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The Henry Ford (also known as the Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation and Greenfield Village, and as the Edison Institute) is a history museum complex in the Detroit suburb of
Dearborn Dearborn may refer to: People * Dearborn (surname) ** Henry Dearborn (1751–1829), U.S. Secretary of War under President Thomas Jefferson, Senior Officer of the U.S. Army during the War of 1812 Places in the United States Forts * Fort Dearborn, ...
, Michigan, United States. The museum collection contains the presidential limousine of John F. Kennedy, Abraham Lincoln's chair from Ford's Theatre, Thomas Edison's laboratory, the Wright Brothers' bicycle shop, the Rosa Parks bus, and many other historical exhibits. It is the largest indoor–outdoor museum complex in the United States and is visited by over 1.7 million people each year. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1969 as Greenfield Village and Henry Ford Museum and designated a National Historic Landmark in 1981 as "Edison Institute".


Museum background

Named for its founder, the automobile
industrialist A business magnate, also known as a tycoon, is a person who has achieved immense wealth through the ownership of multiple lines of enterprise. The term characteristically refers to a powerful entrepreneur or investor who controls, through perso ...
Henry Ford, and based on his efforts to preserve items of
historical History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbrella term comprising past events as well ...
interest and portray the Industrial Revolution, the property houses homes, machinery, exhibits, and Americana of historically significant items as well as common memorabilia, both of which help to capture the history of life in early America. It is one of the largest such collections in the nation. Henry Ford said of his museum:


History

Architect Robert O. Derrick designed the museum with a exhibit hall that extends behind the main façade. The façade spans and incorporates facsimiles of three structures from Independence National Historical Park in Philadelphia
Old City Hall Old City Hall may refer to: Asia In Hong Kong * Old City Hall (Hong Kong) Europe In Croatia *Old City Hall (Zagreb) In Denmark * Old City Hall (1479–1728), in Copenhagen * Old City Hall (1728–1795), in Copenhagen * Old City Hall (Aalborg) ...
, Independence Hall and Congress Hall. 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 first successful incandescent light bulb. The attendees included Marie Curie, George Eastman, John D. Rockefeller,
Will Rogers William Penn Adair Rogers (November 4, 1879 – August 15, 1935) was an American vaudeville performer, actor, and humorous social commentator. He was born as a citizen of the Cherokee Nation, in the Indian Territory (now part of Oklahoma ...
, Orville Wright, and about 250 others. The dedication was broadcast on radio with listeners encouraged to turn off their electric lights until the switch was flipped at the Museum. The Edison Institute was, at first, a private site for educational purposes only, but after numerous inquiries about the complex, it was opened as a museum to the general public on June 22, 1933.. It 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 owned by the Ford Motor Company, which is currently a sponsor of the school and cooperates with the Henry Ford to provide the Ford Rouge Factory Tour. The Henry Ford is sited between the Ford Dearborn Development Center and several Ford engineering buildings with which it shares the same style gates and brick fences. In 1970, the museum purchased what it believed to be a 17th-century
Brewster Chair A Brewster Chair is a style of turned chair made in mid-17th-century ("Pilgrim Century") New England, United States. Origin The "Brewster Chair" was named after Willam Brewster, one of the Pilgrim fathers who landed in Plymouth, Massachusetts ...
, created for one of the Pilgrim settlers in the Plymouth Colony, for $9,000. In September 1977, the chair was determined to be a modern forgery created in 1969 by Rhode Island sculptor
Armand LaMontagne Armand LaMontagne (born 1939) is an American sculptor of celebrated personalities. Education LaMontagne is a graduate of Worcester Academy and Boston College. He is a self-taught artist who has honed his skills through practicing his profession. ...
. The museum retains the piece as an educational tool on forgeries. In the early 2000s, the museum added an auditorium to the building's south corner. This housed an
IMAX IMAX is a proprietary system of high-resolution cameras, film formats, film projectors, and theaters known for having very large screens with a tall aspect ratio (approximately either 1.43:1 or 1.90:1) and steep stadium seating. Graeme F ...
theater until January 2016 when museum management decided to change formats for the facility to better fit with its mission. The renovated theater reopened in April of that year.


Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation

The Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation 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 Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop!, a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Albums * Pop (Gas al ...
items, automobiles,
locomotive A locomotive or engine is a rail transport vehicle that provides the Power (physics), motive power for a train. If a locomotive is capable of carrying a payload, it is usually rather referred to as a multiple unit, Motor coach (rail), motor ...
s, aircraft, and other items: * The museum features a 4K digital projection theater, which shows scientific, natural, or historical documentaries, as well as major feature films. * An Oscar Mayer Wienermobile * The 1961 Lincoln Continental, SS-100-X in which President John F. Kennedy was riding when he was assassinated. * The rocking chair from Ford's Theatre in which President Abraham Lincoln was sitting when he was shot by John Wilkes Booth. *
George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of th ...
's camp bed. * A collection of several fine 17th- and 18th-century violins including a Stradivarius. * Thomas Edison's alleged last breath in a sealed tube. * Buckminster Fuller's prototype
Dymaxion house The Dymaxion House was developed by inventor and architect Buckminster Fuller to address several perceived shortcomings with existing homebuilding techniques. Fuller designed several versions of the house at different times — all of them ...
. * The bus on which Rosa Parks was arrested for refusing to give up her seat, leading to the Montgomery bus boycott. * Igor Sikorsky's prototype helicopter. * Fokker Trimotor airplane that flew the first flight over the North Pole. *
Bill Elliott William Clyde Elliott (born October 8, 1955), also known as Awesome Bill from Dawsonville, Million Dollar Bill, or Wild Bill is an American former professional stock car racing driver. He competes full time in the Camping World Superstar Racing ...
's record-breaking race car clocking in at over 212 MPH at Talladega in 1987 * ''
Fairbottom Bobs ''Fairbottom Bobs'' is a Newcomen-type beam engine that was used in the 18th century as a pumping engine to drain a colliery near Ashton-under-Lyne. It is probably the world's second-oldest surviving steam engine. The engine was installed at C ...
'', the Newcomen engine * A steam engine from
Cobb's Engine House Cobb's Engine House (properly known as Windmill End Pumping Station) in Rowley Regis, West Midlands, England, is a scheduled ancient monument and a Grade II listed building built around 1831. It housed a stationary steam pump used to pump water ...
in England. * A working fragment of the original Holiday Inn "Great Sign" * Chesapeake & Ohio Railway
2-6-6-6 The 2-6-6-6 (in Whyte notation) is an articulated locomotive type with two leading wheels, two sets of six driving wheels and six trailing wheels. Only two classes of the 2-6-6-6 type were built. One was the "Allegheny" class, built by the Lima L ...
"Allegheny"-class steam locomotive #1601, built by Lima Locomotive Works in Lima, Ohio. The Allegheny was the third most-powerful steam locomotive ever built, after the Union Pacific Railroad "Big Boy" 4-8-8-4 locomotive and the Pennsylvania Railroad Q2-class 4-4-6-4 locomotive. * Toyota Prius sedan, the first mass-produced hybrid vehicle. 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 Research Center also contains the Ford Motor Archives. To commemorate the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the RMS ''Titanic'', the Henry Ford Museum exhibited a vast array of artifacts and media documenting the '' Titanic''s voyage and demise. The exhibit was hosted from 31 March to 30 September 2012.


Selected exhibits

;Airplanes File:15 23 1065 wright flyer replica.jpg, 1903 '' Wright Flyer'' replica File:Fokker_FVIIa3m_wiki.jpg, The 1926
Fokker F.VII The Fokker F.VII, also known as the Fokker Trimotor, was an airliner produced in the 1920s by the Dutch aircraft manufacturer Fokker, Fokker's American subsidiary Atlantic Aircraft Corporation, and other companies under licence. Design and dev ...
a/3M flown over the North Pole by Richard E. Byrd File:15 23 1068 ford museum.jpg, Byrd Arctic Expedition exhibit File:Douglas DC-3 Northwest Airlines.jpg, A 1939 Northwest Airlines Douglas DC-3
;Agriculture File:Fordson No. 1.jpg, Fordson Tractor No. 1 File:15 23 1047 ford museum.jpg, Steam Tractor Engine ;Automobiles File:1896-ford-archives.jpg, The 1896 Ford Quadricycle File:1899 Duryea.JPG, An 1899 Duryea File:15 23 1083 ford museum.jpg, 1908 Stevens-Duryea Model U limo (brown) and 1915 Chevrolet Royal Mail Roadster (green) File:1916-apperson.jpg, A 1916 Apperson Touring Car File:HFM Chile to Michigan 1928 Model A Ford.jpg, 1928 Model A Ford File:HFM 1939 Dodge Texaco tanker truck.jpg, 1939 Texaco tanker truck by
Dodge Dodge is an American brand of automobiles and a division of Stellantis, based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. Dodge vehicles have historically included performance cars, and for much of its existence Dodge was Chrysler's mid-priced brand above P ...
File:1949-volkswagen-archives.jpg, A 1949 Volkswagen File:HFM 1950s Oscar Mayer Wienermobile.jpg, 1950s era Oscar Mayer Wienermobile File:1964-mustang-rc.jpg, The first production built
Ford Mustang The Ford Mustang is a series of American automobiles manufactured by Ford. In continuous production since 1964, the Mustang is currently the longest-produced Ford car nameplate. Currently in its sixth generation, it is the fifth-best selli ...
File:Rosa Parks Bus.jpg, The bus on which Rosa Parks was arrested, an event which started the Montgomery bus boycott File:Rosa_Parks_Old_GM_Bus_serial_number_1132_interior_No_2857.jpg, Interior of the "Rosa Parks" bus File:15 23 1089 ford museum.jpg, 1927 Blue Bird school bus
;Presidential limousines File:Sunshine Special -8.jpg, The ''
Sunshine Special The ''Sunshine Special'' was inaugurated by the St. Louis, Iron Mountain and Southern Railway, (later the Missouri Pacific Railroad), on December 5, 1915, to provide a premium level of passenger train service between St. Louis, Little Rock, an ...
'', the official state car used by US President Franklin D. Roosevelt File:1961 Lincoln model 74A.jpg, The SS-100-X used by John F. Kennedy
;Made In America File:15 23 1056 ford museum.jpg, Watt Canal Pumping Engine (1796) File:15 23 1062 ford museum.jpg, Watt Rotative Engine File:15 23 1041 ford museum.jpg, Thomas Horn Engine (1850) File:15 23 1050 ford museum.jpg, Stationary Steam Engine (1850) File:15 23 1053 ford museum.jpg, Water Engine and Electric Generator, Spokane, Washington (1903) File:15 23 1092 ford museum.jpg, 1831
DeWitt Clinton DeWitt Clinton (March 2, 1769February 11, 1828) was an American politician and naturalist. He served as a United States senator, as the mayor of New York City, and as the seventh governor of New York. In this last capacity, he was largely res ...
train replica File:15 23 1095 ford museum.jpg, McDonald's, A&W, and White Castle signs File:CandOLocomotive-1601.jpg,
Chesapeake and Ohio Railway The Chesapeake and Ohio Railway was a Class I railroad formed in 1869 in Virginia from several smaller Virginia railroads begun in the 19th century. Led by industrialist Collis P. Huntington, it reached from Virginia's capital city of Richmond t ...
locomotive C&O 1601


Greenfield Village

Greenfield Village, the outdoor living history museum section of the Henry Ford complex, was (along with the adjacent Henry Ford Museum) dedicated in 1929 and opened to the public in June 1933. It was the first outdoor museum of its type in the nation, and served as a model for subsequent outdoor museums. Patrons enter at the gate, passing by the Josephine Ford Memorial Fountain and Benson Ford Research Center. 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 have 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 pottery, glass-blowing, and tin shops provide demonstrations while producing materials used in the Village and for sale. The Village features costumed and plain-clothed presenters to tell stories and convey information about the attractions. Some of these presenters are seasonal, such as the "games on the green" presenters who only operate in the summer. 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. Village homes, buildings, and attractions include: * Noah Webster's Connecticut home, which served as a dormitory for Yale students from 1918 to 1936, when it was obtained by Henry Ford and moved to Greenfield Village where it was restored. * The Wright brothers' bicycle shop and home, which were bought and moved by Henry Ford in 1937 from Dayton, Ohio. * A replica of Thomas Edison's Menlo Park laboratory complex from New Jersey. Its reconstruction started in 1928. The buildings were laid out according to exact foundation measurements from the original site. It was furnished with original or faithful duplicates, all placed as they were originally. * The Edison Homestead, birthplace of Thomas Edison's father. It was built in 1816 in Vienna, Ontario and moved to Greenfield Village in the 1930s. * Henry Ford's birthplace, which was moved from Greenfield and Ford roads in 1944. Henry Ford had it furnished exactly as it was during his mother's time. * Henry Ford's prototype garage where he built the Ford Quadricycle. * Harvey Firestone family farm from Columbiana, Ohio, which was given to the Village by Harvey's two remaining sons in 1983 to perpetuate their father's memory. It took over two years for the disassembling and rebuilding process and has been operated as a working sheep farm since 1985. * The Logan County, Illinois courthouse where Abraham Lincoln practiced law. * William Holmes McGuffey's birthplace. * Luther Burbank's office. * J. R. Jones General Store was built circa 1857 in
Waterford Village, Michigan Waterford Village is an historic community in Waterford Township, Michigan. First settled in 1819, the village is located in the northernmost part of the township along Dixie Highway, on the southeast shore of Van Norman Lake. History In 1818, ...
. It was moved to Greenfield Village in 1927 after being purchased by Henry Ford from its then-owner August V. Jacober for $700 and the agreement to rebuild a new store on its Waterford site. It was the first structure to arrive at the Greenfield Village site. The general store was placed in its permanent location facing the village green in the spring of 1929. * Ackley Covered Bridge, a 75' wooden covered bridge, built in 1832 over
Enlow Fork Enlow may refer to: *Enlow, Pennsylvania * Enlow (band) *Blayne Enlow Blayne Chanlar Enlow (born March 21, 1999) is an American professional baseball pitcher in the Minnesota Twins organization. Amateur career Enlow attended St. Amant High Sch ...
along the Greene - Washington County line in Southwestern Pennsylvania and moved to the village in 1937. * Cape Cod Windmill, also known as the Farris mill, is considered one of the oldest in America. It was originally built in 1633 on the north side of Cape Cod. It was moved several times around Cape Cod until it was gifted to Henry Ford from the Ford Dealers Association, and installed in Greenfield Village in 1936. * In 1935, a structure was added to the park and was identified as the home of Stephen Foster. The structure was identified by historians of the time as being authentic and was then deconstructed and moved "piece by piece" from the Lawrenceville neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to Greenfield Village, Michigan. Foster's niece insisted that it was not his birthplace and in 1953, the claim was withdrawn. * A 1913 Herschell Spillman
carousel A carousel or carrousel (mainly North American English), merry-go-round (List of sovereign states, international), roundabout (British English), or hurdy-gurdy (an old term in Australian English, in South Australia, SA) is a type of amusement ...
with an Artizan 'C' band organ with a replica Wurlitzer #153 facade converted to play Wurlitzer rolls. There are various modes of historic transportation in the Village providing rides for visitors, which utilize authentic
Ford Model T The Ford Model T is an automobile that was produced by Ford Motor Company from October 1, 1908, to May 26, 1927. It is generally regarded as the first affordable automobile, which made car travel available to middle-class Americans. The relati ...
s, a 1931
Ford Model AA Ford Model AA is a truck from Ford. As the Model T and TT became obsolete and needed to be replaced, Henry Ford began initial designs on the Model A and Model AA in 1926. Basic chassis layout was done rapidly and mechanical development was ...
bus (one of about 15 known to exist), horse-drawn omnibuses, and trains pulled by
steam locomotive A steam locomotive is a locomotive that provides the force to move itself and other vehicles by means of the expansion of steam. It is fuelled by burning combustible material (usually coal, oil or, rarely, wood) to heat water in the locomot ...
s.


Weiser Railroad

The rail line on which the steam locomotives in Greenfield Village presently run originally consisted of a simple straight stretch of track along the northern edge of the museum property, and has been present ever since Greenfield Village was dedicated in 1929. The rail line, now named the Weiser Railroad, was later expanded into a continuous loop around the perimeter of the museum property, which was completed in stages between 1971 and 1972. This passenger line is long and has four stations. All of the railroad's stations consist solely of single side platforms except for the station in the Railroad Junction section, which also includes the relocated Smiths Creek Depot building originally built for the Grand Trunk Railway in 1858. The line utilizes a modern replica of a Detroit, Toledo & Milwaukee Railroad (DT&M) roundhouse built in 1884. At the time it was opened to the public in 2000, the new DT&M Roundhouse replica was one of only seven working roundhouses open to the public in the United States. The railroad, unusual for a heritage railroad built purposely for tourism, has a direct connection to the United States National Railroad Network. The line to which it connects is a section of the
Michigan Line The Michigan Line, sometimes known as the Chicago–Detroit Line, is a higher-speed rail corridor that runs between Porter, Indiana and Dearborn, Michigan. It carries Amtrak's ''Blue Water'' and ''Wolverine'' services, as well as the occasional f ...
owned by MDOT and is used by Amtrak's ''Wolverine'' service, which runs between Chicago, Illinois and
Pontiac, Michigan Pontiac ( ') is a city in and the county seat of Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, the city had a total population of 61,606. A northern suburb of Metro Detroit, Pontiac is about northwest of Detroit. Founde ...
. In the past, Amtrak's Greenfield Village station provided direct access to Greenfield Village near the Weiser Railroad's Smiths Creek Depot for reserved tour groups of twenty or more. It was consolidated in December 2014 with the new
John D. Dingell Transit Center The John D. Dingell Transit Center is an intermodal transit station in Dearborn, Michigan. It is served by Amtrak's ''Wolverine'' line as well as Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional Transportation (SMART) buses. The station is named after ...
. The new transit center is adjacent to the Henry Ford museum complex and has a gate allowing access to the complex via a short walk.


Greenfield Village Gallery

File:Noah Webster House.JPG, Noah Webster's home from New Haven, Connecticut File:Covered Bridge at Greenfield Village.jpg, A garden and the Ackley Covered Bridge File:House at Greenfield Village.jpg, The Burbank cottage (left) and Garden House Shop File:Late model Ford Model T.jpg, A
Ford Model T The Ford Model T is an automobile that was produced by Ford Motor Company from October 1, 1908, to May 26, 1927. It is generally regarded as the first affordable automobile, which made car travel available to middle-class Americans. The relati ...
giving rides at The Henry Ford File:Steinmetz Cabin.jpg, Charles Proteus Steinmetz owned this small cabin that overlooked the Mohawk River near Schenectady, New York.
;Thomas Edison exhibits File:Menlo Park Laboratory.JPG, Upper level of Thomas Edison's Menlo Park Laboratory File:Menlo Lab Cruicibles.jpg, Three
crucibles A crucible is a ceramic or metal container in which metals or other substances may be melted or subjected to very high temperatures. While crucibles were historically usually made from clay, they can be made from any material that withstands te ...
in Thomas Edison's Menlo Park Laboratory. At the left is a boiler and a small
steam engine A steam engine is a heat engine that performs mechanical work using steam as its working fluid. The steam engine uses the force produced by steam pressure to push a piston back and forth inside a cylinder. This pushing force can be trans ...
.
;Wright Brothers exhibits File:Wright House and Shop.JPG, Wilbur and Orville Wright's house and bicycle shop File:The Wright House.jpg, The Wright Brothers' house relocated from Dayton, Ohio File:Wright cycle shop.jpg, The
Wright Cycle Company The bicycle business of the Wright brothers, the Wright Cycle Company (originally the ''Wright Cycle Exchange'') successively occupied six different locations in Dayton, Ohio. Orville and Wilbur Wright began their bicycle repair, rental and sales ...
building


Signature events


Civil War Remembrance

Each year the Village honors the sacrifices and achievements of those who fought in the American Civil War. The Civil War Remembrance event takes place Memorial Day weekend (Sat-Mon) every year. An estimated 750,000 people died during the Civil War. The Civil War Remembrance is a weekend event, which includes hundreds of Union and Confederate reenactors, musicians and historic presenters. This event features more than 400
Civil War reenactors American Civil War reenactment is an effort to recreate the appearance of a particular battle or other event associated with the American Civil War by hobbyists known (in the United States) as Civil War reenactors, or living historians. Althou ...
who spend the entire weekend in the Village. Greenfield Village provides many opportunities in order to learn about the Civil War: exhibits, presentations, battle reenactments, concerts, short plays, hands-on activities and Q&A with historians.


Motor Muster

Motor Muster is one of two
car shows An auto show, also known as a motor show or car show, is a public exhibition of current automobile models, debuts, concept cars, or out-of-production classics. It is attended by automotive industry representatives, dealers, auto journalists a ...
that take place annually in Greenfield Village. Motor Muster is traditionally held on Father's Day weekend. This event currently features cars built from 1932–1976, and features between 600–800 cars. Special attractions include car judging, and Pass in Review in which experts discuss highlights of the passing cars.


Summer Camp

Every summer the Henry Ford has a Summer Camp. It takes place inside Greenfield Village and the Henry Ford Museum between June and August. It is for children in grades 2-9. Each grade level has a different theme and children who participate in the Summer Camp have the opportunity to look at both the Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation and Greenfield Village from different perspectives. Children participate in activities such as: apprenticeships, canoeing, glass blowing and other age-dependent activities.


World Tournament of Historic Base Ball

The World Tournament of Historical Base Ball takes place every year in August. Guests get to take a step back in time to 1867 as vintage base ball clubs from around the country compete by the game's early rules in a two-day exposition of historic base ball. The clubs engage in two days of throwing, batting and competition. The event is included in Greenfield Village admission.


Salute to America

For four nights around
Independence Day An independence day is an annual event commemorating the anniversary of a nation's independence or statehood, usually after ceasing to be a group or part of another nation or state, or more rarely after the end of a military occupation. Man ...
, the
Detroit Symphony Orchestra The Detroit Symphony Orchestra (DSO) is an American orchestra based in Detroit, Michigan. Its primary performance venue is Orchestra Hall at the Max M. Fisher Music Center in Detroit's Midtown neighborhood. Jader Bignamini is the current music d ...
performs a patriotic concert on Walnut Grove in the Village. Attendance ranges from 5000 to 9500 per evening.


Ragtime Street Fair

This weekend event in July was first presented in 2007 and ran annually through 2015. Ragtime Street Fair featured dozens of live performers, including the River Raisin Ragtime Revue, "Perfessor" Bill Edwards, Mike Montgomery, Nan Bostick, Taslimah Bey, John Remmers, and Tartarsauce Traditional Jazz Band, who celebrated the Ragtime era (ca. 1900–1917). The event also featured silent movies, phonograph demonstrations, a cake walk, a cutting contest, and a musical revue in Town Hall as well as the 1912 presidential campaign of Theodore Roosevelt. Instruction in the ragtime one-step was provided free of charge at this event.


Old Car Festival

The Old Car Festival takes place every year in September. The Old Car Festival has been held on the first weekend after
Labor Day Labor Day is a federal holiday in the United States celebrated on the first Monday in September to honor and recognize the American labor movement and the works and contributions of laborers to the development and achievements of the United St ...
since 1955. The festival takes over the streets and grounds of Greenfield Village with the sights, sounds, and smells of hundreds of authentic vehicles from the 1890s through 1932. This event features 500–700 cars. Special events include car judging, Pass in Review, the gaslight tour, and car races on the Walnut Grove field. Guests can take a self-guided tour of the exposition and talk to the owners of the treasured vehicles. Visitors can watch a Model T be assembled in just minutes, attend presentations, and hear experts share information about the vintage vehicles.


Hallowe'en in Greenfield Village

The Village's Halloween celebration features decorations, a headless horseman, witches, other costumed characters, treats and activities for visitors. It is held Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings in October.


Holiday Nights

The Christmas season has traditionally been popular in Greenfield Village. Many buildings feature period decorations and the Village is open for self-guided strolls. An ice skating rink is available. Visitors can view live entertainment and costumed presenters or ride in a horse-drawn carriage or Model T.


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 that once employed 100,000 people. In 2003, the Ford Rouge Factory, the manufacturing facility for the Ford F-Series truck, reopened following extensive renovations. When it reopened in 2003, as
sustainable architecture Sustainable architecture is architecture that seeks to minimize the negative environmental impact of buildings through improved efficiency and moderation in the use of materials, energy, development space and the ecosystem at large. Sustainable ...
(Gold LEED Building) led by noted 'green' architect
William McDonough William Andrews McDonough is an American architect, designer, and author. McDonough is founding principal of William McDonough + Partners, co-founder of McDonough MBDC, and co-author of ''Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things'' a ...
, it also opened a new state-of-the-art visitor center highlighting the factory's sustainable aspects and educating visitors on the legacy of the historic manufacturing facility as well as the vehicle manufacturing process that takes place within the manufacturing plant. The visitor experiences, designed by award-winning experience designer Bob Rogers and the design team BRC Imagination Arts, offers two multi-screen theaters, numerous touchscreen interpretive displays and overlook the world's largest "Green" roof, atop the factory. Visitors then walk through the working assembly plant.


See also

*
Architecture of metropolitan Detroit The architecture of metropolitan Detroit continues to attract the attention of architects and preservationists alike. With one of the world's recognizable skylines, Detroit's waterfront panorama shows a variety of architectural styles. The post-m ...
* Automotive Hall of Fame *
Beamish Museum Beamish Museum is the first regional open-air museum, in England, located at Beamish, near the town of Stanley, in County Durham, England. Beamish pioneered the concept of a living museum. By displaying duplicates or replaceable items, it wa ...
*
Blab school A vocal school, blab school or ABC school or old-time school was a type of children's primary school at some remote rural places in North America, outdated and obsolete as the 19th century progressed. The school children recited ''(blabbed)'' ...
* Carillon Historical Park *
The Dearborn Inn The Dearborn Inn, A Marriott Hotel, is a luxurious historic hotel, conceived by Henry Ford, who saw a need for food and accommodations for visitors flying into the nearby Ford Airport (Dearborn), Ford Airport, making it one of the first airport h ...
* Edison and Ford Winter Estates * Fair Lane (Henry Ford's estate) * Ford Piquette Avenue Plant * Hammer Historical Collection of Incandescent Electric Lamps * Henry Ford Academy * Heritage Park Historical Village * Rail transport in Walt Disney Parks and Resorts *
Tourism in metropolitan Detroit Tourism in metropolitan Detroit, Michigan is a significant factor for the region's culture and for its economy, comprising nine percent of the area's two million jobs. About 15.9 million people visit Metro Detroit annually, spending an estimated ...


References


Further reading

* * * * * *


External links


The Henry FordMobile

The Henry Ford at Google Cultural Institute
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