaii The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. ... Herbert Clark Hoover, (August 10, 1874 – October 20, 1964), the 31st President of the United States (1929–1933), was a world-famous mining engineer and humanitarian administrator. ... Thomas Alva Edison (February 11, 1847 – October 18, 1931) was an American inventor and businessman who developed many devices which greatly influenced life around the world. ... October 21 is the 294th day of the year (295th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 71 days remaining. ... 1929 (MCMXXIX) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... An invention is an object, process, or technique which displays an element of novelty. ... An incandescent light bulb and its glowing filament. ... Maria Skłodowska-Curie. ... A 1954 U.S. stamp featuring George Eastman. ... John Davison Rockefeller, Sr. ... Will Rogers. ... Orville Wright (August 19, 1871 - January 30, 1948), the younger of the Wright brothers, seen as one of the fathers of heavier-than-air flight. ...

The Edison Institute was originally composed of the Henry Ford Museum, Greenfield Village, and the Greenfield Village Schools (an experimental learning facility). Initially, Greenfield Village and the Henry Ford Museum were used as a laboratory for the school which included practical work in the machine shops. Admission to the Village was free to the public for the first few years. By 1937, the school had 300 students ranging from kindergarten to college age. The last original school on the grounds closed in 1969 although informal community education classes and school field trips continued. The Henry Ford Academy opened in 1997 and is now a 400-student secondary level charter school with admission open to all county residents by lottery. Students have classes in a glass-walled section of the Museum, a converted carousel building and in Pullman cars on a rail siding, feet away from the active Village railway. Charter schools are publicly funded elementary or secondary schools in the United States which have been freed from some of the rules, regulations, and statutes that apply to other public schools, in exchange for some type of accountability for producing certain results, which are set forth in each charter school... A carousel in a summer festival in London, with traditional animal mounts, barley twist poles and fairy lights. ... The sleeping car is a railroad car on a train with sleeping facilities. ...

Lovett Hall in the complex is a formal dance hall named for Henry Ford's dance master Benjamin Lovett. Ford was interested in saving the dances of his youth in the age of jazz and made contra dancing required for his executives and for the Village school students. Local public school students were also taught with 22,000 participating at the program's peak. Contra dances occurred monthly at the hall until early 2005. Jazz is a musical art form that originated in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States around the start of the 20th century. ... You may also be looking for a style of classical music called contredanse. ...

The Henry Ford is still closely tied to the Ford family which still provides museum board members and the Ford Motor Company which cooperates with the Henry Ford to provide the River Rouge Plant factory tour and is a sponsor of the school. The Henry Ford is sited between the Ford test track and several Ford engineering buildings with which it shares the same style gates and brick fences. Ford Motor Company is an American multinational corporation and the worlds third largest automaker after Toyota and General Motors, based on worldwide vehicle sales. ... Aerial view of the Rouge complex in 1942 Interior of the Rouge Tool & Die works, 1944 The River Rouge Plant (commonly known as the Rouge Complex or just The Rouge) is a Ford Motor Company automobile factory complex located in Dearborn, Michigan at the confluence of the Rouge and Detroit...

Museum

Buckminster Fuller's prototype Dymaxion house, in the Henry Ford Museum

The rocking chair that President Abraham Lincoln was sitting in when he was shot.

Henry Ford Museum began as Henry Ford's personal collection of historic objects, which he began collecting as far back as 1906. Today, the 12 acre (49,000 m²) site is primarily a collection of antique machinery, pop culture items, automobiles, locomotives, aircraft, and other items: Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1627x1159, 186 KB)Dymaxion House as installed at the Henry Ford Museum I, the creator of this work, hereby grant the permission to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1627x1159, 186 KB)Dymaxion House as installed at the Henry Ford Museum I, the creator of this work, hereby grant the permission to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1. ... Richard Buckminster (Bucky) Fuller (July 12[1], 1895 – July 1, 1983) was an American visionary, designer, architect, poet, author, and inventor. ... Dymaxion House as installed in Henry Ford Museum The Dymaxion House was developed by inventor Buckminster Fuller to address several failures he perceived with extant homebuilding techniques. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... The presidential seal was first used in 1880 by President Rutherford B. Hayes and last modified in 1959 by adding the 50th star for Hawaii The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. ... For other uses, see Abraham Lincoln (disambiguation). ... Popular culture, or pop culture, is the vernacular (peoples) culture that prevails in a modern society. ... Karl Benzs Velo (vélo means bicycle in French) model (1894) - entered into the first automobile race 2005 MINI Cooper S. An automobile (also motor car or simply car) is a wheeled passenger vehicle that carries its own motor. ... Great Western Railway No. ... Look up aircraft in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

• a nuclear-powered Ford Nucleon automobile.
• an Oscar Mayer Wienermobile.
• President Kennedy's Death Car, a 1961 Lincoln Continental.
• the rocking chair from Ford's Theater in which President Abraham Lincoln was shot.
• George Washington's camp bed.
• Thomas Edison's alleged last breath in a sealed tube.
• Buckminster Fuller's prototype Dymaxion house.
• The bus on which Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat, leading to the Montgomery Bus Boycott. While there is no absolutely incontestable evidence that it is the actual bus, the Ford museum explains it at length on their website at Rosa Parks Bus FAQ.
• Igor Sikorsky's prototype helicopter.
• Fokker Trimotor airplane that flew the first flight over the North Pole.
• Bill Elliott's record-breaking race car clocking in at over 212 MPH at Talledega in 1987.
• The Newcomen type engine from Cobb's Engine House in England^[3].

The Ford Nucleon concept car The Ford Nucleon was a nuclear-powered concept car developed by Ford Motor Company in 1958. ... Karl Benzs Velo (vélo means bicycle in French) model (1894) - entered into the first automobile race 2005 MINI Cooper S. An automobile (also motor car or simply car) is a wheeled passenger vehicle that carries its own motor. ... Oscar Mayer Oscar Mayer is an American meat and cold cut production company, now owned by Kraft Foods, known for its hot dogs, bologna, bacon and Lunchables products. ... A Wienermobile is an automobile shaped like a hot dog on a bun that is used to promote and advertise Oscar Mayer products. ... The presidential seal was first used in 1880 by President Rutherford B. Hayes and last modified in 1959 by adding the 50th star for Hawaii The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. ... This article or section needs copy editing for grammar, style, cohesion, tone and/or spelling. ... 1961 (MCMLXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (the link is to a full 1961 calendar). ... Lincoln is an American luxury automobile brand, operated under the Ford Motor Company. ... Lincoln Continental is a model name that has been used several times by the Lincoln division of Ford Motor Company for a line of luxury cars. ... Fords Theatre in the 19th century Fords Theatre in Washington, D.C. was the site of the assassination of U.S. President Abraham Lincoln on April 14, 1865. ... The presidential seal was first used in 1880 by President Rutherford B. Hayes and last modified in 1959 by adding the 50th star for Hawaii The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. ... For other uses, see Abraham Lincoln (disambiguation). ... George Washington (February 22, 1732 – December 14, 1799)[1] led Americas Continental Army to victory over Britain in the American Revolutionary War (1775–1783), and was later elected the first president of the United States under the U.S. Constitution. ... Thomas Alva Edison (February 11, 1847 – October 18, 1931) was an American inventor and businessman who developed many devices which greatly influenced life around the world. ... Richard Buckminster (Bucky) Fuller (July 12[1], 1895 – July 1, 1983) was an American visionary, designer, architect, poet, author, and inventor. ... Dymaxion House as installed in Henry Ford Museum The Dymaxion House was developed by inventor Buckminster Fuller to address several failures he perceived with extant homebuilding techniques. ... Rosa Louise McCauley Parks (February 4, 1913 – October 24, 2005) was an African American civil rights activist and seamstress whom the U.S. Congress dubbed the Mother of the Modern-Day Civil Rights Movement. Parks is famous for her refusal on December 1, 1955 to obey bus driver James Blake... Rosa Parks was arrested for refusing to give up her seat to a white man. ... Igor Sikorsky Igor Ivanovich Sikorsky (Russian: ; Ukrainian: Ігор Іванович Сікорський) (25 May 1889 – 26 October 1972) was a pioneer of aviation who designed the first four-engine airplane and the first successful helicopter of the most common configuration (single main rotor tail rotor). ... A helicopter is an aircraft which is lifted and propelled by one or more horizontal rotors consisting of two or more rotor blades. ... The Fokker F.VII was a small airliner originally produced by Anthony Fokkers Atlantic Aircraft Company, and later by other companies under licence. ... North Pole Scenery When not otherwise qualified, the term North Pole usually refers to the Geographic North Pole – the northernmost point on the surface of the Earth, where the Earths axis of rotation intersects the Earths surface. ... Bill Elliott car that set the record for the fastest recorded time in a stock car - 212. ... Animation of a schematic Newcomen steam engine. ... Cobbs Engine House Cobbs Engine House (properly known as Windmill End Pumping Station) is a scheduled ancient monument and a Grade II listed building built around 1831. ...

Greenfield Village

The Wright Cycle Company is now housed at Greenfield Village.

Greenfield Village is considered the first and largest outdoor museum in America. Nearly one hundred historical buildings were moved to the property from their original locations and arranged in a "village" setting. The museum's intent is to show how Americans lived and worked since the founding of the country. The Village includes buildings from the 17th century to the present, many of which are staffed by costumed interpreters who conduct period tasks like farming, sewing and cooking. A collection of craft buildings such as a pottery, glass-blowing shop, tin shop provide demonstrations while producing materials used in the Village and for sale. Greenfield Village has 240 acres (970,000 m²) of land of which only 90 acres (360,000 m²) are used for the attraction, the rest being forest, river and extra pasture for the sheep and horses. Wright Cycle Shop, now at Greenfield Village, photo by rmhermen File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Wright Cycle Shop, now at Greenfield Village, photo by rmhermen File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Wright Cycle Shop at Greenfield Village The Wright Cycle Company (formerly Wright Cycle Exchange) owned and operated five bicycle shops where Orville and Wilbur Wright designed and built Van Cleve and bicycles from 1892 to 1909. ... (16th century - 17th century - 18th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 17th century was that century which lasted from 1601-1700. ... A craft is a skill, especially involving practical arts. ...

The transportation system provides rides by steamboat (out of operation for 2006), horse-drawn omnibus, steam locomotive, a 1931 Model AA bus (one of about 15 left known to exist), and authentic Ford Model Ts. Steam locomotives in operation include the Torch Lake, an 1873 0-6-4 Mason Bogie which is one of the oldest operating steam locomotives in the U.S., and the Edison, a Baldwin 4-4-0. Paddle steamers — Lucerne, Switzerland. ... Union Pacific Big Boy #4012 at work on a cold November 29, 1941 A steam locomotive is a locomotive powered by steam. ... The Ford Model T (colloquially known as the Tin Lizzie and the Flivver) was an automobile produced by Henry Fords Ford Motor Company from 1908 through 1927. ... Union Pacific Big Boy #4012 at work on a cold November 29, 1941 A steam locomotive is a locomotive powered by steam. ... The , an 1874 0-6-6 Mason Bogie and the first locomotive with Walschaerts valve gear built in the United States. ... Baldwin Locomotive Works builders plate, 1922 The Baldwin Locomotive Works was an American builder of railroad locomotives. ... Atlantic, Mississippi and Ohio Railroad #87, delivered 1873-10-27 from the Mason Machine Works of Taunton, Massachusetts. ...

Some of the most notable homes and buildings include:

• Noah Webster's Connecticut home.
• the Wright brothers' bicycle shop and home from Dayton, Ohio.
• Thomas Edison's Menlo Park laboratory from New Jersey.
• Henry Ford's birthplace
• Henry Ford's prototype garage where he built the quadricycle
• Harvey Firestone family farm
• William Holmes McGuffey's birthplace
• Luther Burbank's office

Noah Webster Noah Webster (October 16, 1758 – April 28, 1843) was an American lexicographer, textbook author, spelling reformer, political writer, and editor. ... It has been suggested that this article be split into multiple articles. ... The Wright brothers, Orville (August 19, 1871–January 30, 1948) and Wilbur (April 16, 1867–May 30, 1912), were two Americans generally credited with building the worlds first successful airplane and making the first controlled, powered and heavier-than-air human flight on December 17, 1903. ... Nickname: Coordinates: Country United States State Ohio County Montgomery Founded April 1, 1796 Incorporated 1805 Government  - Mayor Rhine L. McLin Area  - City  56. ... Thomas Alva Edison (February 11, 1847 – October 18, 1931) was an American inventor and businessman who developed many devices which greatly influenced life around the world. ... Edison Township is a township located in Middlesex County, New Jersey. ... It has been suggested that this article be split into multiple articles. ... Henry Ford (1919) Henry Ford (July 30, 1863 – April 7, 1947) was the founder of the Ford Motor Company and father of modern assembly lines used in mass production. ... Henry Ford (1919) Henry Ford (July 30, 1863 – April 7, 1947) was the founder of the Ford Motor Company and father of modern assembly lines used in mass production. ... Harvey Samuel Firestone (December 20, 1868 - February 7, 1938) was the founder of the Firestone Tire and Rubber Company, one of the first global makers of automobile tires and an important contributor to North American economic growth in the 20th century. ... William Holmes McGuffey William Holmes McGuffey (September 23, 1800 - May 4, 1873) was an American professor who created the McGuffey Readers, one of Americas first textbook. ... Luther Burbank - c1902 Luther Burbank - The Wizard of Horticulture Luther Burbank (March 7, 1849–April 11, 1926)[1] was an American botanist, horticulturist, and pioneer of agricultural science. ...

Rouge Tour

The Ford Rouge Factory Tour is a first-hand journey behind the scenes of a modern, working automobile factory. Boarding buses at the Henry Ford Museum, visitors are taken to the River Rouge Plant and Dearborn Truck Plant – an industrial complex where Ford has built cars since the Model A and which once employed 100,000 people. Aerial view of the Rouge complex in 1942 Interior of the Rouge Tool & Die works, 1944 The River Rouge Plant (commonly known as the Rouge Complex or just The Rouge) is a Ford Motor Company automobile factory complex located in Dearborn, Michigan at the confluence of the Rouge and Detroit... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

It should be noted that visitors only witness the 'final assembly' of vehicles. While this is interesting in and of itself to some visitors, there have been many complaints registered by disappointed guests.

Other

Behind the scenes, the Benson Ford Research Center uses the resources of The Henry Ford, especially the photographic, manuscript and archival material which is rarely displayed, to allow visitors to gain a deeper understanding of American people, places, events, and things.

The museum also features an IMAX Theater, which shows scientific, natural, or historical documentaries; as well as major feature films. IMAX theatre at the Melbourne Museum complex, Australia BFI London IMAX by night IMAX dome in Guayaquil, Ecuador IMAX (short for Image Maximum) is a film format created by Canadas IMAX Corporation that has the capacity to display images of far greater size and resolution than conventional film display...

From November 4, 2006 through January 1, 2007, the exhibition Tasha Tudor's Spirit of the Holidays is on display at the Henry Ford Museum.

See also

• Architecture of metropolitan Detroit
• Henry Ford Academy
• Tourism in metropolitan Detroit

Comerica Tower at Detroit Center The architecture of metropolitan Detroit, Michigan continues to attract the attention of architects and preservationists alike. ... Henry Ford Academy is the first charter school in the United States to be developed jointly by a global corporation, public education, and a major nonprofit cultural institution. ... Greektown in Detroit Somerset Collection South Tourism in metropolitan Detroit, Michigan is a driving force for the economy. ...

References

External links

• The Henry Ford