Henry Ford's Boyhood Workbench inside Ford Home (Henry Ford's Birthplace), circa 1934

THF96921 / Henry Ford's Boyhood Workbench inside Ford Home (Henry Ford's Birthplace), circa 1934
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Artifact Overview

Henry Ford first developed his mechanical skills by repairing watches for friends and neighbors. Young Ford never took a fee; he was content with the experience he gained. When his father insisted that Henry should be charging for his services, the boy instead resorted to making his repairs in secret, toiling late at night at a workbench in his bedroom.

Artifact Details

Artifact

Photographic print

Subject Date

1934

Location

Not on exhibit to the public.

Object ID

EI.1929.3233

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: 5 in
Width: 4.125 in

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    Henry Ford was born in this farmhouse on July 30, 1863. The house stood near the corner of present-day Ford and Greenfield Roads in Dearborn, Michigan. Ford grew up in the house and moved out at age 16 to find work in Detroit. He restored the farmhouse in 1919 and moved it to Greenfield Village in 1944.
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    Henry Ford began restoration of his Dearborn, Michigan, birthplace in 1919. He repaired or replaced the farm buildings and filled the small, white clapboard house with original or similar furnishings he remembered from his boyhood. He dedicated the restoration to the memory of his beloved mother, Mary Litogot Ford, who died in 1876. In 1944, the house and outbuildings were moved to Greenfield Village.