Henry’s American dream
AS THE Model T chugs past the manicured lawns, it becomes immediately clear that this is no ordinary village. The Wright Cycle Shop is no homage – it’s the original bike shop from Dayton, Ohio, where the Wright Brothers built their first plane. Tycoon Henry Ford had it moved brick-by-brick to his remarkable Greenfield Village project, near Detroit.
The same applies to other sights around the village: the courthouse where Abraham Lincoln practised in Springfield, Illinois; the house from Sharpsburg, Pennsylvania, where Henry John Heinz went from selling bottled horseradish to ketchup fame.
On its own, Greenfield Village would be one of the best museums in the United States. It’s brilliantly presented and has some seriously high-quality exhibits. But the astonishing thing is that it is a mere side dish to the main course.
The Henry Ford is named in honour of the man who founded it, and it is utterly absorbing.
Some things are to be expected – the section on motoring with lots of old Fords, for example. But it dives into other things, such as the history of the interstate system, how motels have changed over the years, and also includes a famous neon-lit McDonald’s sign.
There’s a collection of presidential cars, including the Ford Lincoln that JFK was riding in when he was assassinated. What’s even more remarkable is that the limo was later revamped with some armour and used by Lyndon B. Johnson.
The aviation section starts with information on how early pilots used railroad tracks as navigational aids and how the first stewardesses were hired after one feisty woman marched into the Boeing offices and suggested the idea.
The American history section is superbly presented, with independence, the Civil War and the civil rights movement given enough detail to tell a gripping story, but not too much so that you feel like you’re drowning in the dull bits.
The wow-factor objects keep coming, from George Washington’s camp bed to the seat from Ford’s Theatre used by Abraham Lincoln when he was shot. But most affecting of all is a green and yellow bus. You’re free to saunter on board, and a voice is heard over the speakers. The voice belongs to Rosa Parks, and she’s explaining why she refused to give up her seat to a white person in Montgomery, Alabama.
Heaven knows how they found it, but this is the bus where it happened, starting protests that would lead to the end of racial segregation.
Henry Ford may be most famous for his cars, but he has left an astonishing cultural legacy too.