The Henry Ford, a National Historic Landmark, (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. 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 presidential limousine, Abraham Lincoln's chair from Ford's Theatre, Thomas Edison's laboratory, the Wright Brothers' bicycle shop, and the Rosa Parks bus.
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...
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. 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.
The transportation system provides rides by horse-drawn omnibus, steam locomotive, a 1931 Model AA bus (one of about 15 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 Davenport 0-4-0 rebuilt into a 4-4-0 by Ford. The railroad, unusually for a heritage railway, has a direct connection to Amtrak.
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 Ford Quadricycle.
Harvey Firestone family farm from Columbiana, Ohio.
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| ENTERING THE GREENFIELD VILLAGE..... |
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| PRIVILEGED TO RIDE ON THIS OLD FORD...... |
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| JOLLY RIDE WITH MELISSA...... |
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| COOL RIDE....... |
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| WOW ! |
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| AT THE WHEEL SECTION......(CARPENTRY) |
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| WRIGHT CYCLE COMPANY !!!! |
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| FIRST FLIGHT !!! |
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| THE DINING ROOM IN WRIGHT FAMILY HOUSE. |
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| THE WRIGHT FAMILY HOUSE!!! |
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| AT A HAT SHOP .......GREENFIELD VILLAGE |
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| THE TEACHER IN THE ONE ROOM SCHOOL !!! |
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| BACK TO CHILDHOOD DAYS........... |
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| FRENCH FEAST!!! |
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| WIND MILL... |
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| RIDE IN THE STEAM LOCOMOTIVE! |
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| GLASS BLOWING |
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| WITH THE 17TH CENTURY PEOPLE !!! |
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| PINE TREES |
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| GALVANOMETER |
WHAT A GENIOUS FORD WAS .........HE TOOK US BACK TO THE 17TH CENTURY AS WE WENT AROUND THE GREENFIELD VILLAGE !!!
