'America's Greatest History Attraction'" - 'The Henry Ford'
'Ford-ism', the one word sums up Ford's ingenuity for setting up an automobile line, which stands as fore-runner of today's automobile revolution. Henry Ford brought out a car from the assembly line within 98 minutes. 'Ford ism' represents mass production of inexpensive cars. He was the first one to introduce a pay scale of $5.00 per day in 1914 which was almost double the then prevailing standards. Ford gave an exhibition on the Ice of Lakes of St.Clair driving 1 mile in 39.40 seconds, a record @ 91.30m/hr. Ford's first 'T' Model car was priced at $825.
Henry Ford was not formally educated. But he is the father of the Motor Industry. He amassed wealth - as per Wikipedia 2006 statistics, he, at 56 years was ranked No.2, next only to J.D.Rockefeller with a wealth of 179 billion U.S.Dollars. Bill Gates was placed in that release at No.8 with a wealth 44 billion$. Henry Ford's endeavour has made Detroit as the birth place of motor Cars. The city is full of cars, both men and women take the wheels in a most disciplined manner that makes the very heavy traffic smooth flowing on the high ways, as well as within the city limits.
We first visited the Greenfield Village. Ford had the noble theme while setting up the Greenfield Village. He wished the whole world to see before their eyes the inventions of great Scientists like Thomas Alva Edison. For this purpose, he got shifted some of the structural elements from the original complex of Edison's Lab at Menlopark and brought them to Greenfield Village.(see picture of the lab where we are seen watching the items).
Also Ford's farm house along with the soil from his birth place,a village west of Detroit, is restored in the campus. How true the maxim is:- "Be it so humble, there is no place like home".
'When tillage begins, the whole art follows. The farmers are the founders of human civilization'. A sign board carrying this slogan directs us to the Greenfield Village. We entered 'Ford House'first. An elderly lady with a pleasant outlook greeted us with great warmth and gave details about the house of Ford, even the gas stove what we saw in his farm house belonged to that age. We took a group photo with the lady in Ford's Farm House
Henry Ford relished a good relation with George Washington Carver, a farmer who had carried out extensive research in farms. We visited Carver's original cabin. Ford in fact had developed an automobile entirely of plastics - attached to a tubular welded frame. It ran on grain alcohol (soybean base ethanol) instead of gasoline. The design never caught on, but.
We, thus realized, that we are slipping into another era, from the moment we entered the Green Village. Ford had recreated the world that had inspired him to greatness. Thomas Alva Edison's laboratory as existed during Edison's days in Menlo Park, similarly Wright brothers' work shop and Carver's Cabin are the notable places to see and learn. Edison was awarded with as many as 1093 patents.
Ford Motor Company came four generations later. When Henry Ford built Rouge Plant, he introduced synergy in the field of environmental innovation and industrial production which when work together can benefit mankind extraordinarily.
Edison invented a modest projector. But he never would have imagined that the modest projector he introduced in 1896 would evolve into the mammoth movie going experience at Ford's I Max Theatre. The I-Max illustration is a classic example of Ford's theme of bringing alive the great inventions before the common man in the Green Village. Edison's statue in the Greenfield Village attracts the visitor. The inscription below the statue reads 'what makes a genius':- 99% perspiration plus 1% intellegence is what makes a genius.
Henry Ford believed that history was not just about people. It was also for the people. Benson Ford Research Center exemplifies this statement in a big way.
We enjoyed a drive in Ford built old vintage car and went round the Working Farms, Liberty Craft Works, Rail Road Junction, Main Street in the village, Porches and Parlors and walnut grove. The pottery shop,
the weaving shop, stony creek saw mill, printing office, the post office, the glass shop - all exhibited history as was existing in Ford's time.
There is a model of 'Illinois Court House' and when you step into this, you get a picture of the professional life of Abraham Lincoln, the 16th Republican U.S. President. The land mark exhibits the place where he used to discuss legal matters with his clients.
We visited a Church in the campus which had been dedicated by Ford in memory of his mother. Similarly Ford's wife who loved plants built a herbariumto preserve greenery for posterity.
A live demonstration of weaving of textile yarn in good old days was shown to us. Similarly in the printing press the person incharge demonstarted the primitive, the then existing methods of printing. When we casuallyposed a question what makes the today's dollar currency notes not to crumble, he demonstrated by taking out a $5 note and washed it with soap. He explained the secret that the ingredient is cloth in the note which can withstand any rough handling. We jokingly remarked that he possessed 'clean money' when the $5 was shining in his hand after rinsing with water..
The Postoffice in the Greenfield was the 19th century model where people visited not only to buy stamps but also to read news papers as means for printing many editions and tranportation were not available. We saw 19th century news prints. We bought a post card from the post office which carried a picture of the Farm House of Henry Ford with a caption 'this is the birth place of Henry Ford'. We wrote our c/o address and posted the same. The card was stamped with a 'Dearborn postal seal' and was taken for despatch in our presence. We received the post card intact 2 days later delivered @our residence. We visited a Studio of 19th century restored in the campus where we took photographs.(#see pictures
A breath taking demonstration of blowing of the hot lava of glass at the end of a long handle, shaping it to a round bottom flask and colouring the flask to a tender pale green was shown to us and we witnessed the 19th century glass-blowing technique. Pl.take a close look at the two pictures of glass bowls with shiny intricate linings of concentric circles. The master piece of work costs around $300.00.
One can take a ride in a vintage Model T, steam powered Train, horse drawn omnibus also.
We had lunch in the 'Eagle Tavern'-a taste of history restaurant. The vegetarian menu what we had with iconic dishes, that was inspired accurately by 1850s recipes proved as a fun filled experience.
We had a ride in a 1913 model carousel. We really enjoyed the merry go round with melodious music in the back groundHenry Ford (July30,1863 - April7,1947) was awarded 161 U.S.patents. He was one among the 18 in Gallup's list of widely admired people in 20th century from a pool of American people.
We saluted the statue of Henry Ford before leaving the venue.
We then visited General Motors Company in downtown of Detroit which is housed in the tallest building on the bank of the large Detroit River. The tall structure is built to a unique design of a spiral like shape with a glaze outward appearance. There is a display of cars,"Winter Garden", in a big style round the floor. The colors, shapes, sizes of the cars mesmire the on-lookers and reveal the wealth behind the people and the Nation.
We made a detour via the St.Clair Beach which is an extension of the Great Michigan River and enjoyed the breeze and the scenic spots before reaching home
The pictures will bring before you the history of our visit, click on the pictures to have the enlarged view .