The Henry Ford Museum, Michigan

The Henry Ford Museum (which is actually just called “The Henry Ford”) is the interior extension of the outdoor Greenfield Village that houses Ford’s original collection of historically-significant artifacts and industrial prototypes with an emphasis on pop culture of the 20th century, automobiles, and mechanisms of air travel. The Ford seeks to acquire landmark artifacts of historical and innovative importance, celebrating American history and the ingenuity of its citizens; it also tells stories of varying importance such as the drafting of the Declaration of Independence and the birth of modern furniture design.

Though its exhibits relentlessly promote the narrative of progress as tied to technological ingenuity and development, the museum houses important, one-of-a-kind items that can be viewed as artifacts without the agenda and which regardless, shed light on the ways in which development has shaped the world in which we inhabit. Together with Greenfield Village, the museum paints a fascinating picture of the transition from a self-sufficient, rural way of life with a hyper-localized economy to our present reliance on global industrial production that enables leisure time for a segment of the population hitherto unseen in history.

The 1961 Lincoln Continental in which JFK was assassinated, The Henry Ford, Dearborn, Michigan

The 1961 Lincoln Continental in which JFK was assassinated, The Henry Ford, Dearborn, Michigan

Replica of the 1903 Wright Flyer, The Henry Ford, Dearborn, Michigan

Replica of the 1903 Wright Flyer, The Henry Ford, Dearborn, Michigan

A 20-ton 1923 Canadian Pacific snowplow, The Henry Ford, Dearborn, Michigan

A 20-ton 1923 Canadian Pacific snowplow, The Henry Ford, Dearborn, Michigan

A 1955 Corvette Roadster, The Henry Ford, Dearborn, Michigan

A 1955 Corvette Roadster, The Henry Ford, Dearborn, Michigan

Copy of the Declaration of Independence, The Henry Ford, Dearborn, Michigan

Copy of the Declaration of Independence, The Henry Ford, Dearborn, Michigan

Restored actual bus in which Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat, The Henry Ford, Dearborn, Michigan

Restored actual bus in which Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat, The Henry Ford, Dearborn, Michigan

Slavery exhibit, The Henry Ford, Dearborn, Michigan

Slavery exhibit, The Henry Ford, Dearborn, Michigan

Marshmallow soda, designed 1956, The Henry Ford, Dearborn, Michigan

Marshmallow soda, designed 1956, The Henry Ford, Dearborn, Michigan

Newcomen Engine – oldest surviving steam engine, ca. 1760, The Henry Ford, Dearborn, Michigan

Newcomen Engine – oldest surviving steam engine, ca. 1760, The Henry Ford, Dearborn, Michigan

Watt Canal Pumping Engine, 1796, The Henry Ford, Dearborn, Michigan

Watt Canal Pumping Engine, 1796, The Henry Ford, Dearborn, Michigan

Combination steam and gas generator used from 1912 – 1930 at Ford's Highland Park Plant, relocated to The Henry Ford, Dearborn, Michigan

Combination steam and gas generator used from 1912 – 1930 at Ford’s Highland Park Plant, relocated to The Henry Ford, Dearborn, Michigan

Massive flywheel from Highland Park Generator, The Henry Ford, Dearborn, Michigan

Massive flywheel from Highland Park Generator, The Henry Ford, Dearborn, Michigan

Steam engine electric generator installed in New York City, 1891, The Henry Ford, Dearborn, Michigan

Steam engine electric generator installed in New York City, 1891, The Henry Ford, Dearborn, Michigan