The Henry Ford's
90th Anniversary
Henry Ford dedicated his museum and village on October 21, 1929, marking the 50th anniversary of Thomas Edison’s first successful light bulb test. Ford named his new complex The Edison Institute of Technology to honor his friend and lifelong hero. This year, Henry Ford’s museum and village complex – now known as The Henry Ford – celebrates its 90th anniversary. Throughout 2019, we’ll be reflecting decade-by-decade on significant additions to the collection he began, with a focus on our institution's evolving collecting philosophies.
The Henry Ford Through The Decades
Celebrating Ninety Years of Inspiration: Collecting Through the Decades In the 1910s and 1920s, Henry Ford collected examples of industrial progress and objects related to his own past, his heroes, and ordinary people. | |
Celebrating Ninety: Collecting in the 1930s In the 1930s, Henry Ford continued to develop Greenfield Village and constructed a twelve-acre museum containing a glorious assemblage of stuff. |
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Celebrating Ninety: Collecting in the 1940s Major events slowed the development of the museum and village in the 1940s, but the collection continued to grow. |
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Celebrating Ninety: Collecting in the 1950s During the 1950s, the Edison Institute -- renamed Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village in 1952 -- became a national attraction. |
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Celebrating Ninety: Collecting in the 1960s Improved exhibits, special events, and enhanced amenities in the 1960s helped the museum prepare to engage a new generation of visitors. |
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Celebrating Ninety: Collecting in the 1970s In the 1970s, the staff at Henry Ford Museum continued Henry Ford’s vision as they began to add to the collection. |
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Celebrating Ninety: Collecting in the 1980s During the 1980s, museum staff placed new attention on quality research, creative program planning, and engaging public presentations. |
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Celebrating Ninety: Collecting in the 1990s In the 1990's the Museum launched its first website, created a new mission statement and collected objects that reflected social and technological history. |
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Celebrating Ninety: Collecting in the 2000s Museum staff laid the foundation to separate venues to offer guests a multi-day destination opportunity during the 2000s. This led to a name change to encompass the full experience - The Henry Ford. |