Business Lessons from Firestone Farm

Benjamin and Catherine Firestone raised their three children in this farmhouse, including future tire magnate Harvey Firestone. Originally located near Columbiana, Ohio, the 1828 house was updated in 1882 to appear more stylish and up-to-date. The Firestone farm, reinstalled in Greenfield Village in 1985, provided a tangible reminder of the close relationship between Henry Ford and Harvey Firestone.

The Firestone barn is a Pennsylvania-German bank barn, an American barn type with Swiss origins. They are called bank barns because the barn is built into a bank, allowing wagons to be driven into the upper floor. Bank barns combined multiple farm functions under a single roof. Livestock were kept in the lower floor, crops on the upper floor.

Between 1916 and 1924, Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, Harvey Firestone and naturalist John Burroughs embarked on a series of camping trips. They called themselves the Vagabonds. The group spent much of their time relaxing and exploring nature, but they also found other diversions. Here, Firestone and Edison examine a rubber tire inner tube.

Many 19th-century Americans recorded births, deaths and marriages in family bibles. Mothers, or some other family member, faithfully documented these significant family events on dedicated pages in the bible. Subsequent generations sometimes added and updated entries. This bible belonged to the Firestone family and includes the name of Harvey S. Firestone, the founder of Firestone Tire and Rubber Company.

Between 1916 and 1924, Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, Harvey Firestone and naturalist John Burroughs embarked on a series of camping trips. They called themselves the Vagabonds. These Vagabonds enjoyed retreating from the fast-paced world to explore nature and the pre-industrial countryside. In 1918, the group stopped to help a local farmer harvest his crops. Ford and the farmer look on as Firestone struggles with the grain cradle.

In 1983, workers disassembled tire magnate Harvey Firestone's childhood home--a farmhouse in eastern Ohio destined for Greenfield Village. They were surprised to find a slip of paper behind a section of plaster ceiling. It had been left by 14-year-old Harvey and the 12-year-old son of a local plasterer in 1882. The note confirmed the date of a 19th-century home renovation, enabling an accurate reconstruction.

Harvey S. Firestone began his career at his cousin's buggy company. In 1900, he formed his own Firestone Tire and Rubber Company to manufacture rubber tires for horse-drawn carriages. Recognizing the automobile's potential, Firestone supplied tires to Ford Motor Company starting in 1906. That prosperous business relationship grew into a personal friendship with Henry Ford.

Harvey S. Firestone began his career at his cousin's buggy company. In 1900, he formed his own Firestone Tire and Rubber Company to manufacture rubber tires for horse-drawn carriages. Recognizing the automobile's potential, Firestone supplied tires to Ford Motor Company starting in 1906. That prosperous business relationship grew into a personal friendship with Henry Ford.

Harvey S. Firestone worked at his cousin's buggy company before forming his own Firestone Tire and Rubber Company in 1900 to manufacture rubber tires for horse-drawn carriages. Recognizing the automobile's potential, Firestone soon began producing tires for automotive use. Writing with co-author Samuel Crowther, Firestone shared his story and business philosophy in Men and Rubber, published in 1926.