Henry Ford Museum

Henry Ford 's museum was established after Henry Ford fought the Chicago Tribune in court. The Chicago Tribune called Henry Ford an ignorant man "incapable of thought". Although, Henry Ford won in the case of Henry Ford vs The Chicago Tribune, the jury only awarded him 6 cents in damages.

Henry Ford Museum and his interest in Art

To prove a point, Henry Ford launched a campaign of artistic and civic awareness.  Henry Ford  began a program of dance parties at his factory, in which workers were instructed in:

• the polka,
• the quadrille, and
• the mazurka.

Henry Ford went on to assemble one of the largest collections of violins in America, including some made by the masters Amati and Stradivari.

The establishment of Henry Ford Museum

Henry Ford established a museum for all kinds of ancient and contemporary vehicles including:

• chariots,
• bicycles,
• buggies,
• trains, and
• automobiles.

Henry Ford had a museum made of his friend Thomas Edison's workshop. Henry Ford bought and restored the Wayside Inn made famous by Longfellow, did the same thing with the birthplace of Stephen Foster, and bought both a cupboard built by Abraham Lincoln and the chair in which Lincoln was assassinated. Finally, Henry Ford set up the Ford Foundation, the largest foundation in the world, which gave grants for education, research, and development.