Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation, Ford Rouge Factory Tour and Giant Screen Experience will be closed Monday, March 16 for a day of staff learning and development. We appreciate your patience and understanding.

Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation, Ford Rouge Factory Tour and Giant Screen Experience will be closed Monday, March 16 for a day of staff learning and development. We appreciate your patience and understanding.

America’s Romance with Water Power

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Set within nature, water power operations often evoke an emotional response. With idyllic “old mill” imagery and reverential views of modern hydroelectric plants, these objects illustrate water power’s enduring allure.

Lithograph of a Mill on a Stream, by Bass Otis, 1819

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Bandbox, circa 1835

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Lithograph by Currier & Ives, "The Roadside Mill," 1870

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Trade Card for Lydia E. Pinkham's Vegetable Compound and Blood Purifier, 1889-1900

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Three-Dimensional Valentine, "To My Valentine," circa 1900

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"Barton Dam, Ann Arbor, Michigan," 1914

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Gristmill near the Wayside Inn, Sudbury, Massachusetts, 1927

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Christmas Card, "The Mill with Winter's Mantle," 1934

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Souvenir Viewbook, "Boulder Dam," 1935

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Loch Raven Dam, Baltimore, Maryland, 1940-1945

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Christmas Card, "Merry Christmas," 1944

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Pennant, "Bagnell Dam, Lake Ozark, Mo.," 1940-1965

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Cranes and Power House, Kentucky Dam, Western Kentucky, 1946-1955

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Panoramic View of Hoover (Boulder) Dam, 1947-1965

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Pennant, "Grand Coulee Dam, Washington," 1941-1965

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"Hungry Horse Dam," 1950

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"Hoover Dam" Snow Globe, 1960-1975

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Get Well Card, "A Get Well Message," circa 1965

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"J. Young's Granary" Department 56 Collectible, 1989

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Hallmark "Winter Wonderland Series: Ice-Skaters' Delight" Christmas Ornament, 2005

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