On June 16th, 1903, Henry Ford and 11 investors signed articles of incorporation with the state of Michigan for Ford Motor Company. A little more than a month later the company sold its first car to a doctor in Detroit. Probably no factory changed life in 20th century America as much as the Highland Park Ford Plant. It was here, that Ford and his engineers developed many of the crucial principles of modern mass production; the most notable was the continuously moving assembly line. By 1920 the plant turned out a car every minute, and one out of every two automobiles in the world was a Model T. Join the National Register of Historic Places as we commemorate the centennial of the Ford Motor Company, one of the National Park Service's Proud Partners.

One of Glacier National Park's Red Buses, recently restored with assistance from the Ford Motor Company Glacier National Park photo

Ford Motor Company Celebration
From June 12-16, 2003, the Ford Motor Company is holding a celebration on the grounds of Henry Ford II World Center in Dearborn, Michigan.

Glacier National Park’s Red Buses
The historic fleet of Glacier National Park's Red Buses were restored in 2002 thanks to a unique partnership with Ford Motor Company. As a Proud Partner of America’s National Parks, Ford completely renovated the Red Buses using new technology and its unique expertise in alternative fuels. The buses now run on cleaner-burning propane fuel, making them models for sustainable transportation with emissions 93 percent cleaner than those of the old buses. Ford Motor Company is working closely with the National Park Foundation and the National Park Service to help develop innovative transportation and environmental solutions that enable visitors to enjoy all 388 National Parks without compromising their beauty.

Fair Lane - the Henry Ford Estate Photograph by Balthazar Photographers, courtesy of the Henry Ford Estate

Detroit Travel Itinerary
The National Register's Discover our Shared Heritage Travel Itinerary series highlights many properties that reflect the impact the Ford Motor Company has made in American history, including Highland Park Ford Plant, Ford River Rouge Complex, Henry Ford's Fair Lane estate, his son Edsel's home and Greenfield Village and the Henry Ford Museum

Teaching With Historic Places Lesson Plans that focus on automotive history:

Roadside Attractions:
Follow the highways of the 1920s and 1930s, exploring the whimsical, extravagant architecture that came with American auto culture.

Going-to-the-Sun Road: A Model of Landscape Engineering
Learn about some of the practical problems of constructing roads in difficult terrain and about the added challenge of building in such a way as to enhance, rather than damage, fragile and beautiful places such as Glacier National Park.

MotorCities-Automobile National Heritage Area
By the 1920s, more than 700 automotive-related companies, including Ford, had been established in Michigan. Southeast Michigan, which includes the "Motor Cities" of Detroit, Lansing and Flint, is the region that put the world on wheels. The heritage area consists of six significant corridors. This collection of auto-related museums, attractions, activities and events exists to preserve and interpret the story of the automobile.