AskUs: Research Guides

Henry and Clara Ford lived in a number of homes in their years together, 16 in fact (not including their vacation houses). These homes document their first home together, the rented home where Edsel was born, Bagley Ave. - where Henry built the Quadricycle, and finally Fair Lane, the home they built and stayed in their remaining years.

Ford Farm (Ford Birthplace), Ford Rd. and Greenfield, Dearborn, Michigan. Home where Henry was born and grew up.
1863-1888

THF718931

 

Flaherty House, 802 Franklin Street, Detroit, Michigan. House of Henry's aunt Mrs. Rebecca Ford Flaherty. Henry's first home off the farm.
Late 1879

THF718937

 

Moir House, Moir Farm, Dearborn, Michigan. First home of Henry and Clara.
April 1888 – May 1889

THF96695

 

Square House, Moir Farm, Dearborn, Michigan. First home built by the Fords.
May 1889 – September 1891

THF718939

 

618 John R Street, Detroit, Michigan. Rented.
September 1891 – Spring 1892

THF718942

 

7 Washington Blvd., Detroit, Michigan. Rented.
Spring 1892 – October 1892

THF718948

 

162 Cass Ave., Detroit, Michigan. Rented.
October 1892 – May 1893

 

570 W. Forest Ave., Detroit, Michigan. Rented. Edsel Ford born here.
May 1893 – December 1893

THF718841

 

58 Bagley Ave., Detroit, Michigan. Rented. Home when Henry Ford built Quadricycle.
December 1893 – July 1897

THF718836

 

72 E. Alexandrine Ave., Detroit, Michigan. Rented.
July 1897 – October 1899

THF140454

 

1292 Second Blvd., Detroit, Michigan. Rented.
October 1899 – Autumn 1900

 

Mrs. Hewitt’s House, 36 Clifford Street, Detroit, Michigan. Clara paid room and board here for the week of 29 October 1900 and Edsel gave the Clifford Street Address to his school.
October 1900.

 

582 West Grand Blvd., Detroit, Michigan. House owned by Henry’s father, William Ford.
Autumn 1900 – October 1901

THF718954

 

332 Hendrie Ave., Detroit, Michigan. Rented.
October 1901 - September 1905

THF718959

 

145 Harper Ave., Detroit, Michigan. Rented.
September 1905 – May 1908

THF718967

 

66 Edison Ave., Detroit, Michigan. Built by the Fords. Architect: William Higginbotham, carpenters: Maylow Brothers, decorations: Harry Dean, masonry: Frank Goddard.
June 1908 – February 1915

THF718970

 

Ten Eyck Farm, Dearborn, Michigan. Temporary Dearborn home of the Henry Fords while Fair Lane was being completed.
February 1915 – November 1915

THF718975

 

Fair Lane, 4901 Evergreen Road, Dearborn, Michigan. Built by the Fords. Original architects: Von Holz and Fyfe, original contractor: Frank Goddard, both replaced in 1914 with W.H. Van Tine who became architect and manager/contractor for the project. Powerhouse designed by Mark A. Replogie.
November 1915 – September 1950

THF148572

 

Vacation Houses:

Harbor Beach Cottage, 60 mile north of Port Huron, Michigan. Summer home.
c. 1914 – 1929

THF718977

 

Grosse Ile Estate, Grosse Ile, Michigan. Summer home.
c. 1920s

THF718979

 

Huron Mountain Club, Big Bay (Upper Peninsula), Michigan. Summer home.
1929 - 1950

THF718981

 

The Mangoes, McGregor Blvd. Fort Myers, Florida, next to Thomas Edison’s Home. Winter home.
1916 – 1931. Sold in 1945.

THF98530

 

The Bungalow, Pequaming, Michigan. Summer home (Ford only visited, never stayed overnight).
1923-1942. Sold in 1952.

THF718983

 

Richmond Hill, Ways Station, Georgia. Winter home.
1937 – 1950

THF718985

Bibliography
Archival

• Acc. 1 Fair Lane Papers
  • box 31
    • Moir House and Square House
    • 618 John R Street
    • 7 Washington Boulevard
    • 162 Cass Avenue
    • 570 West Forest
    • 58 Bagley Avenue
    • 72 East Alexandrine
  • box 32
    • 1292 Second Boulevard
    • Mrs. Hewitt's House
    • 582 West Grand Boulevard
    • 332 Hendrie
  • box 33
    • Harper Avenue
    • 66 Edison Avenue
  • box 34
    • 66 Edison Avenue
    • Ten Eyck House
  • box 35 Fair Lane
    • Mansion Construction
    • Operation
  • box 36-40 Fair Lane Interior
  • box 41-43 Fair Lane
    • Gardens and Grounds
  • box 43
    • Harbor Beach cottage
    • Huron Mountain Club cottage
    • Fort Myers, Florida
    • Richmond Hill Plantation, Georgia
  • box 192 (oversize) Fair Lane, Huron Mountain Cottage, Richmond Hill (drawings and maps), Ford family farm lands, collected deeds, 1834-1854
    
    
• Acc. 2 Henry Ford Office Papers. Records Stored In 1919 Series
  • box 1-10 Architect estimates for Fair Lane, April 1914-November 1916
  • box 11 Checks and vouchers, sub-contracts on Henry Ford at Dearborn, August 1914-March 1916
    
    
• Acc. 1036 Construction Department Records Series
  • box 13 Contains contracts, invoices etc., relating to phases of alterations, construction, etc. of Henry Ford residence Fairlane, alterations etc.
    
    
• Acc. 47 Dearborn Realty and Construction Company
  • box 1 Ford, Henry Agreements with D.R.&C Co.
  • box 4 Miscellaneous construction charges for Henry & Edsel Ford residences, etc.
    
    
• Acc. 254 Henry and Clara Ford Financial Records Series
  • box 15 Architect's checks, Fair Lane, 1914
  • box 74
    • Henry Ford Estate contractor's agreements and construction orders, 1919-1920
    • Henry Ford residence purchase orders
  • box 82 Ledger of accounts for contractors' vouchers includes Fair Lane service buildings
     
• Acc. 289 Real Estate Records
  • box 11 Grosse Ile (documents related to tenants)
    
• Acc. 1120 Field Survey Notebooks Series
  • box 1 Ford Estate and Dearborn Roads Survey, 1926-1930
  • box 4 Ford Homestead Relocation
    
    
• Acc. 1605 Leonard B Willeke Collection
  • box 1
    • Stable and garage at Fair Lane
    • Service buildings at Fair Lane - floor plans
    • Log cabin at Fair Lane - blueprints
    • Detail sketches for buildings at Fair Lane
    • "The Work of Leonard Bernhard Willeke, Architect, for Messrs. Edsel and Henry Ford and Their Associates, 1916-1924," Thomas W. Brunk, Compiler and Editor, 1982
      
      
• Acc. 797 Jens Jenson Drawings Series
  • box 1 Planting and grounds drawings and plans, 1914-1921
  • OS folder Fair Lane Landscaping Plan, 1914
    
    
• Acc. 97 Richmond Hill Plantation Records Series
  
  
• Acc. 62 Henry Ford Office Papers
  • box 13 Fort Myers, Florida
  • box 47
    • Fair Lane construction
      • 1913-1915
      • January 1916 - January 1917
      • Reports
    • Fort Myers property ("The Mangoes"), 1916
  • box 88
    • Henry Ford Estate
    • Fort Myers residence
    • Log cabin
    • Residence
      
• Acc. 284 Henry Ford Office Papers
  • box 7 Henry Ford residence
    • January – June, 1920
    • Contractor's vouchers
    • Services house
    • Special furniture
  • box 8 Henry Ford Estate - service buildings
    ​​​​​​​
• Acc. 285 Henry Ford Office Papers
  • box 7 Ford, Henry; Residence
  • box 18 TI (includes B. E Tinstman re: Fort Myers, Florida residence)
  • box 70 L110 T-Z 119 (includes William Lucking re: Goddard - Piggins Case on construction of Fair Lane)
  • box 79 B.E. Tinstman (Fort Myers residence)
  • box 97 Henry Ford residence - special furniture
  • box 106 Sidney Houghton re: alterations at Fair Lane, Dearborn
  • box 107 K100 J-K 106 (includes John A. Kling, Chairman, The Kelley Island Lime & Transport Company who supplied building stone for Fair Lane)
  • box 115 B. E. Tinstman - Fort Myers, Florida residence (includes re: purchase of Charles W. Stribley property)
  • box 431 Mrs. N. L. Tinstman re: Fort Meyers Residence
  • box 598 Charles of London - C.J. Charles 1927 (interior furnishings at Fair Lane)
  • box 651 HOM540 L-M 547 (includes Household League Employment Bureau of Boston, re: hiring of household help for Dearborn residence.)
  • box 710 B.E. Tinstman (Fort Myers Florida Property)
  • box 760 Charles of London re: Fair Lane Furnishings
  • box 787 Henry Ford Residence
  • box 939 Charles of London (For residence)
  • box 966 Henry Ford Residence
  • box 1062 Frank Stout Re: Remodeling Bungalow, Fort Meyers
  • box 1168 Huron Mountain Club
  • box 1240 B. E. Tinstman (expenditures - Fort Myers property)
  • box 1282 Charles of London re: interior furnishings of Fair Lane, Dearborn
  • box 1294 Robert O. Derrick, Inc. re: Huron Mountain Cabin - Residence, at Savannah
  • box 1332 Huron Mountain Club (general)
  • box 1448 Henry Ford Residence
  • box 1461 Huron Mountain Club
  • box 1621 Huron Mountain Club
  • box 1788 Huron Mountain Club
  • box 1834 Frank Stout re: Fort Myers, Florida Property
  • box 1919 Huron Mountain Club; Receiving Memos, Delivery Orders
  • box 1962 Frank Stout re: Fort Meyers, Florida Property
  • box 2037 Huron Mountain Club
  • box 2045 George Kingston - Fort Myers, Florida Property
  • box 2082 Frank Stout - Fort Myers, Florida property
  • box 2155 Huron Mountain Club
  • box 2164 George Kingston - Fort Myers, Florida property
  • box 2208 Frank M. Stout re: Fort Myers, Florida Property
  • box 2318 HOU-HOV (includes House & Garden re: article on master residence at Richmond Hill Plantation.)
  • box 2320 Huron Mountain Club
  • box 2346 The Lumbermen's Mutual Insurance Company re: Insurance on Huron Mountain Bungalow, December 15, 1939
  • box 2481 Residence Laboratory
  • box 2514 Huron Mountain Club
  • box 2568 Richmond Hill; Furniture for Residence
  • box 2664 Henry Ford - General (includes: memo re: Residences 1892-1914)
  • box 2698 Huron Mountain Club
  • box 2708 George Kingston; Florida Property; Fort Myers, Florida Statements
  • box 2853 George Kingston Re: Fort Myers, Florida Property
  • box 2846 Huron Mountain Club
  • box 2971 Huron Mountain Club
  • box 3037
    • Fair Lane Rose Gardens, 1950
    • Ford Residence (Hold for reply - general)
    • Ford Residence - "Fair Lane" (Re: care of elm trees, 1950)
      • Powerhouse
  • box 3038 Estate of Clara J. Ford – Sale of Fair Lane to Ford Motor Company (1951)
  • box 3042 Huron Mountain Club (1950-1952)
    • Cabin (re: disposal of Mrs. Ford's Membership and cabin. Removal of furnishings in the cabin to Fair Lane Estate in Dearborn, Michigan, 1950-1951)
  • box 3059 Verney, Gilbert (Re: Purchase of Richmond Hill Plantation Residence by Gilbert Verney, 1954)
    
    
• Acc. 23 General Personal Records
  • box 5 Huron Mountain, 1932-1938
  • box 38 (Oversized)
    • Henry Ford Estates, Cash Book, February 18, 1914-December 2, 1915
    • Henry Ford Estates, Cash Book, December 4, 1915-November 27, 1916
      ​​​​​​​
• Acc. 13 Engineering Library Vertical File for Henry Ford
  • box 10 Residences by Year from 1892 to 1914
  • box 19 Richmond Hill Plantation, 1938-1945
    ​​​​​​​
• Acc. 292 Frank Campsall Records
  • box 30 Savannah, Georgia properties
    ​​​​​​​
• Acc. 1700 Ford Motor Company Property Records
  • box 6 Richmond Hill (Ga.); list of properties, maps, 1946-1950
    ​​​​​​​
• Acc. 587 Office of Henry Ford and Clara Ford Estate Records Series
  • box 12 Residences, 1890-1900
  • box 54 Richmond Hill; Appraisals and inventories,1946-1947, Architectural drawings and maps
  • box 57 Sale of Richmond Hill properties, 1947
  • box 81-90 Real Estate; Georgia acquisition documents
  • box 92 Richmond Hill; Aerial photographs, 1947, Maps, 1944
  • box 130 Dearborn residence and Dearborn Country Club property, 1908-1953 (includes index cards summarizing purchases from some of the original landholders and various property improvements)
  • box 181 Grosse Ile Township, Wayne County, Michigan, 1924-1938
  • box 194 Grosse Ile Township, Michigan, 1925-1939 (includes deed of sale to Bennetts)
    ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​
• Acc. 93 Ford Farms, Pequaming, Fair Lane Records
  • box 1 Folder 1 Drawings of Gate Lodge produced by Leonard Willeke
    ​​​​​​​
• Acc. 536 Public Relations Research Library Press Releases Subseries
  • box 34 Fair Lane photographs and information, 1951-1953
    ​​​​​​​
• Acc. 378 Public Relations Research Library Subject Files
  • box 2 Ford, Henry; Estate
  • box 7 Richmond Hill, Georgia
    • Richmond Hill Plantation
      ​​​​​​​
• Acc. 1420 Burt L Burley Papers
  • box 1 Renovation of Fair Lane power plant
  • OS Folder
    • Blueprint: General overview and tail race extensions, 06 August 1977
    • Blueprint: Power plant floor plan top views, 03 September 1977
    • Blueprint: Panel Board Circuit, 23 October 1978
    • Blueprint: Water wheels at Henry Ford residence, 28 January 1914
      ​​​​​​​
• Acc. 384 Henry Ford Fair Lane Office Records
  • box 1 Properties; Dearborn - Fair Lane, Richmond Hill, Georgia
    ​​​​​​​
• Acc. 588 Clara Ford Estate Records
  • box 2 Fair Lane sale, 1951
    ​​​​​​​
• Acc. 572 Nevins and Hill Research Series
  • box 10 No.9.29 Residences, Property
    
    
• Acc. 506 Mills, Edmunds and Nevins and Hill Series
  • box 5 Fair Lane residence (notes and articles), 1955
     
• Acc. 38 Charles Sorensen Papers
  • box 161 Lister Farm, Grosse Ile, 1915 (includes documents related to sale of the property to the Bennetts)
    ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​
• Acc. 940 Frank Ernest Hill Papers
  • box 10
    • Residences
    • Residences and Property (3 folders)
      ​​​​​​​
• Acc. 1527 Ford R Bryan Papers
  • box 11 Residences
    • Fair Lane
      • General
      • Building of Fairlane
      • Origin of Name
      • Water Rights
    • Fort Myers Residence
      • General
      • Edison-Ford Gala, 2000
  • box 12 Residences
    • Richmond Hill Residence
      • General
      • Henry Ford Statue, 1999
      • Richmond Hill Guide
        ​​​​​​​
• Acc. 1117 David Lewis Papers
  • box 1 Richmond Hill Residence, 1973-1975
  • box 2 Residences, Henry Ford
    • Delhi Home, 1973
    • Fair Lane Gate House, 1973
    • Harper Avenue, 1973
    • John R. Street, 1973
    • Richmond Hill Plantation, 1972
      ​​​​​​​
• Acc. E.I. 186 Greenfield Village Buildings Records Collection
  • box 30 Henry Ford Birthplace
    ​​​​​​​
• Small Accessions
  • Acc. 1129 Research Paper, "The Mystery Behind the Wrightian Influence in the Ford Fair Lane Home", 1973
  • Acc. 1153 Fair Lane Estate History, 1974
  • Acc. 1164 "Fair Lane Revisited” by Betty Rothbone, 1974
  • Acc. 1313 Fair Lane Estate preservation feasibility study, circa 1975 
    ​​​​​​​    
• Engineering and Aperture Cards
  • drawer 1 Dearborn, Michigan; Moore (Moir) House
  • drawer 3 Ford, Henry Dwellings; Bagley Ave, Fairlane, Richmond Hill, Fort Myers House
  • drawer 5 Greenfield Village Buildings; Henry Ford Birthplace
    ​​​​​​​
    
• Acc. E.I. 43 Edward Cutler Ford Homestead Drawings
  ​​​​​​​
• Acc. 1660 Photographic Vertical File
  • box 88 Ford, Henry; Dwellings
    • Alexandrine Ave.
    • Bagley Ave.
    • Edison Ave.
  • box 89-97 Ford, Henry; Dwellings; Fair Lane
  • box 98 Ford, Henry; Dwellings
    • Forest Ave.
    • Franklin Street (Flaherty House)
    • Grosse Ile
    • Harper Ave.
    • Hendrie Ave.
    • Huron Mountain Club
    • John R. Street
    • Mangoes, The
    • Moir House
    • Pequaming
  • box 99-106 Ford, Henry; Dwellings; Richmond Hill
  • box 106 Ford, Henry; Dwellings
    • Square House
    • Washington Ave.
    • West Grand Blvd.
      ​​​​​​​
• Acc. 833 General Photographs Series
  • box 429 Ford residences – Fair Lane
    ​​​​​​​
• Acc. 188 Personal For Henry Ford Photographs Subseries
  • neg 24337-365 Snow Scenes – Henry Ford Estate – Residence, 1-29-39
  • neg 24076 Copy – Group of Men Working on Ford Home – 1915, 10-3-38
    ​​​​​​​
• Acc. 189 Photographs For The Company Series
  • neg 378 Stone Building on Ford Estate (Under Construction), 8-5-19  
    ​​​​​​​
• Acc. 44 William J Cameron Records
  • box 16 Picture File; Ford Residences
    • 58 Bagley Avenue
    • 66 Edison Avenue
    • Ford Homestead
    • 145 Harper Avenue
    • 618 John R. Street
    • 582 West Grand Boulevard
      ​​​​​​​
• Acc. 00.1334.504 Richmond Hill Photograph Albums
  • box 1-4 Photo albums, 1940s

Audio-Visual (materials may be restricted due to format, please contact reference staff in advance for access)

• 84.1.600.21 "Fair Lane Presentation to University of Michigan," 1959

Oral Histories

• 65_13 Faye I. Beebe (Hendrie Ave. neighbor)
• 65_173 Mr. and Mrs. Louis C. Scott (Edison Avenue)
• 65_37 Rosa Buhler and J. D. Thompson (Fair Lane maid and butler)
• 65_120 John McIntyre (Fair Lane Powerhouse engineer)
• 65_8 Leland Avery (Fair Lane gateman)
• 65_ 108 E.G. Liebold (Fair Lane construction and design, p. 30)
• 65_181 Mr. and Mrs. Lewis Simpson (helped design Fair Lane, discussed construction)
• 65_29 Mary Louise Gregory Brand (describes Fair Lane construction and purchase)
• 65_32 Ben G. Brewton (Richmond Hill bookkeeper)
• 65_114 Basco Mahaffey (Richmond Hill in charge of mechanical equipment)
• 65_117 John Bell (Richmond Hill Sawmill and Carpenter Shop foreman)
• 65_203 R. P. Thomson (Richmond Hill accountant and office manager)
• 65_60 W. B. Eidson (Richmond Hill Sawmill supervisor)
• 65_42 H. G. Cooper (Richmond Hill principal at George Washington Carver School)
• 65_134 Ray Newman (Richmond Hill farm superintendent)
• 65_105 Amber Lee (Richmond Hill Community House hostess)
• 65_40 Constance Clark (Richmond Hill Public Health nurse)
• 65_51 Albert De Lorge (Richmond Hill employee)
• 65_115 Aimar Martin (Richmond Hill bookkeeper)
• 65_126 E. D. Mitchum (Richmond Hill in charge of work crews)
• 65_153 Mr. and Mrs. Edward Rasmussen, Miss Carol Rasmussen, and Miss Kathryn Brady (Huron Mountain Club employees)
• 65_102 Charles A. Larson (Huron Mountain Club cabin construction, The Bungalow)
• 65_109 E.G. Liebold (Fort Myers p.1507)
• 65_224 Albert Westman (Bungalow gardener)
• 65_152 Robert Rankin (Fair Lane chauffeur)
• 65_228 Rufus Wilson (Fair Lane chauffeur)
• 65_50 Alfons De Caluwe (Fair Lane gardener)
• 65_31 Mr. and Mrs. W. R. Brewer (Fair Lane landscape engineer)
• 65_226 John H. Williams (Fair Lane houseman)
  ​​​​​​​
• Small Accessions
  • Acc. 1621 Floyd F. Apple (Fair Lane powerhouse employee) oral history, 1925-1950

Vertical File

• Residences
  • Edison Street (Detroit)
  • Fair Lane (Dearborn) (See also Box 1)
    • Birdhouse
    • Dam
    • Gatehouse
    • General
      • Articles
      • Miscellaneous
    • Visitor brochures and booklets
    • Power House
  • Fort Myers, FL (The Mangoes)
    • General
  • Harbor Beach, MI
  • Huron Mountain Club (Michigan Upper Peninsula)
  • Macon, MI
  • Pequaming, MI (Michigan Upper Peninsula)
  • Richmond Hill, GA (3 folders)
  • Square House

Books

• Fair Lane. University of Michigan-Dearborn
     917.74 F699 U58 1979

• Henry Ford Estate, Fair Lane. Ford R Bryan
     917.74 F699 2002 
  
• Henry Ford Estate, National Historic Landmark. University of Michigan
        728.8 H521 1994 REF
  
• Friends, Families, and Forays: Scenes from the Life and Times of Henry Ford. Ford R Bryan
        338.76292 F699 B915 2002
  
• Guide to the Records of Richmond Hill Plantation, Richmond Hill, Georgia 1925-1952. Ford R. Bryan
        025.1736 B915 1983 
  
• The Henry Ford Era at Richmond Hill, Georgia. Franklin Leslie Long
        338.76292 F699 L848 1998