Making Soybean Paint for Automobiles, Ford Village Industry Plant, Saline, Michigan, November 18, 1941

Summary

In the early 1920s, Henry Ford began locating small hydroelectrically powered plants in rural southeast Michigan. These "Village Industries" employed local people who could maintain farms while working at the factory. The plant in Saline operated from 1938 until 1947. During World War II, workers here processed soybean oil for paints and plastics, and they machined parts for Pratt & Whitney engines.

In the early 1920s, Henry Ford began locating small hydroelectrically powered plants in rural southeast Michigan. These "Village Industries" employed local people who could maintain farms while working at the factory. The plant in Saline operated from 1938 until 1947. During World War II, workers here processed soybean oil for paints and plastics, and they machined parts for Pratt & Whitney engines.

Artifact

Photographic print

Subject Date

18 November 1941

Location

Not on exhibit to the public.

Object ID

EI.1929.473

Credit

From the Collections of The Henry Ford. Gift of Ford Motor Company.

Material

Paper (Fiber product)

Technique

Gelatin silver process

Color

Black-and-white (Colors)

Dimensions

Height: 8.000 in

Width: 10.000 in

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