June 23, 2008

June 23, 2008

We are back in Dearborn, MI this morning to see the Henry Ford Museum. Greenfield Village was Ford’s collection of houses and buildings. The museum is his collection of everything else. It is impressive, unbelievably large and impossible to do real justice in a single day. Not surprisingly automobiles are a large part. The museum seems to have one illustrating every single step of the evolution from horse carriage to modern car. They also have all the presidential vehicles, including the one Kennedy was shot in. They even have a Model T that they take completely apart every day and let kids assemble throughout the day. Of course I helped, installing the radiator. The Model T is a surprisingly simple compact design. I would like to get one myself. Don’t mention this to Aimee but restored versions sell on E-bay for only $8000.

Beyond cars, the museum has a collection of airplanes, trains, carriages, steam engines, farm equipment, and household goods. The central theme is the innovation that drove industrialization. If that wasn’t enough (it really is too much), the museum has a special exhibit on the history of chocolate and a large exhibit on American freedom. This last section unbelievably covers the original Independence movement, the Civil War and slave freedom, the Civil Rights movement, and Women’s right to vote. I could have spent all day in this one section. We breezed through it mostly just to see Rosa Park’s bus and the chair Lincoln was shot in.

Henry Ford is famous for his use of the assembly line to mass-produce affordable cars. He ought really to be known as an insatiable collector. But he is a man of my own heart. It turns out he also explored the country in an RV with his buddies Tom Edison and Harvey Firestone. And I bet Mrs. Edison didn’t complain about their RV either!