Locations

This 80-acre cemetery opened in 1874, and became the final resting place of Ransom Eli Olds in 1950. Olds founded Oldsmobile, manufacturer of the first commercially successful American-made automobile. He also founded the Reo Motor Car Company, a lawn-mower company and a retirement community in Florida.

Nankin MIlls Interpretive Center was orginally a grist mill built in 1842 to serve farmers who lived in the Western Wayne County area. In the early part of the 20th century it served as one of Henry Fords first village industry plants. Today, it is a first-class interpretive center telling the story of the mill, the Rouge River and the surrounding area.

The Mill Race Village in Northville, MI, serves as a historical site dedicated life and architecture from the early 19th Century. The sites resides on land donated by the Ford Motor Company and is near the site of the Northville grist mill that was one of the first pieces of Henry Ford's Village Industries.

The Old Mill Museum in Dundee is housed in a former grist mill which Henry Ford converted into his tenth village industry plant. Three floors of the museum showcase Dundee's local history from the 1807 Macon Indian Reservation to everyday life in a Victorian-era village, and the community's love affair with the automobile.

One of a small handful of drive-ins left in the state transporting guests back to a simpler time of cruisin' and milkshakes. Roy W. Allen opened his first rootbeer stand in 1919 in Lodi, California. A glass sold for a mere 5 cents. In 1922, one of the Lodi stand employees, Frank Wright formed a partnership with Mr. Allen and so was born the now famous A&W Root beer.

The Owosso Speedway is one of several half-mile oval tracks that celebrate Michigan's motor sports heritage. Located halfway between Flint and Lansing, the speedway hosts races by class on Saturdays throughout the summer.

From 1928 to 1956, the Packard Motor Car Company tested and developed new vehicles at the Proving Grounds. Architect Albert Kahn designed the Lodge and other buildings. During World War II Chrysler tested tanks and tracked vehicles here. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, this historic site is being restored by a volunteer organization, the Packard Motor Car Foundation. Tours by appointment.

Bought by Henry Ford in 1919 and then rebuilt by Albert Kahn by 1921, the Pheonix Mill opened for production the following year in 1922. Part of Ford's Village Industries, Ford employed only women to work in this factory. Especially unique was that Ford paid women workers the $5 day the same as the men working for him - at a time when the average pay for women was less than $1 per day. The facility is now owned by Wayne County and not opened to the public.

The Plymouth Historical Museum preserves community history including that of a little-known, early 20th century automobile company called Alter. The Alter Motor Car Co. produced 1,000 vehicles between 1914-1916, and the last known Alter car is on display at this quaint museum located in downtown Plymouth.

Nestled along the banks of the Grand River and housed in the original factory of the Bates and Edmonds Motor Company, the R.E. Olds Transportation Museum lets you step back into automotive history through the eyese of Ransom Eli Olds, one of the industry's great pioneers.