The Edison Institute / The Edison Institute
The Edison Institute, founded on this site by Henry Ford and dedicated to Thomas Alva Edison by President Herbert Hoover on October 21, 1929, the fiftieth anniversary of the invention of the incandescent lamp, has three divisions. Greenfield Village, America’s first outdoor museum, contains some one hundred historic buildings moved here from many different areas to show how Americans lived and worked during the first three centuries of their history. The Henry Ford Museum exhibits Ford’s vast collections of Americana, which he began assembling as early as 1906. Together the village and museum preserve historic objects and buildings of national significance. The Greenfield Village Schools were established by Henry Ford to carry out his “learning-by-doing” philosophy of education. Collectively, the Edison Institute’s three divisions reflect the creative spirit that has built our nation from the time of the first settlers and demonstrate Henry Ford’s concept of bringing American history to life.“I am collecting the history of our people as written into things their hands made and used. . .” “Education is the greatest force in civilization. . .” “I deeply admire the men who founded this country and I think we ought to know more about them and how they lived and the force and courage they had. . .” “The farther you look back, the farther you can look ahead . . .” “When we are through, we shall have reproduced American life as lived, and that, I think, is the best way of preserving at least a part of our history and tradition. . .” ~Henry Ford
Plaque via Michigan History Center