janeandbobandmore: HENRY FORD and the AMERICAN MOTORCAR

In the late 18^th century, a remarkable group of men came on the American stage. Washington, Madison, Hamilton, Franklin, Jefferson….to name but a few of our nation’s outstanding political thinkers and nation builders.

In the late 19^th century, another group of brilliant minds converged --- Henry Ford, Thomas Edison and Harvey Firestone. These inventors and entrepreneurs transformed how Americans would lead their lives. As persons of genius, persistence, confidence, and grand thinking, they tackled and solved technological problems of their day in the fields of transportation, communication, and lighting.

Henry Ford was determined to design, construct and market a completely new motorcar. He wished to democratize (his word) the car so everyone could afford and drive one. Ford made a dramatic breakthrough in reducing costs when he created a totally new manufacturing procedure, the moving assembly line. At its affordable price, the Model T could be purchased by a large segment of the American population. Two, then three, million automobiles rolled off the assembly line giving every new owner unheard of mobility. Now one simply needed to know how to crank, throttle, steer and stop the horseless vehicle—and off one could go!

A new age of exploration was ushered in. Not for the professional mariner, but this time for the American family on the road. …who could now drive to sites of cultural importance, historical interest and natural beauty throughout the nation…. or just take a Sunday drive and picnic in the country.

Today we’re used to seeing malls with a repeat of the same stores – T.J. Maxx, Bed Bath and Beyond, Dick’s Sporting Goods… In earlier days, enterprising shop owners put out quirky roadside signs advertising their hotels, diners, and gas stations to catch the eye of the tourist. Now these roadside advertisements are collector’s items, recapturing an earlier period in American history.

Roadside diners served the wandering traveler. Their design echoed the original horse drawn lunch wagons and called to mind the more elegant railroad dining car, both eating venues well known to the traveling public. The word “diner” was, in face, a shortened form of “dining car.” Diners came directly from the factory. Clovis Lamy’s Diner, 1946, was manufactured at the Worcester Lunch Car Company with 16 built-in stools, 6 hardwood booths, and a stainless steel bar and then shipped to the spot where it stood on the side of a well-traveled road, beckoning the hungry motorist.

Gas pumps were initially placed curbside in front of homes or businesses. But it was soon found that cars parked to purchase gas blocked the roadways. The pumps were then moved back to open lots—hence the gas station.

After Henry Ford’s auspicious beginning put Americans on the road, soon followed the Holiday Inn motel chain, Airstream caravans, Triptiks, and much more, leading into our modern day Eisenhower Interstate Highway system, Waze app, Google maps, E-Z Pass, etc.