Historical Society hosts Model T event

By K. Michelle Moran
C & G Staff Writer

GROSSE POINTE FARMS — For Mike Skinner, “Think Ford first” isn’t just an advertising slogan — it’s a way of life.

Aptly described as “the ultimate Fordophile,” Skinner is a founding member of the Henry Ford Heritage Association, past president of the Dearborn Historical Society and Grosse Pointe Historical Society, and a 30-year volunteer tour guide at the Henry Ford Estate Fair Lane. He’s on the board of directors of the fledgling Model T Automotive Heritage Complex in Detroit, located at the old Piquette Avenue plant, which is now open for Saturday tours. He has incorporated Ford memorabilia into the décor at his home in St. Clair Shores. And — no surprise here — he’s the proud owner of a Model T — his second such vehicle. So, when the Grosse Pointe Historical Society decided to host a special Model T program as part of its Second Saturdays series, they tapped Skinner — a GPHS board member — to give a talk about the car that revolutionized a then-fledgling auto industry.

But Skinner won’t just be speaking during the complimentary GPHS Model T event, which takes place from 1-4 p.m. Aug. 9 at the Provencal-Weir House, 376 Kercheval in Grosse Pointe Farms. He, as well as some other Model T owners, will also be offering rides in the classic autos, which occupied 50 percent of the world auto market and 57 percent of the U.S. market in their peak production year in 1923.

“I’ve been a Ford buff all of my life, and this is the car that put the world on wheels,” said Skinner, whose love affair with all things Ford started with a report on Henry Ford for his fifth-grade class at St. Matthew’s Grade School in Detroit. “There were many countries where the only English word they knew was F-O-R-D.”

The assembly line reduced the time it took to make a car from 12 hours to 93 minutes, which slashed the price for the popular touring car from $950 in 1908 to $295 in 1923, enabling more people to afford one, GPHS Board President Stuart Grigg explained. The car’s success also allowed Ford Motor Co. to hike wages from $2.34 for a nine-hour day to $5 for an eight-hour day, which “helped to create the middle class in America and the consumer economy that has been so important to our country ever since,” Grigg said.

“Car ownership meant that people, especially in rural areas where there was no public transportation other than perhaps the train, could venture much farther from their homes,” Grigg said. “Before the Model T, the average person never traveled more than 25 miles from where they grew up because this was the distance a horse could travel round-trip in a single day.”

Even today, Model Ts are relatively inexpensive and easy to find. Skinner said working models from the 1920s can be purchased for about $5,000-$10,000.

“As a matter of fact, one could purchase all new parts to build a Model T from scratch,” Grigg said. “Thus, if someone wants to enter the antique car market, this is an easy way to do so.”

As the 100th anniversary of the arrival of the first production Model T — which was completed on Sept. 27, 1908 — 2008 is being celebrated as the “Year of the Car.” In conjunction with that, the Edsel and Eleanor Ford House in Grosse Pointe Shores is displaying a Model A alongside a Model T through October; call (313) 884-4222 or visit www.fordhouse.org for more information. Tours are also available at the Model T Automotive Heritage Complex; call (313) 872-8759 or visit www.tplex.org for further details.

The Model T celebrations hit home quite literally in the Pointes, since, as Grigg noted, many past and present residents are descendents of Ford Motor Co.’s 12 original stockholders, such as James Couzens, Henry Ford, Wendell Anderson, and John and Horace Dodge.

“This is another example of the diverse programs offered to the community by our society,” Grigg said. “We hope that anyone who has ever wondered what it is like to ride in a Model T will come with their family and take a drive in this important part of our history.”

Reservations are encouraged but drop-in visitors are welcome, too. For more information about the GPHS Model T event, call (313) 884-7010 or visit www.gp historical.org.

You can reach Staff Writer K. Michelle Moran at kmoran@candgnews.com or at (586) 498-1047.