Birthplace of Ford Automobile

Birthplace of Ford Automobile is a Michigan historical marker in Detroit, Wayne County, dedicated 1980.

Wayne County · dedicated 1980 · 220 Bagley Street, Detroit

Get directions ↗Start a road trip Historical trails

This marker commemorates the birthplace of the Ford Motor car. Here, in 1892, Henry Ford began experimenting with the motorized vehicle in his workshop, a small one-story brick structure, once located on this site. His invention was quite simple compared to today’s automobiles. It consisted of a two-cylinder machine, mounted in a light frame geared to bicycle wheels. That unpretentious auto was the start of the Ford Motor Company, which played a major part in the automobile industry that changed the face of Michigan and the world.

TodayHistorical map

Slide toward Today to fade the historical sheet and see the modern map underneath.

David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries

Example

under a mile from where William Gabby lived in the 1760s

what this marker records spans 1777 to 1789, overlapping William Gabby's years here

From one family's 77-marker roster

Upload your family tree and TreeAlive finds the markers near where your own ancestors lived.

See your family's markers

Start with a tree file, a FamilySearch sign in, or a WikiTree ID.

Report a problem with this page

The marker isn't at this spotOur pin may be off. If you know where it stands, tell us.I couldn't find the markerWe record what the source recorded. We have not been to look.The sign reads differentlyThat would be an error, and we can pass it to the program.The historical map looks wrongThe period map behind the pin, not the marker itself.Something else

We may pass what you report to the state's marker program. Please don't include personal details.

Marker data: Michigan History Center
TreeAlive is an independent project. The State of Michigan and the Michigan History Center are not responsible for maintaining the information on this site.

More markers nearby

Central United Methodist Churchunder 1 mi
Birth of Kiwanisunder 1 mi
David Whitney Buildingunder 1 mi
The War of 1812 in Detroit/ War of 1812 Grave Siteunder 1 mi