Planes, Trains, Automobiles, and Stuff.
So, Detroit! It was cold. And pretty dreary, on the whole. Partly due to the cold, I'd planned to go to the Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village, both of which sounded right up my alley. When I got there, I discovered that Greenfield Village was closed (seasonal hours, I guess), so I just did the museum. And actually it was a Good Thing that it worked out that way, because the museum is HUGE--like 12 indoor acres huge--and I went all the way to closing time and still skipped some bits. And some of the stuff in their collection really blew my mind.
Lots of photos, of course, and mostly (as the subject implies) of planes, trains, and--as one would expect in a Detroit museum named after Henry Ford--lots of cars. Come along for a tour?
I started in the agricultural and furniture area, which was pretty neat. Lots of old tractors and harvesters and the like, and a pretty impressive collection of furnishings connected with historical figures--like a chest of drawers belonging to George Washington's parents! I was amazed.
This was actually one of the main draws of the place for me--the Dymaxion House (it's the metal flying-saucer-looking structure to the left). Heather and I happened to see this featured on a television show, and it was really interesting. This was R. Buckminster Fuller's notion for inexpensive, high-tech, mass-produced post-war suburban housing. Circular and built around a single central mast, making it possible to be set up just about anywhere. A bit small for my admittedly American bigger-is-better sensibilities, but fascinating anyway!
I think that should say 1,017 round feet, yeah?
As I get older it becomes more frequent to see my childhood playthings in museums, but it still feels weird when it happens. I had all of these except the one on the far right!
Henry Ford being good friends with Thomas Edison, there was naturally a big area dedicated to electricity and whatnot--in fact, the museum was essentially built around one of the massive electrical generators from Ford's Model T factory in Highland Park. This thing is an early electric arc lamp, which I think looked cool.
I'm a big fan of Nikola Tesla, so it was neat to see a death mask here, as well as an early AC motor he probably worked on at Westinghouse.
Lots of electrical generators, and I loved the textures and colors of many of them.
On to the airplanes! A Douglas DC-3 greets us.
A replica of the Wright Flyer at Kitty Hawk.
Ford Trimotor--this particular aircraft is the Floyd Bennett, which was part of Richard Byrd's 1928-30 Antarctic expedition. It was the first plane to reach the South Pole, in 1929.
Nifty 1930s Pitcairn PCA-2 autogyro, which the Detroit News used for aerial photography from 1931-33. In 1931 Amelia Earhart made a transcontinental flight in one of these, just 9 days late for being the first cross-country rotorcraft flight.
Fokker F.VII trimotor Josephine Ford, the first aircraft to reach the North Pole (though there is some perennial dispute about that)--Richard Byrd again, 1926. The wings are wood, which I found really interesting.
To the cars! The collection is extensive, as one would expect, and seemed a little random in places. But still, some very impressive models.
Ford Model T, naturally.
1930 Ford Model A touring car. In the background you see some of the more modern vehicle, but those aren't nearly as interesting. A Dodge Omni? Please.
1932 Ford cabriolet, the first mass-produced V-8 engine (with a whopping 65 horsepower!).
1931 Bugatti Type 41 Royale convertible. The wheels on this thing are massive--but it's 21 feet long and weighs 7,000 pounds with a 779cid inline 8 engine, so I guess that makes sense.
I wasn't aware that there was no 'standard' model for the Bugattis--each one was custom-made, no two alike. Only 6 were made, and only 3 of those were sold. This was one of the sold ones, and yet it ended up in a New York junkyard, where it was found and purchased in 1946 by a GM executive for $400. He fixed it up, drove it for years, and eventually donated it to the museum.
I love this one. 1931 Duesenberg Model J. Just incredible.
This was one of many surprises in the museum, something I hadn't expected to see. There's a good little Ken Burns documentary film about the first trip across the US by motorcar in 1903, which (like many firsts in those days) was actually something of a race. The guy who made it first, Horatio Jackson, was basically doing it as a bet with friends, and the car he used (a Winton touring car) is in the Smithsonian, where I saw it this past spring. At the same time, the Packard company was sponsoring an attempt in one of their cars--this 1903 Model F, named Old Pacific. It actually completed the trip in less time than Jackson had, but he'd started earlier so they were still second. The driver, Tom Fetch, was asked about the trip, and said: "It was hard--very hard--and I do not care to make the trip again."
1956 Ford Thunderbird. Niiiice. The tollbooth next to it is from the Merritt Parkway in New York, one of the first toll roads in the US.
1965 Ford Mustang. This one happens to be serial number 1.
The 'flop' section, I guess: 1958 Edsel Citation.
And 1948 Tucker 48 sedan.
1927 LaSalle roadster, very cool.
A big surprise in the museum was seeing how far back the history of electric vehicles goes (which begs the question--even though I know the answer--of why they haven't become more common up to now). This electric car belonged to Henry Ford's wife Clara, and was purchased in 1914--women particularly liked electric cars because they didn't need to be hand-cranked like gasoline engines of the day, nor did they have a manual transmission to deal with. The seating in this vehicle was interesting; the driver sits at the back of the cab with hand controls, while the passenger sits in front, facing back towards the driver for conversation.
There was also a remarkable collection of Presidential vehicles. This was the brougham carriage preferred by Theodore Roosevelt.
1939 Lincoln used by FDR and Truman--the first automobile expressly built for Presidential use. It was pretty standard until the start of WWII, when armor plating and bullet-resistant tires and fuel tank were installed.
1961 Lincoln Continental. I did a double-take myself, but yes, this is the vehicle in which JFK was riding when assassinated.
I dunno, I guess I always presumed that the car in which Kennedy was shot would have been retired after that, because ewww, right? But apparently it was rebuilt into a better-armored version (and no longer a convertible, obviously), and remained in service until 1977.
They also had the 1950 Lincoln used by Eisenhower (and as a spare by JFK and Johnson until 1967) and the 1972 Lincoln used from 1974-1987 by Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, and Bush 41. That one was the vehicle Reagan was shot while getting into in 1981.
Neat 1946 mobile diner in the back there. Not sure what the car is, though.
Some old-time roadside fast-food signage, and a 1956 Chevy Bel Air convertible.
Inside the diner, which actually does serve as an on-site restaurant.
There was also an impressive train collection, though I'm not familiar enough to give many details. Bummer, I know. :)
Did I mention that this place is huge?
Luggage car.
Ah, old 1601. This is a 1941 Allegheny steam locomotive, and it was huge. 125 feet long, 16 feet tall, 1.2 million pounds huge. Apparently the single most-photographed item in the museum.
Meanwhile, back in 1783, this camp bed and chest were produced for George Washington, as he toured around to visit troops at the end of the Revolutionary War. I was a bit surprised to see what looks like a modern, metal folding cot, you know?
In 1820, the original Declaration of Independence was found to be a bit deteriorated, so John Quincy Adams (then Secretary of State) commissioned a printer to make a run of exact, full-sized facsimiles, signatures included. In 1823 200 copies were struck; today something like 40 remain. This is one.
I don't think I realized that George Washington wasn't a signer of the Declaration. Only 2 future presidents signed: John Adams and (of course) the author, Thomas Jefferson. Underneath Jefferson's signature is Benjamin Harrison, father of William Henry Harrison (9th President) and great-grandfather of Benjamin Harrison (23rd President)
Something else I really wasn't expecting to see here: the chair in which Abraham Lincoln was assassinated. After the assassination, it was held as evidence and then put into storage. The widow of the Ford's Theater owner asked to have it returned in 1929, and she put it up for auction. Henry Ford bought it for $2,400.
Morbid, but I couldn't help wondering if those stains are what I think they are, you know? Anyway, this may be the first object about which I can say that I and Matthew Brady both photographed it.
Pretty good section of the museum dedicated to Reconstruction, segregation and race relations, and the Civil Rights era. This was a 1922 broadside put out by the Ku Klux Klan, and I found it interesting.
Another wow moment: the Montgomery city bus in which Rosa Parks took a seat in 1955.
Hers was the second forward-facing seat on the left. She was allowed to sit there as long as no more white passengers boarded--but some did, the driver ordered her to move back, she refused, and the rest (as they say) is history.
An exploded Model T--around the corner from this was an area where they apparently assemble a Model T from its component parts every day, inviting passing patrons to install parts as they go along. I wish I'd known about that, I would have loved to help! But by the time I made it closing time was upon us and the car was done. Still pretty neat to see.
And that was about it! After I left it was already getting dark, and the next day was just office-to-airport, so no more photos. Hopefully that wasn't too boring--I know there's nothing like being there.
Anyway, thanks for looking!
Lots of photos, of course, and mostly (as the subject implies) of planes, trains, and--as one would expect in a Detroit museum named after Henry Ford--lots of cars. Come along for a tour?
I started in the agricultural and furniture area, which was pretty neat. Lots of old tractors and harvesters and the like, and a pretty impressive collection of furnishings connected with historical figures--like a chest of drawers belonging to George Washington's parents! I was amazed.
This was actually one of the main draws of the place for me--the Dymaxion House (it's the metal flying-saucer-looking structure to the left). Heather and I happened to see this featured on a television show, and it was really interesting. This was R. Buckminster Fuller's notion for inexpensive, high-tech, mass-produced post-war suburban housing. Circular and built around a single central mast, making it possible to be set up just about anywhere. A bit small for my admittedly American bigger-is-better sensibilities, but fascinating anyway!
I think that should say 1,017 round feet, yeah?
As I get older it becomes more frequent to see my childhood playthings in museums, but it still feels weird when it happens. I had all of these except the one on the far right!
Henry Ford being good friends with Thomas Edison, there was naturally a big area dedicated to electricity and whatnot--in fact, the museum was essentially built around one of the massive electrical generators from Ford's Model T factory in Highland Park. This thing is an early electric arc lamp, which I think looked cool.
I'm a big fan of Nikola Tesla, so it was neat to see a death mask here, as well as an early AC motor he probably worked on at Westinghouse.
Lots of electrical generators, and I loved the textures and colors of many of them.
On to the airplanes! A Douglas DC-3 greets us.
A replica of the Wright Flyer at Kitty Hawk.
Ford Trimotor--this particular aircraft is the Floyd Bennett, which was part of Richard Byrd's 1928-30 Antarctic expedition. It was the first plane to reach the South Pole, in 1929.
Nifty 1930s Pitcairn PCA-2 autogyro, which the Detroit News used for aerial photography from 1931-33. In 1931 Amelia Earhart made a transcontinental flight in one of these, just 9 days late for being the first cross-country rotorcraft flight.
Fokker F.VII trimotor Josephine Ford, the first aircraft to reach the North Pole (though there is some perennial dispute about that)--Richard Byrd again, 1926. The wings are wood, which I found really interesting.
To the cars! The collection is extensive, as one would expect, and seemed a little random in places. But still, some very impressive models.
Ford Model T, naturally.
1930 Ford Model A touring car. In the background you see some of the more modern vehicle, but those aren't nearly as interesting. A Dodge Omni? Please.
1932 Ford cabriolet, the first mass-produced V-8 engine (with a whopping 65 horsepower!).
1931 Bugatti Type 41 Royale convertible. The wheels on this thing are massive--but it's 21 feet long and weighs 7,000 pounds with a 779cid inline 8 engine, so I guess that makes sense.
I wasn't aware that there was no 'standard' model for the Bugattis--each one was custom-made, no two alike. Only 6 were made, and only 3 of those were sold. This was one of the sold ones, and yet it ended up in a New York junkyard, where it was found and purchased in 1946 by a GM executive for $400. He fixed it up, drove it for years, and eventually donated it to the museum.
I love this one. 1931 Duesenberg Model J. Just incredible.
This was one of many surprises in the museum, something I hadn't expected to see. There's a good little Ken Burns documentary film about the first trip across the US by motorcar in 1903, which (like many firsts in those days) was actually something of a race. The guy who made it first, Horatio Jackson, was basically doing it as a bet with friends, and the car he used (a Winton touring car) is in the Smithsonian, where I saw it this past spring. At the same time, the Packard company was sponsoring an attempt in one of their cars--this 1903 Model F, named Old Pacific. It actually completed the trip in less time than Jackson had, but he'd started earlier so they were still second. The driver, Tom Fetch, was asked about the trip, and said: "It was hard--very hard--and I do not care to make the trip again."
1956 Ford Thunderbird. Niiiice. The tollbooth next to it is from the Merritt Parkway in New York, one of the first toll roads in the US.
1965 Ford Mustang. This one happens to be serial number 1.
The 'flop' section, I guess: 1958 Edsel Citation.
And 1948 Tucker 48 sedan.
1927 LaSalle roadster, very cool.
A big surprise in the museum was seeing how far back the history of electric vehicles goes (which begs the question--even though I know the answer--of why they haven't become more common up to now). This electric car belonged to Henry Ford's wife Clara, and was purchased in 1914--women particularly liked electric cars because they didn't need to be hand-cranked like gasoline engines of the day, nor did they have a manual transmission to deal with. The seating in this vehicle was interesting; the driver sits at the back of the cab with hand controls, while the passenger sits in front, facing back towards the driver for conversation.
There was also a remarkable collection of Presidential vehicles. This was the brougham carriage preferred by Theodore Roosevelt.
1939 Lincoln used by FDR and Truman--the first automobile expressly built for Presidential use. It was pretty standard until the start of WWII, when armor plating and bullet-resistant tires and fuel tank were installed.
1961 Lincoln Continental. I did a double-take myself, but yes, this is the vehicle in which JFK was riding when assassinated.
I dunno, I guess I always presumed that the car in which Kennedy was shot would have been retired after that, because ewww, right? But apparently it was rebuilt into a better-armored version (and no longer a convertible, obviously), and remained in service until 1977.
They also had the 1950 Lincoln used by Eisenhower (and as a spare by JFK and Johnson until 1967) and the 1972 Lincoln used from 1974-1987 by Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, and Bush 41. That one was the vehicle Reagan was shot while getting into in 1981.
Neat 1946 mobile diner in the back there. Not sure what the car is, though.
Some old-time roadside fast-food signage, and a 1956 Chevy Bel Air convertible.
Inside the diner, which actually does serve as an on-site restaurant.
There was also an impressive train collection, though I'm not familiar enough to give many details. Bummer, I know. :)
Did I mention that this place is huge?
Luggage car.
Ah, old 1601. This is a 1941 Allegheny steam locomotive, and it was huge. 125 feet long, 16 feet tall, 1.2 million pounds huge. Apparently the single most-photographed item in the museum.
Meanwhile, back in 1783, this camp bed and chest were produced for George Washington, as he toured around to visit troops at the end of the Revolutionary War. I was a bit surprised to see what looks like a modern, metal folding cot, you know?
In 1820, the original Declaration of Independence was found to be a bit deteriorated, so John Quincy Adams (then Secretary of State) commissioned a printer to make a run of exact, full-sized facsimiles, signatures included. In 1823 200 copies were struck; today something like 40 remain. This is one.
I don't think I realized that George Washington wasn't a signer of the Declaration. Only 2 future presidents signed: John Adams and (of course) the author, Thomas Jefferson. Underneath Jefferson's signature is Benjamin Harrison, father of William Henry Harrison (9th President) and great-grandfather of Benjamin Harrison (23rd President)
Something else I really wasn't expecting to see here: the chair in which Abraham Lincoln was assassinated. After the assassination, it was held as evidence and then put into storage. The widow of the Ford's Theater owner asked to have it returned in 1929, and she put it up for auction. Henry Ford bought it for $2,400.
Morbid, but I couldn't help wondering if those stains are what I think they are, you know? Anyway, this may be the first object about which I can say that I and Matthew Brady both photographed it.
Pretty good section of the museum dedicated to Reconstruction, segregation and race relations, and the Civil Rights era. This was a 1922 broadside put out by the Ku Klux Klan, and I found it interesting.
Another wow moment: the Montgomery city bus in which Rosa Parks took a seat in 1955.
Hers was the second forward-facing seat on the left. She was allowed to sit there as long as no more white passengers boarded--but some did, the driver ordered her to move back, she refused, and the rest (as they say) is history.
An exploded Model T--around the corner from this was an area where they apparently assemble a Model T from its component parts every day, inviting passing patrons to install parts as they go along. I wish I'd known about that, I would have loved to help! But by the time I made it closing time was upon us and the car was done. Still pretty neat to see.
And that was about it! After I left it was already getting dark, and the next day was just office-to-airport, so no more photos. Hopefully that wasn't too boring--I know there's nothing like being there.
Anyway, thanks for looking!