Henry Ford built a large tree house approximately 200 yards beyond this point in a large oak. It is said Mr. Ford enjoyed its rustic natural setting, and he and his grandchildren used the tree house as a retreat. Archival records indicate Mr. . . . — — Map (db m145798) HM
Dearborn was an outpost on the western frontier
Because of expansion from Detroit and Indian disturbances to the west, in 1833 the federal government began construction of an arsenal on its military reserve land near where the Sauk Trail . . . — — Map (db m98178) HM
Parallel to the Great Meadow, the Trail Garden offered visitors a more intimate garden-walk experience. As it meandered through shrub borders and woodland, the Trail Garden was full of surprises. Large semi-circular flower beds were planted with . . . — — Map (db m96436)
In machine shops, workers use machines to shape metal parts with great precision. The parts are then used in other machines.
Workers carefully and skillfully ran machines like those inside this machine shop. Many of the country’s engineers of . . . — — Map (db m78780) HM
Education is the greatest force in civilization
Henry Ford (1863-1947)
This building served as Dearborn's Main Library for 45 years and was named the public library. Land for the building was donated in 1923 by Mrs. Henry Ford. . . . — — Map (db m96785) HM
This Morley Avenue neighborhood has a special history.
In the early 1800s, the U.S. government purchased this land near the Rouge River for a frontier military reserve and arsenal. When the arsenal closed in 1875, the land was sold and . . . — — Map (db m98620) HM
This house, built around 1927 by Charles and Anna Kandt, represents the foursquare, a house type popular during the early twentieth century, particularly in the teens and twenties. Charles Kandt opened a hotel in Dearborn in 1903 and engaged in . . . — — Map (db m31686) HM
This building was one of eleven built in 1833 for the United States Detroit Arsenal at Dearbornville. A walled compound, a 360 foot square, was erected to store military supplies on the frontier. Constructed of red brick in the Federal style, this . . . — — Map (db m31687) HM
Then
Every year in March, when the Fords lived here, truckloads of sod from nearby fields were brought to Fair Lane along with cow manure from farms. These items were mixed in layers with grass clippings and leaves. Two months later, this . . . — — Map (db m145831) HM
Samuel Daggett held many jobs, like many other people in the community. Sometimes he even pulled teeth. Each member of the Daggett family played and important role in producing food, clothing and other goods on this Colonial farm. In order to . . . — — Map (db m78796) HM
East Downtown Dearborn is "the neighborhood the Rouge Plant built,"
and its fortunes have been tied to Ford Motor Company. Ford taxes generated much of the income used to build the impressive Georgian Revival-style building, which opened on . . . — — Map (db m96996) HM
Dearborn Town Hall Complex
This municipal building opened on June 26, 1922, as the seat of government for the Village of Springwells, which became a city in 1924, and in 1925 was renamed Fordson (for Henry and Edsel Ford). After Fordson . . . — — Map (db m85481) HM
During his long career Robert Herndon developed over fifty subdivisions and nine golf courses. In 1922 he opened the Dearborn Hills Golf Club. According to the Dearborn Times Herald, it was Michigan's first public golf course. Having been . . . — — Map (db m33663) HM
The focal point of Veterans Plaza is the Dearborn War Memorial,
which was dedicated on Veterans Day, November 11, 1981.
The Memorial has a unique and symbolic "Flag in the Ground” design.
Its "field” is a 24-square foot raised brick . . . — — Map (db m165388) HM WM
1833-1916 - Physician - Chemist - Pharmacist - One of the founders of Parke, Davis & Company, Dr. Duffield's stately residence was located about one-half mile west from this marker. About 100 feet further west was located his laboratory where he . . . — — Map (db m32500) HM
Thomas Edison’s grandparents were known for their kindness. Story has it that the would leave food on the stove in their kitchen when they left home so that hungry passers-by could find something to eat.
Thomas Edison had happy childhood memories . . . — — Map (db m78795) HM
Clara and Henry Ford built Fair Lane on 1,300 acres, a few miles from where they both were born. As Henry skyrocketed to global fame with the success of the Model T, Fair Lane was their sanctuary.
The estate along the Rouge River included a . . . — — Map (db m217363) HM
Here Henry and Clara Bryant Ford lived from 1915 until their deaths in 1947 and 1950. The eminent American auto magnate and inventor named Fair Lane after the road on which his father, William Ford, was born in County Cork, Ireland. The fifty-six . . . — — Map (db m31690) HM
Henry Ford built the City of Dearborn
His business interests drove the consolidation of the City of Fordson and the City of Dearborn in 1929. To the east were the Ford Rouge Plant and the Ford Administration Building. To the west were . . . — — Map (db m96992) HM
On March 7, 1932, in the midst of the Depression, unemployed autoworkers. their families and union organizers braved bitter cold temperatures and gathered at this bridge, intent on marching to the Ford Rouge Plant and presenting a list of demands to . . . — — Map (db m176750) HM
It was a gift for his hometown.
Henry Ford developed an 18-hole golf course at Outer Drive and Military Street that opened in 1925. With the course designed by Donald Ross and the clubhouse designed by architect Albert Kahn, Ford wanted to . . . — — Map (db m98085) HM
When it was dedicated on March 22, 1928, Fordson High School was hailed as "one of the finest school buildings in the United States." Designed in the Neo-Tudor style, the school is reminiscent of sixteenth century English universities and manor . . . — — Map (db m32948) HM
Once open farmland, the osage-orange tree hedge on the right still exists. It dates from the 1800's farming community that formed the boyhood environment of Henry Ford. Landscape designer Jens Jensen told the Fords he would transform the land back . . . — — Map (db m89482) HM
From State Fair to Fair Lane
Henry Ford had the miniature farmhouse, along with a miniature barn, steam engine and threshing machine, constructed for the 1924 Michigan State Fair to educate children living in an urban area about life on a . . . — — Map (db m96264) HM
The manufacturing technology developed by Henry Ford and the auto industry affected all aspects of life in early 20th century Michigan. Among the labor-saving items pioneered in the state during that period were specialized valves for watering . . . — — Map (db m89361) HM
Silk comes from silkworm, which is really a caterpillar. One cocoon contains a single strand of silk up to 1,000 yards long.
Workers spent tedious hours here, tending to the silkworms and spinning thread from their cocoons. The Hanks family ran . . . — — Map (db m78779) HM
The estate's powerhouse was the first of more than 20 hydroelectric plants built by Henry Ford. Two direct current (DC) hydroelectric generators were used to change the force of the Rouge River into electrical energy to power light bulbs, pumps, . . . — — Map (db m145852) HM
At this intersection stood the home in which Henry Ford was born on July 30, 1863. The farm house was owned by Ford's parents, William and Mary Ford, and in 1944 it was moved to Greenfield Village. In a space of less than ten years at the beginning . . . — — Map (db m32946) HM
has been designated a
National Historic Landmark
This site possesses national significance in commemorating the history of the United States of America.
1982
National Park Service
United States Department of the Interior . . . — — Map (db m78755) HM
in 1909 for his Daughter and her family.
Three layers of bricks, from the local Clippert Brick Yard, comprise the structure. The garage in the rear of the lot (formerly known as the barn), housed small livestock and chickens (the sounds of . . . — — Map (db m218320) HM
In 1916, the famed naturalist and writer John Burroughs, along with Henry Ford, laid the cornerstone of the Jens Jensen-designed grotto (an artificial recess or structure made to resemble a natural cave). Rocks were brought from the upstate New . . . — — Map (db m146137) HM
Dearborn has long been a transportation hub,
first by water and land, later by rail, air and automobile. The Rouge and Detroit rivers provided water transport to the Great Lakes. Major overland routes included the Sauk Trail (later the . . . — — Map (db m217374) HM
During the period of the American Civil War the U.S. Arsenal in Dearborn (then Dearbornville) served as training facilities for Michigan soldiers. This marker is a testimony and a memorial to those men and their units who gave a measure of their . . . — — Map (db m97537) HM
As part of Greenfield Village’s storm-water management system, this millpond cleans water and improves our wetlands ones way to the Rouge River watershed.
This millpond is connected to other ponds in Greenfield Village based on an original 1929 . . . — — Map (db m78781) HM
In 1926, a 2.5-acre rose garden was designed for this meadow, with the help of landscape architect Herbert Kellaway and rosarian Harriet Foote. Once completed, the garden contained approximately 10,000 rose plants of 400 varieties and cost more than . . . — — Map (db m98927) HM
Prior to refrigerators, the constant cool temperature of the earth surrounding a root cellar was sufficient to preserve summer produce for winter consumption. This root cellar was used to store apples, pears, onions, carrots and potatoes grown on . . . — — Map (db m145785) HM
Noah Webster created America’s first dictionary. He suggested a single - and distinctly American - way to spell a word, such as “logic” instead of “logick.” This home was built for Noah Webster’s retirement, but he never really retired. He spent . . . — — Map (db m78798) HM
Where you are standing now was once an open channel to the Rouge River. The Fords would pilot their boat, the Callie B, out of the boathouse to the river. The Ford grandchildren would harbor small boats here, as well. Conveniently, Mrs. . . . — — Map (db m88431) HM
Orville L. Hubbard (1903-82) was mayor of Dearborn for 15 terms, from 1942-78, one of the longest tenures of any full-time U.S. mayor. Born near Union City, Michigan, Hubbard served in the Marine Corps from 1922-25 and graduated from Detroit . . . — — Map (db m144165) HM
Fruit orchards were planted in various locations around the estate consisting of apples, pears, cherries, and other varieties of fruit. The open lawn next to the weeping beech tree was previously an apple orchard with fruit favored by Mr. Ford. . . . — — Map (db m96261) HM
Piccard Stratosphere Flight
Near this location and not far from the Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village was located the Ford Airport. Here aviation history was made on October 23, 1934, when Dr. Jeannette Piccard made an ascent in a . . . — — Map (db m98592) HM
This distinctive neighborhood was born in 1919 and 1920.
In those years, Henry Ford built 156 homes for sale to his Dearborn Fordson Tractor Plant employees. The two-story, three- and four-bedroom homes were built with the most current . . . — — Map (db m120397) HM
The Power of Water
Clara and Henry Ford situated their new home along the banks of the Rouge River to take advantage of nature's beauty and power. Construction of a dam and hydroelectric power plant provided the necessary electrical needs for . . . — — Map (db m88697) HM
A Home for the Ages
William Van Tine was the architect of record for the design and construction of Clara and Henry Ford's 15th and final residence, Fair Lane. Earlier designs were completed by Von Holst and Fyfe of Chicago, IL and their . . . — — Map (db m88992) HM
Building a New Foundation
When the Powerhouse was constructed in 1914, it was a rare engineering and architectural feat. It included a hydroelectric power plant that provided power to the estate. It also contained sophisticated water filtration . . . — — Map (db m96474) HM
1. Early Rose Garden / English Garden
In 1916, to showcase Clara Ford's favorite flower, landscape architect Jens Jensen designed a rose garden next to the house. In 1927, the roses were relocated to a new, larger rose garden . . . — — Map (db m213784) HM
1. A Sanctuary for Self-Sufficiency
Fair Lane, the home of Clara and Henry Ford, reflects the Fords' interests and achievements in developing a self-reliant lifestyle true to their agricultural roots. In addition to the stately . . . — — Map (db m213398) HM
1. The Power of Water
Clara and Henry Ford situated their new home along the banks of the Rouge River to take advantage of nature's power and beauty. Construction of a dam and hydroelectric power plant provided the necessary . . . — — Map (db m215218) HM
Radio has a strong tradition in Dearborn.
In 1934, Henry Ford inspired the "Ford Sunday Evening Hour" on Detroit's WWJ - AM radio. The Detroit Symphony Orchestra appeared on the broadcast regularly and became the nation's first radio . . . — — Map (db m98481) HM
In 1915, landscape designer Jens Jensen created a picturesque rock garden masterpiece for Henry and Clara Ford. His design was engineered to work with nature and be relatively maintenance-free.
(Left Photo Caption)
In the early 1920's, . . . — — Map (db m89338) HM
Why was the Retention Structure built?
Dearborn has a combined sewer system which collects both storm water and sanitary wastewater in the same pipe. During heavy rains and large snow melts, combined sewers can exceed capacity and overflow . . . — — Map (db m98572) HM
Saint Alphonsus Parish
Attracted by fertile farmland, some forty German-speaking families from Rhineland-Westphalia settled in this area between 1825 and 1848. The community celebrated its first Catholic Mass in the home of Peter and . . . — — Map (db m85578) HM
Long before cars were built along the lower Rouge River
in Dearborn, the site was home to shipbuilding. Early 1700s French settlers established a small shipyard on the Rouge River at Baby Creek. The British later used the same site to build . . . — — Map (db m99189) HM
Sir John Bennett liked the mythical story of Gog and Magog, the ancient protectors of Britain, so he re-created them for the front of his shop.
The clock figures, Gog and Magog, toll the chimes of this shop every 15 minutes.
Sir John Bennett . . . — — Map (db m78758) HM
While working as a newsboy on the Grand Trunk Railway line, Thomas Edison sent along the latest Civil War news by telegraph. That way, he could be guaranteed newspaper sales when he arrived at each depot.
This small but busy railroad station . . . — — Map (db m78777) HM
In 1885 Michigan's first private mental institution was located here under the guidance of the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul. In 1855 the Sisters at St. Mary's Hospital in Detroit had begun the care of the mentally ill, formerly . . . — — Map (db m33657) HM
Aldo Leopold, pioneer wildlife ecologist, once said, "He who owns a veteran bur oak owns more than a tree. He owns an historical library, and a reserved seat in the theatre of evolution. To the discerning eye, his farm is labeled with the . . . — — Map (db m145829) HM
One of history's great scientists worked here.
Renowned scientist George Washington Carver and Henry Ford became friends in 1936. Both were interested in developing synthetic rubber and plastics from soybeans, peanuts and cotton. Ford built . . . — — Map (db m120318) HM
The Dearborn Inn
Henry Ford built the Dearborn Inn in 1931 to accommodate overnight travelers arriving at the Ford Airport. Located opposite the inn on Oakwood Boulevard, the airport opened in 1924. The 179-room inn, designed by Albert Kahn, . . . — — Map (db m36017) HM
The Ford Airport
At this airport, built by Henry Ford in 1924, world and national history was made, ushering in a new era of flight embracing the all-metal airliner, radio control devices, air mail, scheduled flights, and the airline services . . . — — Map (db m14956) HM
The Ford Rotunda is a lost landmark
that is still remembered fondly. Architect Albert Kahn — who designed many Ford factories and buildings — designed the building for Ford's exhibit at the 1933-34 "Century of Progress" World's . . . — — Map (db m120457) HM
Thousands of unemployed auto workers and union organizers gathered
in bitter cold on March 7, 1932 near the Fort Street Bridge, in the despair of the Great Depression. They intended to march to the Ford Rouge Plant, to present to Henry Ford . . . — — Map (db m176754) HM
There has always been a lot to stop for here.
In the 1800s, the Six Mile Inn was a rural rest stop here along the Chicago Road (today's Michigan Avenue) from Detroit. But the development nearby in the early 1900s of Ford Motor Company's . . . — — Map (db m85498) HM
Guests of the Fords came from all walks of life, and the Great Meadow that greeted them remains. Its designer, Jens Jensen, used thousands of native plantings to create this vista he labeled, "The Path of the Setting Sun-Summer." Every summer . . . — — Map (db m96937) HM
It was built five years before Michigan became a state, (1837).
Dearbornville, Michigan Territory, in the Old Northwest Territory.
This house is a perfect example of pioneer construction. It was located in the Scottish settlement in . . . — — Map (db m98581) HM
The intersection of Michigan Avenue and Schaefer Road
has been important in metropolitan Detroit's history. In its early days it was a rest stop on the road between Detroit and Chicago. Joseph Schaefer built the Six Mile House tavern at the . . . — — Map (db m121407) HM
Conrad Ten Eyck (1782-1847) built a famous tavern in 1826 about 300 feet west of this marker--the first resting place of travelers, one day's trip west of Detroit. It stood on the River Rouge at a point where the Chicago Road forked. The northerly . . . — — Map (db m32498) HM
Thomas Edison knew how to make an impression. He had his office built from brick so people would think he was running a strong, profitable business.
Thomas Edison needed people with a variety of talents to keep his “invention . . . — — Map (db m78988) HM
On this site stood the armory, the largest of the eleven buildings of the Detroit Arsenal. This structure served as a storehouse for ord nance [sic] equipment and quartermaster supplies, and as a social center for military and community . . . — — Map (db m133648) HM
Four of the eleven buildings that comprised the arsenal stood directly in a north-south line with this marker.
Facing Michigan Avenue was the saddlers shop, while in this area were the smiths and carpenters shops, all three were one story brick . . . — — Map (db m97506) HM
The powder magazine, 23' by 67', originally built in 1839 as part of the 1833 - 1875 Detroit Arsenal in Dearbornville, was located about 930 feet east of the eleven buildings shown on the edges of this marker. It was made of local brick, featured . . . — — Map (db m97504) HM
Two of the eleven brick buildings that comprised the arsenal stood in an east-west line with this marker. The Officers' Quarters, similar but smaller than the still-standing Commandant's Quarters, and the Barracks, second largest of the arsenal . . . — — Map (db m97544) HM
Built originally as the Sutler's Shop where soldiers might purchase tobacco and needed supplies, this 36' x 25' brick building with its slate roof was but one of the eleven buildings which comprised the arsenal.
Enclosed by a 12' high brick . . . — — Map (db m97607) HM
Conditions were ripe for the rise of unionism
in the Depression-ravaged 1930s. Ford Motor Company was the last of the "Big Three" to unionize. The turning point came on May 26, 1937, when Ford security men brutally beat UAW organizers at . . . — — Map (db m120446) HM
The Chicago Road was the way to go west from Detroit.
After the Erie Canal in New York state opened in 1825, great numbers of Americans searched for their future to the west across the Great Lakes. Many of them traveled on the Chicago Road, . . . — — Map (db m96775) HM
During spring 2020, an unprecedented infestation of Oystershell scale caused dieback among the Persian Lilacs and Bladdernut shrubs. Based on recommendations from MSU Plant and Pest Diagnostics and other lilac experts, we removed all deadwood . . . — — Map (db m213707) HM
The Wright Cycle Shop is considered the "birthplace of aviation." this is the original building where the Wright Flyer was made. Besides their bicycle business, Wilbur and Orville Wright did much of the hands-on work on their airplane here. The . . . — — Map (db m66351) HM
Wyoming Avenue has a vivid industrial history.
Brick-making flourished in the 1800s as companies like Clippert, Haggerty and Mercier took advantage of the area's rich clay deposits. Automakers competing with Ford later came to this east . . . — — Map (db m120434) HM
From 1942 to 1945, Ford Motor Company
completely shut down vehicle
manufacturing at The Rouge and
dedicated all its resources to military
production to support the war effort.
The giant complex produced the jeeps,
tanks, and trucks, as well as . . . — — Map (db m165402) HM
The Model A was the first passenger
vehicle produced at The Rouge. As the
replacement for the Model T, the
Model A was an instant hit. When the
car hit dealer showrooms, an estimated
10 million people stood in line for two
days just to get a . . . — — Map (db m165393) HM
A group portrait of the Ford
negotiating team in Washington D.C.
June 1941. Ford's first collective
bargaining agreement with the United
Auto Workers was considered to be
groundbreaking because it explicitly
prohibited discrimination based . . . — — Map (db m165391) HM
Henry Ford began construction of this complex on the banks of the River Rouge in April, 1917. Here, the Ford Motor Company built World War I submarine chasers known as "Eagle" boats. By the mid-1920s this plant was the largest manufacturing center . . . — — Map (db m85592) HM
Henry Ford began construction of this complex on the banks of the River Rouge in April, 1917. Here, the Ford Motor Company built World War I submarine chasers known as "Eagle" boats. By the mid-1920s this plant was the largest manufacturing center . . . — — Map (db m85810) HM
In the midst of the Depression,
unemployed autoworkers, their
families and union organizers staged a
"Hunger March” down Miller Road
demanding job and benefits from
Henry Ford. The event turned violent
when marchers clashed with . . . — — Map (db m165400) HM
The Rouge Complex, hailed as the
"icon of twentieth century manufacturing"
was the realization of Henry Ford's
innovative vision of vertical
integration... "A continuous, nonstop
process from raw material to finished
product with no pause even . . . — — Map (db m165398) HM
The pedestrian bridge is where the
famous 1937 "Battle of the Overpass"
occurred but it's also renowned for
being the well-traveled entry to the
Rouge Complex. The Miller Road
Overpass has been the main gateway
for autoworkers since 1923 . . . — — Map (db m165392) HM
Left to right from center of picture
are UAW-CIO officials: Robert Kanter,
Walter Reuther, Richard T. Prankensteen,
and J.J. Kennedy.
On May 26, 1937, Walter Reuther and three
fellow union organizers attempted to
enter The Rouge via the . . . — — Map (db m165396) HM
United Auto Workers distributing
flyers at the Rouge's Miller Road
Overpass in the late 1930s. a new era
in labor relations began in 1941,
when Ford and the UAW signed their
groundbreaking labor agreement. — — Map (db m165394) HM
During the World War II, women made
up a large number of the Rouge and
Willow Run plant's work force.
in fact, it's here where the term
"Rosie the Riveter” came from. — — Map (db m165401) HM
