DEARBORN, Mich. (WXYZ) — As the nation builds toward its 250th birthday, there’s a place where America’s story comes alive through the objects that shaped it—from civil rights to innovation to the presidency itself.
Watch Carolyn Clifford's video report:
We take you inside the Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village, where history isn’t just remembered—it’s experienced firsthand.
At The Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village, history doesn’t sit quietly behind glass. It speaks through the people, the struggles, and the innovations that changed America forever.
“One of our most iconic exhibits we have is the Rosa Parks bus ... the bus Mrs. Parks sat on in 1955 that started the Montgomery Bus Boycott," said Heather Bruegle.
Visitors can even step aboard the bus and hear the story unfold around them.
Nearby, another artifact connects Americans directly to the nation’s founding.
“I think one of the other pieces we have that is super iconic … our original 1823 stone engraving of the Declaration of Independence … the thing we’re all commemorating this year," said Bruegle.
The museum also preserves moments tied to the presidency itself—including the presidential limousine carrying John F. Kennedy during the assassination in Dallas.
Nearby, exhibits honoring the women’s suffrage movement trace the long fight for women to earn the right to vote in America.
But America’s story here is not only about politics and protest.
The Model T still rolls through Greenfield Village today — giving visitors a chance to ride in the automobile that helped put America on wheels.
And inside the Wright Cycle Shop, visitors stand in the very place where two brothers dared to believe humans could fly.
“This is one of the world-changing history experiences people can have here at Greenfield Village," said Jim Johnson. “They were self-funded… all the work they did… the research for learning how to fly basically.”
The Wright Brothers’ bicycle business financed the experiments that would eventually change transportation forever.
Henry Ford later worked closely with Orville Wright and acquired both the Wright family home and the cycle shop from Dayton to preserve their legacy inside Greenfield Village.
And tucked inside the village is another powerful chapter of American history — one connected to the Civil Rights Movement and the realities of segregation.
“Dr. King actually stayed in this home. This is the place where he stayed whenever he came to visit… this was a time of Green Books. African Americans could not just stay anywhere," said Amber Mitchell Black.
The Jackson home now stands as a reminder of both the barriers African Americans faced, and the leaders who fought to change them.
“History is emotional, right? It’s telling a story… and people are rediscovering something for the first time and looking at it through new eyes… leaving with a renewed sense of patriotism," said Bruegle.
As America prepares to mark 250 years, these artifacts are doing more than preserving history.
They’re helping Americans reconnect with it.
Because here, history isn’t just remembered. It’s relived—a powerful look back as America prepares for its 250th birthday.
The Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village are offering visitors a chance to step directly into the moments that built a nation.
