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Highland Park Ford Plant 1913-1915

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by Jive-Bomber, Jul 17, 2012.

  1. Jive-Bomber
    Joined: Aug 21, 2001
    Posts: 3,754

    Jive-Bomber
    MODERATOR

  2. very cool photos!
     
  3. Malcolm
    Joined: Feb 9, 2006
    Posts: 8,032

    Malcolm
    Member
    from Nebraska

    Cool photos, indeed.

    What's really ironic to me is the photo of the horse-drawn wagon hauling Model T bodies :)



    Malcolm
     
  4. titus
    Joined: Dec 6, 2003
    Posts: 5,145

    titus
    Member

    Awsome pics
     

  5. JeffreyJames
    Joined: Jun 13, 2007
    Posts: 16,628

    JeffreyJames
    Member
    from SUGAR CITY

    What an awesome post Jive Bomber!!! I love image number 6 where it looks like they were brush painting the cars.

    Then image number nine reminds me just how beautiful the machinery was even down to the casters on the floor with ornate designs.

    Image #3 is cool to see how simple engineering got the bodies on. I'd kill for a cart like the ones on the right in that image. Would be rad to have that and know it was part of a legendary Ford Plant.
     
  6. Doctor Detroit
    Joined: Aug 12, 2010
    Posts: 1,051

    Doctor Detroit
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    Great pictures... I always love historical automotive photos like that.

    Here's a little additional trivia: The first paved mile of concrete road in America (not brick, cobblestone, or macadam) was on Woodward Avenue, near the Highland Park Plant, which was about 100 years ago.

    "The section of Woodward Avenue between Six Mile Road [McNichols] and Seven Mile Road was selected most likely because that is where the county's jurisdiction began, but also because Ford's new Model T plant down the road in Highland Park would be turning out a large number of new automobiles. Woodward also was a likely candidate because it was one of the major transportation spokes radiating out of downtown."

    Reference: http://www.co.wayne.mi.us/dps/dps_roads_history_firstmilehistory.htm
     
  7. grander
    Joined: Mar 12, 2007
    Posts: 57

    grander
    Member

    Love the photos Thanks
     
  8. jimmitchell70
    Joined: Aug 6, 2009
    Posts: 230

    jimmitchell70
    Member
    from CT

    I agree w/ Malcolm. Image #7 is my favorite due to it's irony.
    You still can't beat good, old-fashioned horsepower!
     
  9. Retro Jim
    Joined: May 27, 2007
    Posts: 3,854

    Retro Jim
    Member

    Some great photos of some of the best times in history ! Back when you had a job and actually worked for your pay check at the end of the week .
    Sad to see how things have changed and took a mans job away and let a damn machine do his job .
    It was really kool seeing how they put the car together . So simple but yet everyone could own one for the very small price they sold for .
    Thanks for the great memories !

    Retro Jim
     
  10. gregaustex
    Joined: Feb 20, 2009
    Posts: 136

    gregaustex
    Member
    from Austin

    I read an excellent book last summer, "Ford - The Men and the Machine" by Robert Lacey on the history of Henry, Edsel and Henry II. It was a long, but excellent read. If this interests you, I highly recommend. It was published in 1986.
     
  11. That is some type of spray equipment. You can see the liquid splashing down off the back of the body. They must have hosed it on and just let it flow out.

    Cool post Jive Bomber!
     
  12. outlaw256
    Joined: Jun 26, 2008
    Posts: 2,022

    outlaw256
    Member

    thanks for the pics. it was a time in which america was just really starting to stretch her wings.how far have we come! but now seems to be we are going backwards
     
  13. I live near the recently closed Highland Park Ford plant in Minneapolis. I'm thinking the city here was named after the Michigan plant? Very cool, and slightly sad all at the same time.
     
  14. ImForwardlook
    Joined: Jan 10, 2009
    Posts: 107

    ImForwardlook
    Member

    Here's a photo with fantastic detail!

    http://www.shorpy.com/node/11210?size=_original

    When in Detroit be sure to take a look at this factory, it is a beautiful sight, even if they cut the end to make room for a mall...what is wrong with people?
     
  15. Pic
    Joined: Aug 21, 2011
    Posts: 10

    Pic
    Member

    Thank you for sharing these. The quality of the photos is amazing considering how old they are. Are those fire sprinklers in the ceiling?
     
  16. Ive lived in the metro Detroit Area all my life, never more than an hour from downtown... The vast majority of the Highland park plant still stands, which is amazing, considering how pretty much the rest of Highland Park (which was once a fancy part of detroit) has crumbled and burned around it.... Over the winter, I met a guy who worked for Ford, INSIDE the Highland Park plant, where he stored his Torino I was looking at possibly buying... I'd say the absolute ONLY reason this place has not been stripped of every last piece is becuase Ford has 24/7 security there, and the D.E.A. rents a part of it as well.... What is more impressive, is that the first Large Model T plant, the Piquette plant, is still standing, and gives tours, May-october (I beleive)... its on my list for this summer, if it ever cools off a bit. For out of towners, another impresive plant to look up, is the Packard Plant, (which is mostly being demolished now :( also bulit by Albert Kahn, in 1903.... It was the first building built with poured concrete walls, a method Albert Kahn came up with.... I beleive it covered 30 Acres, and at its peak, it employed 30,000 people. It was like a small city, it had grocery stores, even schools for children of employees.... Unfortunately, it is in one of the NASTIEST neighborhoods in all of detroit, and has been ravaged by scrappers for nearly 60 years..... The City of Detroit started demolishing a part of it illegally about a decade or so ago, and it was all tied up in court until recently, when I heard through the grapevine that they hare strarted demolishing parts of it again.... Although it is kind of hard to find pics of it in its heyday, there are alot of pics people have taken in recent years, sneaking around.... But if you dare to go there, go armed (I am not bullshitting you about that) becuase there are wild dogs that will eat you, but more importantly, crackheads that will rob you for your camera equipment... It is just so sad to see what a once beautiful city has turned into..... There were so many neat places, and so much cool architecture downtown... All of the auto giants lived downtown in the 20's and 30's.... Since about 1968, it is pretty much uninhabitable..... Another neat "urban ruin", is Motor City Central (train) Station, built around I beleive 1910. It can be seen in Transformers, and other recent movies.... Pretty neat place, but sad to see what it once was vs what it is now....

    James
     
  17. Bruce Lancaster
    Joined: Oct 9, 2001
    Posts: 21,681

    Bruce Lancaster
    Member Emeritus

    Jive, have you read the 1924 edition of "Ford Industries", a big hardcover showing manufacturing procedures and organization at Ford?? Fascinating book, has at least a few pages on everything from woodwork to foundry to recycling...including recycling of people!
    There were a bunch of Ford industries over the years, but as far as I know that year is by far the biggest and most informative.
     
  18. Hack Attack
    Joined: Nov 11, 2004
    Posts: 240

    Hack Attack
    Member

    [​IMG]
    Photo of my car in front of the remaining parts of the factory. Pretty cool place, I live 6 or 8 miles from there.
     
  19. Jive-Bomber
    Joined: Aug 21, 2001
    Posts: 3,754

    Jive-Bomber
    MODERATOR

    Just try to find a guy without a hat in that picture!!!

    :eek:
     
  20. Malcolm
    Joined: Feb 9, 2006
    Posts: 8,032

    Malcolm
    Member
    from Nebraska


    Recycling of people?? :confused:
     
  21. Bruce Lancaster
    Joined: Oct 9, 2001
    Posts: 21,681

    Bruce Lancaster
    Member Emeritus

    This was employment of the disabled, actually, not punching gaskets out of them... pretty interesting chapter with some politically incorrect vocabulary...like "defective people"
    Assignment of one-armed men to suitable jobs, TB patients to outside jobs (fresh air was considered the cure then), reading classes for gibbering furriners.
    Beyond people...anything containing carbon was recycled til utterly gone, any smokestack spewing black stuff was worked at until the last spec burned, broken shovel handles were cut into hammer handles then screwdriver handles then into distilled wood products and then fuel...nothing left until the last use and the last speck of heat was beaten out of it.
     
  22. Felix 40
    Joined: Nov 20, 2011
    Posts: 102

    Felix 40
    Member
    from Wisconsin

    Heres my old employee badge, H.P. was a fun place to work! Henry treated us great!
     

    Attached Files:

  23. Big Mac
    Joined: Sep 12, 2007
    Posts: 1,565

    Big Mac
    Member
    1. Utah HAMBers

    Cool stuff! I had this handed down to me. It stays on the front of my Bonneville Salt Flats hat....

    [​IMG]
     
  24. Felix 40
    Joined: Nov 20, 2011
    Posts: 102

    Felix 40
    Member
    from Wisconsin

    That security badge is impressive! I've never seen one before.
     
  25. Big Mac
    Joined: Sep 12, 2007
    Posts: 1,565

    Big Mac
    Member
    1. Utah HAMBers

    It's an old bugger. Heavy too. It has a little bit of old Henry's nazi look/feel to it, eh? lol...
     
  26. Felix 40
    Joined: Nov 20, 2011
    Posts: 102

    Felix 40
    Member
    from Wisconsin

    Who was it handed down from?
     
  27. Doctor Detroit
    Joined: Aug 12, 2010
    Posts: 1,051

    Doctor Detroit
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    That's pretty damn funny. I went back and looked... Everybody has a hat! I can only find one guy not wearing a hat.... but he's holding one. He's against the fence.
     
  28. bubba67
    Joined: Nov 26, 2008
    Posts: 1,842

    bubba67
    Member
    from NJ

    Very nice thread. Does anyone have any current pics of whats left of the plant ?
     
  29. Kiwifruit
    Joined: Apr 21, 2006
    Posts: 199

    Kiwifruit
    Member

    great Post! fascinating stuff.
     
  30. ClearSpot
    Joined: Aug 20, 2009
    Posts: 941

    ClearSpot
    Member
    from Michigan

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