Depot Town in Ypsilanti in Washtenaw County, Michigan — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Power on the River
Ford's Ypsilanti Village Industry
Photographed By Joel Seewald, October 13, 2016
1. Power on the River: Ford's Ypsilanti Village Industry Marker
Henry Ford wasn't the first to harness the flowing Huron River.
In the 1880s, dams built along the river through Ypsilanti provided waterpower to mills processing paper, wool, lumber, and grain. In 1931, Ford bought property along the river on the south side of the city including a former municipal electricity-generating plant. He had the facility enhanced to power a new Village Industry that manufactured automobile generators.
Village Industries along rivers in southeast Michigan
offered decentralized small-part manufacturing and brought jobs to rural settings. The original Ypsilanti Ford plant's 63,000 square feet of space eventually grew to over one million square feet, employing over 4000 people, by far the largest of Ford's Village Industries. The plant closed and was sold in 2008.
You Auto Know
The Ford Ypsilanti Village Industry came to be called the Ford Generator Plant.
Erected by Motorcities National Heritage Area, National Park Service.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce • Roads & Vehicles. In addition, it is included in the MotorCities National Heritage Area series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1931.
Location. 42° 14.449′
this page online
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Michigan Avenue Industry (here, next to this marker); The Amazing Quarter Mile (here, next to this marker); Food and Drink (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); First Settlement in Washtenaw County (about 700 feet away); Elijah McCoy (approx. 0.2 miles away); Ypsilanti Area Sesquicentennial (approx. 0.2 miles away); First Methodist Episcopal Church (approx. ¼ mile away); Michigan's Interurbans (approx. ¼ mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Ypsilanti.
Photographed By Joel Seewald, October 13, 2016
2. Top image
The original Ford Ypsilanti Village Industry factory, 1932. Photo courtesy of Angstrom - USA.
Photographed By Joel Seewald, October 13, 2016
3. Upper left image
Portion of aerial view of Ypsilanti, 1890. Courtesy of Angstrom - USA.
Photographed By Joel Seewald, October 13, 2016
4. Middle left image
The Ypsilanti powerhouse, about 1900. Postcard photo courtesy of Ypsilanti Historical Museum.
Photographed By Joel Seewald, October 13, 2016
5. Lower left image
Photographed By Joel Seewald, October 13, 2016
6. Upper right image
Ford plant complex, 1970. Photo courtesy of Angstrom - USA.
Photographed By Joel Seewald, October 13, 2016
7. Middle right image
Workers in the plant during World War II, early 1940s. Photo courtesy of Angstrom - USA.
Photographed By Joel Seewald, October 13, 2016
8. Lower right image
Plant workers, about 2005. Photo courtesy of Angstrom - USA.
Photographed By Joel Seewald, October 13, 2016
9. Power on the River: Ford's Ypsilanti Village Industry Marker
This marker is in the middle.
Credits. This page was last revised on February 12, 2023. It was originally submitted on October 14, 2016, by Joel Seewald of Madison Heights, Michigan. This page has been viewed 366 times since then and 27 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9. submitted on October 14, 2016, by Joel Seewald of Madison Heights, Michigan.
