Happy 150th birthday, Henry Ford!

Happy 150th birthday to Henry Ford today, founder of the Ford Motor Company. This photo was taken in his office at the Piquette Plant in Detroit which rolled out Model T's to the public beginning in 1908. Owners of the museum are in the process of restoring Henry's office to look like it did back in the early 1900's. As president of the Ford Motor Company, he offered workers the famous wage of $5 a day for 8 hours of work beginning in 1914. By 1915, they had produced a million cars. Tours of the Piquette Plant (also known as T-Plex) are Wednesday through Sunday.

Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit

The Henry Ford Health System employs 24,000 people making it one of the largest employers in Michigan. Their flagship medical facility is the behemoth Henry Ford Hospital on West Grand Boulevard in Detroit with beds for 800 patients. The floor logo in the main entrance lobby proudly displays that it has been there since 1915 when it was financed and built by the auto magnate, Henry Ford. HFHS is a national leader in research and education and clinical care.

Clinton Inn in Clinton

There is a unique story in Clinton, south of Ann Arbor and located on the Old Saulk Trail, an Indian path that was used between Detroit and Chicago (now US 12). The stagecoaches used to make a couple of trips a day in the 1800's between the two cities, and an overnight stop was frequently used at the Clinton Inn, built in 1830.  The inn, in total disrepair and filled with garbage, was bought by Henry Ford in 1925.  He moved it to Greenfield Village and we know it so well today as the Eagle Tavern. The Clinton Inn in the photo above stands at the main crossroads of town. It was built in 1900 and serves good food and has 10 guest rooms on the second floor. The third floor contains apartments. It's a unique place from which to explore the Irish Hills.

Henry Ford Centennial Library in Dearborn

Henry Ford's 100th birthday was in 1963. To celebrate that event the Ford Foundation granted 3 million dollars for the building of a library and the Ford Motor Company gave 15 acres of land on Michigan Avenue for the construction of the facility. It was finally dedicated in 1969. One of our favorite Michigan artists, Marshall Fredericks, sculpted Henry Ford's image in bronze which you see above mounted on a marble pedestal. The Rotunda Gallery inside the library displays various pieces of art. There is a 3-dimensional map of the US that was originally shown in the Ford Pavilion during the World's Fair in New York in 1964. The artist who designed it, Glen Michaels, also created the twisting staircase that connects all three floors in the library and the tapestry.

Henry Ford's Model T

The first Model T was produced 101 years ago today -- built in Ford Motor Company's Piquette Avenue plant in Detroit. The T-plex museum on that spot is open the first and third Saturday of the month. Doreen and I were in awe walking through history viewing these beautifully restored cars. We even got to sit in a Tin Lizzie. Today also marks what would have been Suzie's dad's 100th birthday and Earl the Pearl even used to work for Henry Ford back in the day...... For lots more info, pics and entry fees, check out tplex.org.