Thanks to Hal Schedler for sending these Ford factory photos. The cars being assembled are obviously 1914 or earlier, but I'm not expert enough on the pre-15 cars to peg the year. What is the model year?

What a great set of cards, thanks for sharing Steve !

1914

Just, WOW !!

With the power plant and admin buildings gone you wonder what is still left inside the plant or is it just one big empty space.

Not disagreeing with Royce because has many older pictures.But,like mine under interesting,facts it has projected production for "this year,1917".Maybe only that wass updated.

AND,NOW that l wake up more.l know why they used older pictures.Here's a hint:Where were most postcarda prited then?Anybody care?

Dave, the Administration building is still standing I think.

Jim,

You asked, "Where were most postcards printed then?"

I'll go with Germany. Final guess.

A Gold Star for Brian.We did not have the ability to make ink colors like that,l was told by an old printer.Either that,or the chemicals to make those colors were so toxic,that even WE knew better than to fool withw them.

A Gold Star for Brian.We did not have the ability to make ink colors like that,l was told by an old printer.Either that,or the chemicals to make those colors were so toxic,that even WE knew better than to fool withw them.

1916 but the cars are 13-14 on the figures page it said the production for 16 is and the planned production for 17 is 700,000 so the cards must be from 1916 Cheers Colin

Wasn't there a major expansion of the Highland Park Plant in 1916, along Manchester Avenue (south side of factory)?


Here's a slightly more recent photo of the plant in its heyday.

At first I thought 1913 or 1914 because of the black/brass chassis outside early on in the selection. Then, several cards later, it appeared like wooden coil boxes on an assembly line card so I narrowed it to early 1913. But toward the end a card revealed 1916 production figures :o( so I looked at the postage stamp and can now unequivocally state the year is 2016. ;o)
Totally interesting and engrossing. Thanks Strve !!

I think a mix of photos are used. I see wood and steel coil boxes as well as extended rear crossmembers (1914) and the little cast iron rear body brackets indicative of the 1913s. Per the verbage on the card it's clearly intended as a 1917 intro/advertising piece so seems to have been produced at the end of 1916. There are two versions of this card around, one showing the plant and the other with a portrait of Henry on it. Are there any others?

It has many of the same photos that were used previously as black and white photos in the 1915 Ford Factory Facts see:
http://www.mtfca.com/books/15_factory.htm

In both of them, the photo with the caption "The garage where cars remain all day in safety" has what appears to be a 1912 Torpedo Roadster as shown below:



Respectfully submitted,

Hap l9l5 cut off

Below the 1916 production figures, it says PLANNED FOR THIS YEAR 1917.The reason l find this interesting it shows the impact of the war on things like postcards,but does not anticipate wartime material shortages impeding production.We could well have already declared war when this was printed.For something that was likely only available for a couple months,l feel lucky to have a 'NOS' unmailed set.Somewhere.

Count me as a strong skeptic of the German colors theory. Beginning with Currier & Ives lithographs in the middle of the nineteenth century, hand coloring, and then machine coloring, of black & white lithographs and photos was a standard practice in American printing. If I could remember where I put them, I'd post some stereo cards from the early 1900's with colors added.

It says right on one of the post cards, 1916!

Of course it does. But that's not when all the pictures were taken. Most of the cars are 1914 models.

I have three of these sets. Two of them were printed by a Detroit firm. The other was printed
in Chicago for a Detroit firm. An interesting point is that all three contain the identical famous photo of the workers in front of the factory showing different numbers of people. One states president Wilson speaking to 20,000 Ford employees. The next is titled 50,000 Ford employees and perhaps the latest is titled 65,000Ford employees !

There were no PA systems in Wilson's day. I wonder how many of those folks were actually able to hear him.

The Interesting Figures document is not part of the post card set.

http://www.mtfca.com/cgi-bin/discus/show.cgi?tpc=708324&post=932027#POST932027
Ron, if you look at the full front postcard you'll see the Administration Building is to the right of the old Power Plant Building. The one that still stands was the Sales Office Building and the one that the Woodward Avenue Action Association (or something like that - WA3) has purchased. The sales office was built around 1920 or so as I recall.

Some inside looks from a recent (legal) visit to the Highland Park Plant of an event hosted by the WA3. The inside views are of the Sales Office and the Executives Garage behind that building- https://flic.kr/s/aHskUifacL

Wait a minute. Ford had a band? I get the emergency facility and the English classes but a band?

In January, 2016, the Model T Ford Club International (MTFCI) had their Annual Meeting in Dearborn, MI. During that weekend, we had a tour of historical sites in the area and we visited and were in the Ford Sales Office and the Executive
Garage pictured above. As Paul Rentz said above, these buildings have been purchased by the WA3 and their intent is to restore them.

Many thanks to Steve Shotwell for organizing that meeting and tour of many area historical sites.

Thanks again to Steve!

Keith