Edison Institute Greenfield Village and Henry Ford Museum
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. National Historic Landmark District
Michigan State Historic Site
The museum clock tower. The building is a replica ofIndependence Hall inPhiladelphia.
Show map of Michigan Show map of the United States
Location	The Henry Ford 20900 Oakwood Boulevard at Village Road Dearborn,Michigan United States
Coordinates	42°18′13″N83°14′03″W / 42.30361°N 83.23417°W /42.30361; -83.23417
Built	1929; 96 years ago (1929)
Architect	Robert O. Derrick
Visitation	1.7 million
NRHP reference No.	69000071
Significant dates
Added to NRHP	October 20, 1969[1]
Designated NHLD	December 21, 1981[2]

The Henry Ford (also known as theHenry Ford Museum of American Innovation andGreenfield Village, and as theEdison Institute) is ahistory museum complex inDearborn, Michigan, United States, withinMetro Detroit.^[3][4] The museum collection contains thepresidential limousine ofJohn F. Kennedy,Abraham Lincoln's chair fromFord's Theatre,Thomas Edison's laboratory, theWright Brothers' bicycle shop, theRosa Parks bus, and many other historical exhibits. It is the largest indoor–outdoor museum complex in the United States^[5] and is visited by over 1.7 million people each year.^[6] It was listed on theNational Register of Historic Places in 1969 asGreenfield Village and Henry Ford Museum^[1] and designated aNational Historic Landmark in 1981 as "Edison Institute".^[2]

Named for its founder, theautomobileindustrialistHenry Ford, and based on his efforts to preserve items ofhistorical interest and portray theIndustrial Revolution, the property houses homes, machinery, exhibits, andAmericana of historically significant items as well as common memorabilia, both of which help to capture the history of life in early America. It is one of the largest such collections in the nation.^[7]

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 ...^[8]

Architect Robert O. Derrick designed the museum with a 523,000 square feet (48,600 m²) exhibit hall that extends 400 feet (120 m) behind the main façade. The façade spans 800 feet (240 m) and incorporates facsimiles of three structures fromIndependence National Historical Park inPhiladelphia –Old City Hall,Independence Hall andCongress Hall.^[9][10]

The Edison Institute was dedicated byPresidentHerbert Hoover to Ford's longtime friendThomas Edison on October 21, 1929 – the 50th anniversary of the first successfulincandescent light bulb. The attendees includedMarie Curie,George Eastman,John D. Rockefeller,Will Rogers,Orville Wright, and about 250 others.^[11] The dedication was broadcast on radio with listeners encouraged to turn off their electric lights until the switch was flipped at the Museum.^[12]

The Edison Institute was, at first, a private site for educational purposes only, but after numerous inquiries about the complex, it was opened as a museum to the general public on June 22, 1933.^[13] It was originally composed of the Henry Ford Museum, Greenfield Village, and the Greenfield Village Schools (an experimental learning facility). Initially, Greenfield Village and the Henry Ford Museum were owned by theFord Motor Company, which is currently a sponsor of the school and cooperates with the Henry Ford to provide theFord Rouge Factory Tour. The Henry Ford is sited between theFord Dearborn Development Center and several Ford engineering buildings with which it shares the same style gates and brick fences.

In 1970, the museum purchased what it believed to be a 17th-centuryBrewster Chair, created for one of the Pilgrim settlers in thePlymouth Colony, for $9,000. In September 1977, the chair was determined to be a modern forgery created in 1969 byRhode Island sculptorArmand LaMontagne.^[14] The museum retains the piece as an educational tool on forgeries.^[15]

In the early 2000s, the museum added an auditorium to the building's south corner. This housed anIMAX theater until January 2016 when museum management decided to change formats for the facility to better fit with its mission. The renovated theater reopened in April of that year.^[16]

The Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation began as Henry Ford's personal collection of historic objects, which he began collecting as far back as 1906. Today, the 12 acre (49,000 m²) site is primarily a collection of antique machinery,pop culture items,automobiles,locomotives,aircraft, and other items:

• The museum features a 4Kdigital projection theater,^[16] which shows scientific, natural, or historical documentaries, as well as major feature films.
• AnOscar MayerWienermobile^[17]
• The 1961Lincoln Continental,SS-100-X in which PresidentJohn F. Kennedy was ridingwhen he was assassinated.^[18]
• The rocking chair fromFord's Theatre in which PresidentAbraham Lincoln was sittingwhen he was shot byJohn Wilkes Booth.^[17]
• George Washington's camp bed.^[17]
• A collection of several fine 17th- and 18th-century violins including aStradivarius.^[19]
• Thomas Edison's alleged last breath in a sealed tube.
• Buckminster Fuller's prototypeDymaxion house.^[20]
• The bus on whichRosa Parks was arrested for refusing to give up her seat, leading to theMontgomery bus boycott.^[21][22]
• Igor Sikorsky'sprototype helicopter.
• Fokker Trimotor airplane that flew the first flight over theNorth Pole.^[23]
• Bill Elliott's record-breaking race carclocking in at over 212 MPH at Talladega in 1987^[24]
• Fairbottom Bobs, theNewcomen engine
• A steam engine fromCobb's Engine House in England.^[25]
• A working fragment of the original Holiday Inn"Great Sign"
• Chesapeake & Ohio Railway2-6-6-6 "Allegheny"-class steam locomotive #1601, built byLima Locomotive Works in Lima, Ohio. The Allegheny was the third most-powerful steam locomotive ever built, after the Union Pacific Railroad "Big Boy" 4-8-8-4 locomotive and the Pennsylvania Railroad Q2-class 4-4-6-4 locomotive.^[26]
• Toyota Prius sedan, the first mass-produced hybrid vehicle.^[27]

Behind the scenes, the Benson Ford Research Center uses the resources of The Henry Ford, especially the photographic, manuscript and archival material which is rarely displayed, to allow visitors to gain a deeper understanding of American people, places, events, and things. The Research Center also contains the Ford Motor Archives.^[28]

To commemorate the 100th anniversary of thesinking of the RMSTitanic, the Henry Ford Museum exhibited a vast array of artifacts and media documenting theTitanic's voyage and demise. The exhibit was hosted from 31 March to 30 September 2012.

• Airplanes
• 
  1903Wright Flyer replica
• 
  The 1926Fokker F.VIIa/3M flown over theNorth Pole byRichard E. Byrd
• 
  Byrd Arctic Expedition exhibit
• 
  A 1939Northwest Airlines DouglasDC-3

• Agriculture
• 
  Fordson Tractor No. 1
• 
  Steam Tractor Engine

• Automobiles
• 
  The 1896Ford Quadricycle
• 
  1908 Stevens-Duryea Model U limo (brown) and 1915 Chevrolet Royal Mail Roadster (green)
• 
  A 1916Apperson Touring Car
• 
  1928Model A Ford
• 
  1939Texaco tanker truck byDodge
• 
  A 1949 Volkswagen
• 
  1952 Oscar MayerWienermobile
• 
  The first production builtFord Mustang
• 
  The bus on whichRosa Parks was arrested, an event which started theMontgomery bus boycott

External videos
Tour of presidential vehicles on display, July 24, 2017,C-SPAN

• Presidential limousines
• 
  TheSunshine Special, the official state car used by US PresidentFranklin D. Roosevelt
• 
  TheSS-100-X used byJohn F. Kennedy

External videos
Tour of the railroads exhibit, July 24, 2017,C-SPAN

• Made In America
• 
  Watt Canal Pumping Engine (1796)
• 
  Thomas Horn Engine (1850)
• 
  Water Engine and Electric Generator, Spokane, Washington (1903)
• 
  1831DeWitt Clinton train replica
• 
  Chesapeake and Ohio Railway locomotive C&O 1601
• 
  McDonald's,A&W, andWhite Castle signs

Greenfield Village, the outdoorliving history museum section of the Henry Ford complex, was (along with the adjacent Henry Ford Museum) dedicated in 1929 and opened to the public in June 1933.^[29] It was the first outdoor museum of its type in the nation, and served as a model for subsequent outdoor museums.^[7] Patrons enter at the gate, passing by the Josephine Ford Memorial Fountain and Benson Ford Research Center. Nearly one hundred historical buildings were moved to the property from their original locations and arranged in a "village" setting. The museum's intent is to show howAmericans have lived and worked since the founding of the country. The Village includes buildings from the 17th century to the present, many of which are staffed by costumedinterpreters who conduct period tasks such as farming, sewing and cooking. A collection ofcraft buildings such as pottery, glass-blowing, and tin shops provide demonstrations while producing materials used in the Village and for sale. The Village features costumed and plain-clothed presenters to tell stories and convey information about the attractions. Some of these presenters are seasonal, such as the "games on the green" presenters who only operate in the summer. 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.

External videos
Tour of Henry Ford's garage and childhood home, July 24, 2017,C-SPAN

Village homes, buildings, and attractions include:

• Noah Webster'sConnecticut home, which served as a dormitory for Yale students from 1918 to 1936, when it was obtained by Henry Ford and moved to Greenfield Village where it was restored.^[30][31]
• TheWright brothers' bicycle shop and home, which were bought and moved by Henry Ford in 1937 fromDayton, Ohio.^[32][33]
• A replica ofThomas Edison'sMenlo Park laboratory complex fromNew Jersey. Its reconstruction started in 1928. The buildings were laid out according to exact foundation measurements from the original site. It was furnished with original or faithful duplicates, all placed as they were originally.^[34][35][36]
• The Edison Homestead, birthplace of Thomas Edison's father. It was built in 1816 inVienna, Ontario, and moved to Greenfield Village in the 1930s.^[37]
• Henry Ford's birthplace, which was moved from Greenfield and Ford roads in 1944. Henry Ford had it furnished exactly as it was during his mother's time.^[38][23]
• Henry Ford's prototype garage where he built theFord Quadricycle.
• Harvey S. Firestone's family farmhouse fromColumbiana, Ohio, which was given to the Village by Harvey's two remaining sons in 1983 to perpetuate their father's memory. The disassembling and rebuilding process took over two years, and the farm has been operated as a working sheep farm since 1985.^[30][23]
• TheLogan County, Illinois, courthouse whereAbraham Lincoln practiced law.^[39]
• William Holmes McGuffey's birthplace.^[23]
• Luther Burbank's office.^[40]
• J. R. JonesGeneral Store was built circa 1857 inWaterford Village, Michigan. It was moved to Greenfield Village in 1927 after being purchased by Henry Ford from its then-owner August V. Jacober for $700 and the agreement to rebuild a new store on its Waterford site. It was the first structure to arrive at the Greenfield Village site. The general store was placed in its permanent location facing the village green in the spring of 1929.^[41]
• Ackley Covered Bridge, a 75-foot woodencovered bridge, built in 1832 overEnlow Fork along theGreene–Washington County line inSouthwestern Pennsylvania and moved to the village in 1937.^[42]
• Cape Cod Windmill, also known as the Farris mill, is considered one of the oldest in America. It was originally built in 1633 on the north side of Cape Cod. It was moved several times around Cape Cod until it was given to Henry Ford by the Ford Dealers Association, and installed in Greenfield Village in 1936.^[43]
• In 1935, a structure was added to the park and was identified as the home ofStephen Foster. The structure was identified byhistorians of the time as being authentic and was then deconstructed and moved "piece by piece" from theLawrenceville neighborhood ofPittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to Greenfield Village, Michigan. Foster's niece insisted that it was not his birthplace, and in 1953 the claim was withdrawn.^[44][45]
• A 1913Herschell-Spillmancarousel with an Artizan 'C'band organ with a replicaWurlitzer #153 facade converted to play Wurlitzer rolls.

There are various modes of historic transportation in the Village providing rides for visitors, which utilize authenticFord Model Ts, a 1931Ford Model AA bus (one of about 15 known to exist),horse-drawn omnibuses, and trains pulled bysteam locomotives on the Weiser Railroad.

• Greenfield Village attractions
• 
  Herschell-Spillman Carousel
• 
  Ford Model T rides
• 
  Ford Model AA bus rides
• 
  Horse-drawn omnibus rides
• 
  Weiser Railroad

Weiser Railroad

The Weiser Railroad'sTorch Lake locomotive on the turntable in front of the roundhouse
Overview
Locale	Dearborn,Michigan, U.S.
Dates of operation	1929–present
Technical
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in)
Length	2 miles (3.2 km)

v t e Weiser Railroad
Legend
John D. Dingell Transit Center (museum access via short walk) Bus transfer (via short walk outside museum) Working Farms DT&MRoundhouse (open to public) Porches and Parlors Railroad Junction Greenfield Village station Walnut Grove (special events only) Passengers No passengers Amtrak

The rail line on which the steam locomotives in Greenfield Village presently run originally consisted of a simple straight stretch of track along the northern edge of the museum property, and has been present ever since Greenfield Village was dedicated in 1929. The rail line, now named theWeiser Railroad, was later expanded into a continuous loop around the perimeter of the museum property, which was completed in stages between 1971 and 1972.^[46] This4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)standard gauge passenger line is 2 miles (3.2 km) long and has four stations. All of the railroad's stations consist solely of singleside platforms except for the station in the Railroad Junction section, which also includes the relocated Smiths Creek Depot building originally built for theGrand Trunk Railway in 1858.^[47]

The line utilizes a modern replica of a Detroit, Toledo & Milwaukee Railroad (DT&M)roundhouse built in 1884 inMarshall, Michigan.^[48] At the time it was opened to the public in 2000, the new DT&M Roundhouse replica was one of only seven working roundhouses open to the public in the United States.^[49] A hand-operatedPere Marquette Railwayturntable, originally built in 1901 inPetoskey, Michigan, is also in use.^[50]

The railroad, unusual for aheritage railroad built purposely for tourism, has a direct connection to theUnited States National Railroad Network. The line to which it connects is a section of theMichigan Line owned byMDOT^[51] and is used byAmtrak'sWolverine service, which runs betweenChicago, Illinois, andPontiac, Michigan. In the past, Amtrak'sGreenfield Village station provided direct access to Greenfield Village near the Weiser Railroad's Smiths Creek Depot for reserved tour groups of twenty or more. It was consolidated in December 2014 with the newJohn D. Dingell Transit Center. The new transit center is adjacent to the Henry Ford museum complex and has a gate allowing access to the complex via a short walk.^[52]

Weiser Railroad locomotive details^[53][54][55]

Number	Images	Name	Wheel arrangement	Year built	Builder	Original road	Status	Notes
3		Torch Lake	0-6-4T	1873	Mason Machine Works	Hecla & Torch Lake Railroad	Operational	Only survivingMason Bogie locomotive in the world. Oldest operational locomotive in the U.S. as of 2021.[56]
1		Edison	4-4-0	1875	Manchester Locomotive Works	Edison Portland Cement Company	Operational	Originally an0-4-0, which was rebuilt into a 4-4-0 by Ford in 1932.
7			4-4-0	1897	Baldwin Locomotive Works	Detroit & Lima Northern Railway	Operational	Henry Ford's personal locomotive. Donated by Henry Ford in 1930. Restored from 2007 to 2013.
45			4-4-2	1902	ALCO	Michigan Central Railroad	Display	Cosmetically restored. On static display in the roundhouse.
1			B	1927	Plymouth Locomotive Works	Mistersky Power Plant	Operational	Gasoline powered
1			B-B	1942	General Electric	United States Navy	Operational	50-ton switcher

• General exhibits
• 
  Noah Webster's home fromNew Haven, Connecticut
• 
  A garden and the Ackley Covered Bridge
• 
  The Burbank cottage (left) and Garden House Shop
• 
  Charles Proteus Steinmetz owned this small cabin that overlooked theMohawk River nearSchenectady, New York.

• Thomas Edison exhibits
• 
  Upper level ofThomas Edison's Menlo Park Laboratory
• 
  Threecrucibles inThomas Edison's Menlo Park Laboratory. At the left is aboiler and a smallsteam engine.

• Wright Brothers exhibits
• 
  Wilbur and Orville Wright's house and bicycle shop
• 
  The Wright Brothers' house relocated fromDayton, Ohio
• 
  TheWright Cycle Company building

Each year the Village honors the sacrifices and achievements of those who fought in theAmerican Civil War. The Civil War Remembrance event takes place Memorial Day weekend (Saturday–Monday) every year. An estimated 750,000 people died during the Civil War. The Civil War Remembrance is a weekend event, which includes hundreds of Union and Confederate reenactors, musicians and historic presenters. This event features more than 400Civil War reenactors who spend the entire weekend in the Village. Greenfield Village provides many opportunities in order to learn about the Civil War: exhibits, presentations, battle reenactments, concerts, short plays, hands-on activities and Q&A with historians.^[57]

Motor Muster is one of twocar shows that take place annually in Greenfield Village. Motor Muster is traditionally held onFather's Day weekend. This event currently features cars built from 1932 to 1976, and features between 600 and 800 cars. Special attractions include car judging, and Pass in Review in which experts discuss highlights of the passing cars.

Every summer the Henry Ford has a Summer Camp. It takes place inside Greenfield Village and the Henry Ford Museum between June and August. It is for children in grades 2–9.^[58] Each grade level has a different theme and children who participate in the Summer Camp have the opportunity to look at both the Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation and Greenfield Village from different perspectives. Children participate in activities such as: apprenticeships, canoeing,glass blowing and other age-dependent activities.

The World Tournament ofHistorical Base Ball takes place every year in August. Guests get to take a step back in time to 1867 as vintage base ball clubs from around the country compete by the game's early rules in a two-day exposition of historic base ball.^[59] The clubs engage in two days of throwing, batting and competition. The event is included in Greenfield Village admission.^[60]

For four nights aroundIndependence Day, theDetroit Symphony Orchestra performs a patriotic concert on Walnut Grove in the Village. Attendance ranges from 5000 to 9500 per evening.

This weekend event in July was first presented in 2007 and ran annually through 2015. Ragtime Street Fair featured dozens of live performers, including the River Raisin Ragtime Revue, "Perfessor" Bill Edwards, Mike Montgomery, Nan Bostick, Taslimah Bey, John Remmers, and Tartarsauce Traditional Jazz Band, who celebrated theRagtime era (ca. 1900–1917). The event also featured silent movies, phonograph demonstrations, a cake walk, a cutting contest, and a musical revue in Town Hall as well as the 1912 presidential campaign ofTheodore Roosevelt. Instruction in the ragtime one-step was provided free of charge at this event.

The Old Car Festival takes place every year in September. The Old Car Festival has been held on the first weekend afterLabor Day since 1955. The festival takes over the streets and grounds of Greenfield Village with the sights, sounds, and smells of hundreds of authentic vehicles from the 1890s through 1932.^[61] This event features 500–700 cars. Special events include car judging, Pass in Review, the gaslight tour, and car races on the Walnut Grove field. Guests can take a self-guided tour of the exposition and talk to the owners of the treasured vehicles. Visitors can watch a Model T be assembled in just minutes, attend presentations, and hear experts share information about the vintage vehicles.^[58]

The Village's Halloween celebration features decorations, a headless horseman, witches, other costumed characters, treats and activities for visitors. It is held Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings in October.^[62]

The Christmas season has traditionally been popular in Greenfield Village. Many buildings feature period decorations and the Village is open for self-guided strolls. An ice skating rink is available. Visitors can view live entertainment and costumed presenters or ride in a horse-drawn carriage or Model T.^[63]

TheFord Rouge Factory Tour is a first-hand journey behind the scenes of a modern, working automobile factory. Boarding buses at the Henry Ford Museum, visitors are taken to theRiver Rouge Plant and Dearborn Truck Plant, an industrial complex where Ford has built cars since theModel A that once employed 100,000 people.^[64]

In 2003, the Ford Rouge Factory, the manufacturing facility for theFord F-Series truck, reopened following extensive renovations. When it reopened in 2003, assustainable architecture (Gold LEED Building) led by noted 'green' architectWilliam McDonough, it also opened a new state-of-the-art visitor center highlighting the factory's sustainable aspects and educating visitors on the legacy of the historic manufacturing facility as well as the vehicle manufacturing process that takes place within the manufacturing plant. The visitor experiences, designed by award-winning experience designerBob Rogers and the design team BRC Imagination Arts,^[65] offers two multi-screen theaters, numerous touchscreen interpretive displays and overlook the world's largest "Green" roof, atop the factory. Visitors then walk through the working assembly plant.^[66]

• Bryan, Ford R. (1995).Henry's Attic: Some Fascinating Gifts to Henry Ford and His Museum. Wayne State University Press.ISBN 978-0-8143-2642-8.
• Cantor, George (2005).Detroit: An Insiders Guide to Michigan.University of Michigan Press.ISBN 978-0-4720-3092-7.
• Fisher, Dale (2003).Building Michigan: A Tribute to Michigan's Construction Industry. Grass Lake, Mich: Eyry of the Eagle Publishing.ISBN 978-1-8911-4324-3.
• Hill, Eric J.; John Gallagher (2002).AIA Detroit: The American Institute of Architects Guide to Detroit Architecture.Wayne State University Press.ISBN 978-0-8143-3120-0.
• Meyer, Katherine Mattingly and Martin C.P. McElroy with Introduction by W. Hawkins Ferry, Hon A.I.A. (1980).Detroit Architecture A.I.A. Guide Revised Edition. Wayne State University Press.ISBN 978-0-8143-1651-1.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
• Swigger, Jessica (2008)."History is Bunk": Historical Memories at Henry Ford's Greenfield Village (1st ed.).ISBN 978-0-5496-5616-6.

Wikimedia Commons has media related toEdison Institute.

• The Henry Ford (Mobile)
• The Henry Ford at Google Cultural Institute

• The Henry Ford
• 1929 establishments in Michigan
• Automobile museums in Michigan
• Buildings and structures in Dearborn, Michigan
• Carriage museums in the United States
• Clock towers in Michigan
• Culture of Detroit
• Ford Motor Company
• Henry Ford
• Heritage railroads in Michigan
• Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Michigan
• History museums in Michigan
• Industrial buildings and structures on the National Register of Historic Places in Michigan
• Industry museums in Michigan
• Institutions accredited by the American Alliance of Museums
• Living museums in Michigan
• MotorCities National Heritage Area
• Museums established in 1929
• Museums in Wayne County, Michigan
• National Historic Landmarks in Metro Detroit
• National Register of Historic Places in Wayne County, Michigan
• Open-air museums in Michigan
• Railroad museums in Michigan
• Railroad roundhouses in Michigan
• Railroad-related National Historic Landmarks
• Railway buildings and structures on the National Register of Historic Places in Michigan
• Railway roundhouses on the National Register of Historic Places
• Railway stations on the National Register of Historic Places in Michigan
• Thomas Edison
• Tourist attractions in Metro Detroit
• Transportation buildings and structures on the National Register of Historic Places in Michigan

• Pages using gadget WikiMiniAtlas
• Articles using NRISref without a reference number
• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata
• Use American English from January 2025
• All Wikipedia articles written in American English
• Use mdy dates from August 2023
• Coordinates on Wikidata
• NRHP infobox with nocat
• CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list
• Commons category link is locally defined
• Articles containing video clips