Henry Ford’s Museum Village

HI, I'M ROY UNDERHILL.

THE HENRY FORD'S GREENFIELD VILLAGE IS ONE OF OUR NATIONAL TREASURES, AN OPEN-AIR MUSEUM WHERE YOU CAN RELAX IN THE QUIET SPLENDOR OF AMERICA AS IT USED TO BE.

THE ONLY DIFFERENCE HERE IS THAT THE HONKING OF THE GEESE SOMETIMES BLENDS WITH THE HONKING OF A FORD MODEL T. WELL, WE'RE GOING ON A WILD RIDE THROUGH TIME AS WE DISCOVER THE HISTORY OF AMERICAN TECHNOLOGY AT THE HENRY FORD AND GREENFIELD VILLAGE, COMING UP HERE ON "THE WOODWRIGHT'S SHOP."

MAJOR FUNDING FOR "THE WOODWRIGHT'S SHOP" IS PROVIDED BY... MORE THAN 40 MILLION PEOPLE WHO CARE FOR THEIR CARS AND HOMES CHOOSE STATE FARM FOR THEIR INSURANCE.

STATE FARM--A PROUD SUPPORTER OF "THE WOODWRIGHT'S SHOP."

[TRAFFIC NOISE] WE'RE AT GREENFIELD VILLAGE, PART OF THE HENRY FORD NEAR DEARBORN, MICHIGAN, AND SINCE HENRY FORD FOUNDED THE PLACE IN 1929, IT HASN'T STOPPED GROWING AND CHANGING BECAUSE IT'S A MUSEUM OF CHANGE.

INSIDE AND OUT, THERE'S A MYRIAD OF ARTIFACTS THAT TELL US BOTH WHERE WE'VE BEEN AND HOW WE GOT THERE.

NOW, WHEN IT BEGAN, HENRY FORD CALLED THIS PLACE THE EDISON INSTITUTE, BECAUSE, WELL, THINK ABOUT IT-- IF YOU WERE A WEALTHY INDUSTRIALIST AND COULD COLLECT ANYTHING YOU WANTED, WHAT WOULD IT BE?

WELL, IT'D BE THE THINGS YOU TREASURED THE MOST IN LIFE, AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT HENRY FORD TREASURED THE MOST WAS THE ENCOURAGEMENT HE RECEIVED FROM THE GREAT AMERICAN INVENTOR, THOMAS EDISON.

SO WHAT BETTER WAY TO HONOR THOMAS EDISON THAN TO MOVE EDISON'S ENTIRE MENLO PARK LABORATORY ALL THE WAY FROM NEW JERSEY, COMPLETE WITH THE SOIL UNDERNEATH IT, TO HENRY FORD'S NEW MUSEUM IN DEARBORN, MICHIGAN?

HELLO, HELLO, HELLO.

MARY HAD A LITTLE LAMB WHOSE FLEECE WAS WHITE AS SNOW, AND EVERYWHERE THAT MARY WENT, THE LAMB WAS SURE TO GO.

HA HA HA HA!

OH, THAT'S WONDERFUL.

FOLKS, THIS IS KIRK HAAS AND HE IS A PRESENTER HERE AT THE HENRY FORD.

AND, KIRK, WHAT ARE YOU UP TO?

I AM DEMONSTRATING THE EDISON TIN FOIL PHONOGRAPH.

WOW.

AND THIS IS AN ORIGINAL, IS THAT RIGHT?

THIS IS AN ACTUAL PRODUCTION MODEL THAT THEY CREATED.

MAN, OH, MAN.

HOW DOES IT WORK?

THIS IS THE ORIGINAL PHONOGRAPH.

MR. EDISON TOOK A PIECE OF MICA AND PLACED A STYLUS IN THE CENTER OF THAT SO THAT THE SOUND WAVES WOULD CAUSE THE MICA TO VIBRATE, AND THE STYLUS WOULD MAKE INDENTATIONS IN THE TIN FOIL.

AND I SEE HERE SOMETHING I'VE NEVER KNOWN-- HE HAD A GROOVE SPIRALING AROUND UNDER THE STYLUS SO THE TIN FOIL HAD ROOM TO MOVE.

THAT'S CORRECT.

NOW, AM I RIGHT THAT HE CAME UP WITH THIS THING JUST IN HIS HEAD AND SAID, "HEY, GO MAKE THIS," TOLD A GUY TO GO MAKE IT, AND JUST OUT OF NOWHERE, AND THEY MADE IT, THEY DIDN'T KNOW IF IT'D WORK, AND IT CAME DOWN TO THAT MOMENT: "WELL, LET'S TRY IT OUT"?

THAT'S CORRECT.

HE HAD A SPEECH ALL PREPARED, AND WHEN HE WENT TO DEMONSTRATE IT THE VERY FIRST TIME, HE FORGOT HIS SPEECH, AND SO THE VERY FIRST WORDS THAT CAME TO HIS MIND, WHICH WAS "MARY HAD A LITTLE LAMB."

WOW, AND THAT'S WHAT YOU JUST DID, SO LET'S SEE IF WE CAN HEAR IT COME BACK.

NOW, YOU REWOUND IT AND... HELLO, HELLO, HELLO.

MARY HAD A LITTLE LAMB WHOSE FLEECE WAS WHITE AS SNOW, AND EVERYWHERE THAT MARY WENT, THE LAMB WAS SURE TO GO.

HA HA HA!

THAT'S WONDERFUL, THAT'S WONDERFUL.

BOY, KIRK, I GOT TO TELL YOU, THOMAS EDISON WAS A CHILDHOOD HERO OF MINE SO IT JUST MUST BE WONDERFUL FOR YOU TO WORK WITH THESE ARTIFACTS SO CLOSE TO HIM.

YES, IT IS.

WOULD YOU LIKE TO MEET HIM?

MEET THOMAS EDISON HIMSELF?

HE'S UPSTAIRS TAKING A NAP RIGHT NOW.

OH, I'D LOVE TO.

KIRK, THAT'S GREAT.

I'LL HEAD ON UP.

THANK YOU SO MUCH.

IF HE'S STILL ASLEEP WHEN YOU GET UP THERE, JUST CRANK THE DEVICE RIGHT BEHIND HIM.

MR. EDISON?

MR. EDISON.

WHAT?

WHAT?

WHAT?

MR. EDISON, I'M SO SORRY.

I WAS TOLD TO TURN THE CRANK ON THIS DEVICE IF YOU WERE ASLEEP.

OH, YES, THE CORPSE REVIVER.

VERY PROPER.

CORPSE REVIVER?

YES, THE CORPSE REVIVER.

I ENCOURAGE NAPPING, BUT WHEN THE MEN NAP A LITTLE TOO LONG, WE USE THE CORPSE REVIVER TO GET THEM BACK IN ACTION.

THIS IS AN INVENTION FACTORY, AFTER ALL.

WOW.

OH, FACTORY JUST FOR INVENTIONS.

MM-HMM, INVENTIONS.

ONE MINOR INVENTION EVERY 10 DAYS, ONE MAJOR INVENTION EVERY 6 MONTHS.

WHAT ARE YOU WORKING ON RIGHT NOW?

RIGHT NOW, IT'S THE PROBLEM OF ELECTRICAL ILLUMINATION.

ILLUMINATION.

MM-HMM.

WE'RE TRYING TO FIND THE PROPER INCANDESCING ELEMENT, OR FILAMENT, THAT WON'T BURN OUT AFTER A FEW MINUTES.

WELL, HOW IS THAT SEARCH GOING?

WELL, SO FAR WE'VE TRIED HUNDREDS OF DIFFERENT FILAMENT TYPES.

KEEP BURNING OUT STILL.

OH, THAT MUST BE AWFULLY DISCOURAGING.

WELL, NOT EXACTLY.

THE WAY I LOOK AT IT IS HUNDREDS OF FAILED FILAMENTS MEANS HUNDREDS OF STEPS CLOSER TO A SUCCESSFUL FILAMENT.

WELL, THAT'S THE ATTITUDE TO HAVE, AND IT MUST BE A LOT OF CALCULATIONS.

OH, YES.

WELL, SOMETIMES NO.

FOR EXAMPLE, I HAD A YOUNG MAN THE OTHER DAY I TOLD I WANTED TO GET THE INTERNAL VOLUME OF A LIGHT BULB LIKE THIS ONE FOR REASONS OF HOW MUCH AIR WAS EVACUATED.

"OH, YES, MR. EDISON.

NO PROBLEM.

I'LL BE RIGHT BACK."

WELL, HE'S GONE FOR 5 MINUTES, 10 MINUTES, HALF AN HOUR.

FINALLY, I GO LOOKING FOR HIM, TRACK HIM DOWN.

"WHAT IS TAKING SO LONG?"

WELL, HE'S ALL UPSET, HIS FACE IS RED, HE'S SWEATING AND WRITING ON A PIECE OF PAPER.

"MR. EDISON, I'VE TRIED EVERY FORMULA, EVERY CALCULATION I KNOW.

I CAN'T--" I SAID, "SLOW DOWN.

"USE A LITTLE HORSE SENSE.

"TAKE THE LIGHT BULB, FILL IT UP WITH WATER, POUR THE WATER INTO A GRADUATED CYLINDER, AND MEASURE THE WATER."

HA HA!

THAT'S BRILLIANT.

SIMPLE.

WELL, WONDERFUL.

WELL, MR. EDISON, ACTUALLY, THERE'S ANOTHER EMPLOYEE OF YOURS I WANTED TO ASK YOU ABOUT.

HE'S YOUR CHIEF ENGINEER AT DETROIT EDISON PLANT-- MR. HENRY FORD, YOUNG MAN.

OH, HENRY FORD, YES.

I FIND HIM TO BE A VERY PROMISING YOUNG MAN.

YOU MIGHT WANT TO STOP OFF AT HIS WORKSHOP OVER HERE.

YOU KNOW, A WORKSHOP IS WHERE YOU GET TO KNOW THE TRUE MAN.

AH, TRUER WORDS NEVER SPOKEN.

MR. EDISON, WHAT AN HONOR.

PLEASURE.

GOOD LUCK WITH THAT LIGHT BULB.

[GROWLING IN FRUSTRATION] Underhill: THIS LITTLE BUILDING REPRESENTS THE BAGLEY AVENUE WORKSHOP IN DETROIT WHERE HENRY FORD WORKED AFTER HOURS TO BUILD HIS FIRST AUTOMOBILE, WHAT HE CALLED THE QUADRICYCLE.

AND HE BUILT IT WITH THE HELP AND POWER OF THIS EDISON ELECTRIC MOTOR, WHICH TURNED THE WHEELS OF HIS LINE SHAFT THERE, WHICH DROVE HIS DRILL PRESS, WHICH TURNED THE GEARS OF HIS LATHE.

SO HE BUILT IT WITH THESE TOOLS, BUT ALSO WITH THE POWER OF PERSUASION.

HENRY FORD WAS A POWERFUL PERSONALITY, AND HE KNEW EVEN THEN HOW TO USE AND MANAGE HIS IMAGE.

HE PERSUADED A LOT OF HIS FRIENDS TO DO SOME OF THIS WORK FOR HIM AND WITH HIM, AND THE GUYS TINKERING AFTER HOURS PRETTY SOON HAD AN AUTOMOBILE THAT REALLY HAD EVERYTHING... OH, EXCEPT FOR BRAKES.

WHOA!

HERE'S DAVE LEEPELT AT THE TILLER OF THE HENRY FORD'S REPLICA OF THE QUADRICYCLE.

DAVE, CAN WE START-- LET'S TAKE A LOOK AT THE ENGINE ON THIS BABY HERE.

SURE, SURE.

THIS ENGINE IS BASICALLY A COPY OF A KANE-PENNINGTON ENGINE THAT WAS WRITTEN UP IN THE JANUARY 1896 ISSUE OF "THE AMERICAN MACHINIST."

HA HA!

SO HE GOT IT OUT OF A MAGAZINE.

YEAH, AND THE CAR ITSELF IS NOTHING LIKE A KANE-PENNINGTON CAR, BUT THE ENGINE IS LARGELY A COPY OF KANE-PENNINGTON'S ENGINE.

YOU SEE ALL THE WORKING PARTS DOWN HERE.

YEAH.

IT'S JUST A REGULAR 4-CYCLE, 2-CYLINDER ENGINE.

THIS ROCKER ARM IS WORKING THE EXHAUST VALVES.

AH, OK.

THE INTAKE VALVES WORK BY AIR COMING INTO THE ENGINE, CALLED AN ATMOSPHERIC INTAKE.

THIS BAR BACK HERE IS BASICALLY THE DISTRIBUTOR, DETERMINES WHICH CYLINDER WILL FIRE.

WONDERFUL.

AND I THINK, YOU KNOW, WITH THE BELT DRIVE AND THE PULLEYS, IT'S JUST THE LINE DRIVE FOR MACHINERY.

VERY SIMILAR.

AND CHAINS AND EVERYTHING DOWN HERE AND, WHAT, LIGHT BULBS?

WELL, EVEN THESE BULBS ARE ACTUALLY LUNKENHEIMER OILER, MACHINERY OILERS FROM THE 1880s, YOU KNOW.

HA HA HA!

SO IT'S GREAT.

AND LET'S LOOK AT THE STEERING NOW DOWN HERE.

SURE.

IT HAS A TILLER.

YEP.

ALL RIGHT, A TILLER BACK AND FORTH, YEAH.

AND WHAT IS THIS LEVER HERE?

THIS LEVER ACTUALLY ENGAGES THE BELT.

THAT TENSIONS THE BELT.

OH, ALL RIGHT.

SO THAT-- WHOA!

THAT MAKES IT GO.

YEP.

I RAN MYSELF OVER.

I'D BE THE FIRST... AND IT'S SO FUNNY.

EVEN THOUGH IT'S SO MODERN, YOU CAN LOOK THROUGH THE WHEEL HERE AND SEE THE SUSPENSION.

IT REALLY IS A HORSELESS CARRIAGE.

OH, YEAH.

THE OLD BUGGY SPRINGS AND THE FRONT.

WELL, LISTEN, HAS IT GOT ROOM IN THIS HORSELESS CARRIAGE FOR 2?

BARELY.

BARELY.

ALL RIGHT.

WELL, DAVE, LET'S SEE IF WE CAN SQUEEZE IN.

MAYBE I CAN TAKE IT FOR A SPIN HERE.

ALL RIGHT.

GO MEET SOME GIRLS.

AH, WELL, NO LUCK IN THE QUADRICYCLE, SO MAYBE WHAT I NEED IS A NEWER CAR--WHOA!

LET'S SEE ABOUT THE VIRTUES OF A 1914 MODEL T, AND WHO BETTER TO TELL US ABOUT THIS FINE VEHICLE THAN CURATOR OF TRANSPORTATION HERE AT THE HENRY FORD, BOB CASEY?

NOW, BOB, WHAT MAKES THIS MODEL T FORD SUCH AN IMPROVEMENT?

WELL, ONE OF THE THINGS ABOUT THIS MODEL T IS THAT IT WAS DESIGNED FOR PERHAPS THE WORST ROADS IN THE INDUSTRIALIZED WORLD.

YOU MEAN AMERICAN ROADS.

AMERICAN ROADS WERE AWFUL.

SO THE FIRST THING IT'S GOT IS GROUND CLEARANCE.

AH.

GET YOU OVER ALL THOSE RUTS AND STUMPS AND ROCKS.

OH, MAN.

HAD TO BE PRETTY RUGGED, TOO.

WHAT'S THE AXLE MADE OF?

THE AXLE IS FORGED VANADIUM STEEL.

WOW.

LIGHT AND STRONG.

MAN.

AND IT SEEMS TO BE-- IT'S JUST HELD RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE THERE, THAT SPRING.

ONE OF THE KEYS TO THIS CAR IS THAT IT WAS FLEXIBLE.

IT DIDN'T TRY TO FIGHT ALL THOSE BUMPS, IT JUST RODE WITH THEM AND FLEXED OVER THEM, AND THAT WAY IT WAS RUGGED AND IT WAS LESS LIKELY TO BREAK.

SO LESS SHOCK IT TOOK, BUT STILL HAD SOME OF THE OLD TECHNOLOGY.

THESE ARE WOODEN SPOKES ON THE WHEELS, AREN'T THEY?

THE WOODEN SPOKES ARE LIGHT AND STRONG, AND THEY'RE ALSO CHEAP, WHICH HENRY FORD LIKED.

VERY PRIME VIRTUE THERE.

SO, BEING CHEAP, THERE MUST HAVE BEEN A LOT OF DEMAND FOR THESE THINGS.

DEMAND WAS SO STRONG FOR THESE CARS THAT HENRY FORD COULDN'T MAKE THEM FAST ENOUGH.

SO HE AND HIS ENGINEERS KEPT IMPROVING PRODUCTION AND LOOKING FOR BETTER WAYS, AND THEY EVENTUALLY ARRIVED AT THE ASSEMBLY LINE.

BY 1914, THESE THINGS WERE COMING OFF THE LINE AT THE RATE OF 1,000 A DAY, AND A TOURING CAR LIKE THIS, YOU COULD HAVE IT FOR ABOUT $500.

500 BUCKS, AND IN ANY COLOR AS LONG AS IT WAS BLACK.

I MEAN, THAT'S HENRY FORD'S FAMOUS QUOTATION, RIGHT?

BY 1914, THAT WAS TRUE.

THEY DID COME ONLY IN BLACK 'CAUSE BLACK WAS AN EASY COLOR TO COVER EVERYTHING, IT WAS DURABLE.

IT WAS ALSO INEXPENSIVE TO BUY EVERYTHING IN JUST ONE COLOR.

BUT BEFORE THAT, YOU COULD GET THEM IN A GREEN AND A BLUE AND A GRAY AND EVEN A RED.

SO WHY--DID HENRY FORD REALLY SAY THAT, ABOUT "ANY COLOR AS LONG AS IT'S BLACK"?

HE REALLY DID SAY IT.

IT'S A NICE LINE, AND THERE'S SOMETHING VERY HONEST ABOUT IT: "ANY COLOR AS LONG AS IT'S BLACK."

ALL RIGHT.

WELL, WONDERFUL, WONDERFUL.

THE PROOF IS IN THE WRITING, BOB.

THANKS SO MUCH.

I APPRECIATE IT.

IT'S BEEN FUN AND GOOD LUCK.

HA HA HA!

Underhill: IT WAS RUGGED, EASY TO OPERATE, AND IT MADE HENRY FORD ONE OF THE WEALTHIEST AND BEST-KNOWN MEN OF THE 20th CENTURY, SO HE COULD EASILY AFFORD TO ASSEMBLE THIS GREAT COLLECTION OF AMERICANA, INCLUDING THE HOMES OF SUCH NOTABLES AS ROBERT FROST AND NOAH WEBSTER.

BUT IT WAS IN THE HOMES OF MORE MODEST FOLKS WHERE HENRY FORD'S IDEA OF A CAR FOR THE MASSES REALLY MADE A DIFFERENCE, AND YOU'LL SEE THAT NOAH WEBSTER AND ROBERT FROST HAD NOTHING ON THE MADDOX FAMILY IN THE WAY OF WORDS... BECAUSE THE WHOLE HOUSE IS PAPERED WITH THE PAPERS.

NEVER ANY SHORTAGE OF READING MATERIAL IN THIS ROOM.

NOW, HENRY FORD STUMBLED ACROSS THIS HOUSE IN BRYAN COUNTY, GEORGIA, AND THOUGHT THAT FROM THE CARDBOARD INSULATION ON THE CEILING TO THE BOTTLE-CAP CHECKERS TO THE LICENSE PLATE MENDING THE CORNER OF THE DOOR THAT THIS HOUSE EXEMPLIFIED THE SPIRIT OF SELF-RELIANCE THAT GOT AMERICA THROUGH THE GREAT DEPRESSION.

HE HAD THE HOUSE MOVED JUST AS IT IS TO GREENFIELD VILLAGE.

HENRY FORD WAS NOT JUST A MECHANICAL ENGINEER.

HE TRIED HIS HAND AT SOCIAL ENGINEERING AS WELL.

FROM HIS SCHOOL TO HIS WORK PROJECTS, HE WAS TRYING TO TURN UP THE HEAT ON THE OLD IDEA OF THE AMERICAN MELTING POT.

BUT HIS CAR, OF COURSE, HAD GREAT SOCIAL CONSEQUENCES AS WELL FOR FOLKS WHO HAD LOTS OF JOBS LIKE AMOS MADDOX.

THIS IS HIS HOUSE.

AMOS MADDOX WAS A FARMER, HE WAS A POSTMAN, HE WAS A PREACHER, BUT BY NOW LIFE IS A LOT EASIER.

NOW FARMERS CAN GET THEIR MILK TO MARKET BEFORE IT SPOILS, DOCTORS COULD VISIT THEIR PATIENTS OUT IN THE COUNTRYSIDE, AND COUNTRY FOLK COULD GO TO TOWN.

BUT INNOVATION CAN HAVE UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES.

I THINK IT WAS SIGMUND FREUD WHO SAID, "OH, THE TELEPHONE IS A GREAT INVENTION.

"NOW I CAN CALL MY SON IN FAR-OFF BERLIN.

"BUT IF IT HADN'T BEEN FOR THE TRAIN THAT TOOK MY SON "AWAY FROM VIENNA TO BERLIN, I WOULDN'T NEED THE TELEPHONE TO BEGIN WITH."

Underhill: SPEAKING OF TRAINS, BOY, THEY GOT 'EM.

COAL-BURNING STEAM LOCOMOTIVES THAT CIRCLE THE VILLAGE, SUCH AS THIS LAST-OF-ITS KIND 1873 MASON BOGIE.

HERE IN THE ROUNDHOUSE, A RE-CREATION OF THE DETROIT, TOLEDO AND MILWAUKEE ROUNDHOUSE.

WELL, THAT'S WHERE THE ENGINES COME TO GET THEIR REGULAR MAINTENANCE AND REPAIR, AND ONE OF THE GUYS WHO HELPS KEEP THIS HISTORIC EQUIPMENT IN SHAPE, A GUY WHO HAS ALMOST ENOUGH WRENCHES, IS CHIEF MECHANICAL OFFICER TOM FISHER.

TOM, HOW YOU DOING?

GOOD, ROY.

HOW ARE YOU TODAY?

ALL RIGHT.

WHAT YOU WORKING ON HERE?

ROY, WHAT WE'VE GOT IN HERE TODAY IS A DRIVING BOX, FIT UP IN THE MORTON DRAW-CUT SHAPER.

ALL RIGHT.

NOW YOU GOT ME.

WHAT IS A DRIVING BOX?

A DRIVING BOX ACTUALLY HOLDS THE BEARING OR CROWN BRASS FOR THE DRIVE AXLES ON THE LOCOMOTIVE.

I DON'T KNOW CROWN BRASS, EITHER.

THESE ARE ALL LOCOMOTIVE PARTS.

SORRY.

ONE CROWN BRASS.

OH, ALL RIGHT.

SO IT'S A BEARING BOX.

IT'S A BEARING BOX.

ABSOLUTELY.

IT'S ONE HECK OF A BRONZE BEARING.

ALL RIGHT.

AND HOW DOES THIS THING WORK?

WELL, LIKE THE NAME IMPLIES, THE MACHINE CUTS ON THE DRAW STROKE.

OH, ALL RIGHT.

IT TAKES OFF A LITTLE MEASURED SHAVING EACH TIME THE THING GOES BACK.

I SEE, OK. AND IT'S ADVANCING ON THE TABLE.

IS THAT WHAT ALL THOSE CAMS AND GEARS AND DOING BACK THERE?

ABSOLUTELY.

ONE OF THOSE CONTROLS THE LENGTH OF THE DRAW ON THE RAM.

THE OTHER ONE CONTROLS HOW FAST THE WORKPIECE MOVES ACROSS.

I GOTCHA.

ALL RIGHT.

NOW, TOM, WHERE DO YOU GO TO GET ONE OF THESE THINGS?

YOU CAN'T JUST PICK THESE UP ANYWHERE.

NO, YOU CAN'T.

THIS ONE, ACTUALLY, WE FOUND IN THE CHICAGO SHORT LINE RAILWAY IN CHICAGO, AND WE ACQUIRED IT SPECIFIC FOR USE HERE IN THE ROUNDHOUSE.

MY GOSH.

ALL RIGHT.

SO IT'S JUST RIGHT, I GUESS, FOR A ROUNDHOUSE.

I MEAN, IS THIS THE KIND OF THING YOU NEED JUST FOR RAILROAD WORK?

WELL, NO, YOU COULD USE IT FOR OTHER HEAVY MACHINE WORK, BUT, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE OF ITS COMPACT NATURE, BECAUSE IT'S A ROBUST MACHINE, IT'S IDEAL FOR USE IN HERE.

ALL RIGHT.

BUT WE DO HAVE A MACHINE, A LATHE, RIGHT OVER HERE, THAT IS DESIGNED SPECIFICALLY FOR ROUNDHOUSE WORK.

OH, A LATHE?

ALL RIGHT.

I'D LOVE TO SEE THAT.

WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE IT?

COME ON.

ABSOLUTELY.

ALL RIGHT.

ROY, HERE WE HAVE A 1917 NILES BENNETT POND DRIVING WHEEL LATHE.

WOW.

IT'S A BIG 'UN.

IT IS.

WHAT WE HAVE IN HERE IS A WHEEL SET WHERE THE TIRES ON THE WHEELS HAVE WORN A LITTLE BIT HOLLOW.

AH, ALL RIGHT.

SO WHAT WE'RE GOING TO DO IS GET UP HERE AND TURN THESE THINGS ALL AT THE SAME TIME.

INCIDENTALLY, THESE SHINY SPOTS HERE ARE WHERE THE CROWN BRASSES RIDE THAT WE WORKED ON A LITTLE EARLIER.

I SEE.

ALL RIGHT.

WELL, IT'S MADE SPECIFICALLY FOR RAILROAD WORK.

MAYBE WE'D BETTER NOT HOLD IT UP.

LET'S CUT HER ON.

LET'S DO IT.

ALL RIGHT.

WHEW!

AND THIS IS FOR A LOCOMOTIVE?

THIS IS.

IT'S FOR A SMALL 040 SADDLE TANK LOCOMOTIVE UP FROM ONTARIO.

WOW!

Underhill: OF COURSE, IT DIDN'T STOP WITH THE TRAIN, THE TELEPHONE, OR THE AUTOMOBILE.

AND AS HENRY FORD HIMSELF SAID, "WHETHER YOU THINK YOU CAN "OR WHETHER YOU THINK YOU CAN'T, "YOU'RE RIGHT.

AND THE WRIGHT BROTHERS THOUGHT THEY COULD.

IN 1900, BICYCLES WERE PRETTY HIGH UP THERE IN THE REALM OF TECHNOLOGY WITH THEIR LIGHTWEIGHT CONSTRUCTION, THEIR WIRE STRUTS, THEIR BENT WOODEN RIMS, THEIR GEARS AND CHAINS.

WELL, YOU COULD JUST FLY DOWN THE ROAD.

THIS IS THE ROOM IN THE WRIGHT BROTHERS' SHOP WHERE THEY WORKED ON BUILDING BICYCLES, REPAIRING BICYCLES.

BUT ON THE BACK OF THEIR BICYCLE SHOP, THEY ADDED ON ANOTHER ROOM, WHERE THEY BEGAN TO WORK ON SOMETHING THEY THOUGHT THEY MIGHT BE ABLE TO MAKE.

USING THESE BEAUTIFUL LINE DRIVE MACHINES, THE WRIGHT BROTHERS BUILT THE SPRUCE AIRFRAME AND PROPELLERS AS CHARLIE TAYLOR WORKED ON THE CAST ALUMINUM ENGINE.

FOR LESS THAN $1,000, THEY MADE A 625-POUND MACHINE SO THAT ON DECEMBER 17, 1903, THE SKY WAS NO LONGER THE LIMIT.

RIGHT NEXT TO GREENFIELD VILLAGE IS THE INDOOR PART OF THIS GREAT MUSEUM, THE HENRY FORD, AND AS YOU MIGHT EXPECT, THERE ARE CARS IN THIS MUSEUM.

I MEAN, LOTS OF CARS-- CARS FROM THE DAYS WHEN THEY WERE MOSTLY WOOD TO THE EARLIEST OF THE ALL-METAL BODIES.

AND THEY'VE GOT EVERYTHING HERE, FROM THE STANLEY STEAMER TO A GIANT WIENER.

JUST IN THIS SECTION ALONE, WE'VE GOT THE 1865 ROPER STEAM CARRIAGE-- PROBABLY THE OLDEST AMERICAN CAR IN EXISTENCE.

OR MAY I INTEREST YOU IN THIS BEAUTIFUL 1894 BENZ VELO?

1 1/2 HORSEPOWER, THIS IS PROBABLY THE WORLD'S FIRST PRODUCTION AUTOMOBILE.

OH, BUT YOU'D LIKE TO BUY DOMESTIC?

A SMART CONSUMER.

YES, INDEED.

SO HOW ABOUT THIS 1898 LOCOMOBILE RUNABOUT?

YES, 2-CYLINDER STEAM WITH 3 BIG HORSEPOWER.

BY 1902, THERE WERE 4,000 OF THESE BABIES ON THE ROAD.

OH, WORRIED ABOUT THE HIGH PRICE OF GASOLINE?

AH, AGAIN, A SMART CONSUMER.

THEN MAY I INTEREST YOU IN THIS BEAUTIFUL 1901 BAKER ELECTRIC?

24 VOLTS WITH THE POWER OF 3/4 OF ONE HORSE.

THAT WORD "POWER" COMES UP A LOT.

NO, IT'S NOT A GOTHIC CATHEDRAL.

THIS IS A STATIONARY ENGINE OF 1855, AND THOSE WHO MASTERED ITS MYSTERIES BECAME THE NEW HOLY MEN BECAUSE BY THE 19th CENTURY, THE TRANS-SUBSTANTIATION OF THE CHEMICAL ENERGY STORED IN FOSSIL CARBON INTO KINETIC ENERGY THAT WE COULD USE HERE AND NOW WAS PROMISING US HEAVEN ON EARTH.

SUCH WERE THE GLORY DAYS OF IGNORANCE BEFORE WE REALIZED THAT ALL THIS BURNING CARBON WAS TURNING THE PLANET INTO A HOTHOUSE.

BUT IF THE MACHINE WAS IN THE GARDEN, SO TOO WAS THERE STILL A BIT OF THE GARDEN IN THE MACHINE.

THIS GIANT MACHINE IS A POWER GENERATOR THAT HENRY FORD HAD BUILT, ONE OF MANY, TO POWER HIS MANUFACTURING PLANT AT HIGHLAND PARK.

THE GIANT FLYWHEEL AND THE DYNAMO GENERATED ELECTRICITY AFTER BEING MOVED BY THESE DOUBLE-PISTON ARRANGEMENTS HERE.

NOW, THIS SIDE HAD A DOUBLE-CYLINDER PRODUCER GAS ENGINE-- ILLUMINATING GAS, A VERY SMELLY INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE THAT GENERATED POWER AND WASTE HEAT.

NOW, THAT WASTE HEAT-- HE HAD IT FIXED SO IT WOULD COME OVER HERE TO THIS SIDE, WHICH WAS A STEAM ENGINE, AN EXTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE.

SO THAT WASTE HEAT FROM OVER THERE COMES OVER HERE AND HELPS THIS SIDE WORK.

THIS IS A GIGANTIC HYBRID ENGINE.

NOW YOU SAY, "HOW DOES THIS RELATE BACK TO THE FARM, "TO THE EXPERIENCE OF HENRY FORD, A YOUNG BOY BORN 3 DAYS AFTER THE BATTLE OF GETTYSBURG?"

WELL, THINK ABOUT WHAT YOU HAVE ON A FARM.

YOU HAVE THE CROPS, YOU HAVE THE ANIMALS, AND THE ANIMALS PRODUCE WHAT AFTER THEY EAT THE CROPS?

MANURE.

WHAT DO YOU DO WITH THE MANURE?

THROW IT AWAY?

NO.

YOU RECYCLE IT JUST LIKE HERE, PUT IT BACK ON THE FIELD SO IT HELPS TO GROW BETTER FOOD FOR THE ANIMALS, YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN?

YOU'RE RECYCLING THAT ENERGY.

THAT'S THE KIND OF THINKING THAT FARMERS HAVE, AND YOU SEE THOSE VALUES EMBODIED IN THIS KIND OF TECHNOLOGY.

SO THAT STRUGGLE WAS ALWAYS WITH HENRY FORD.

YOU KNOW, HE HATED HORSES, LOVED HORSEPOWER.

AND, REALLY, THAT'S THE TENSION THAT'S STILL IN THE AMERICAN CULTURE-- BETWEEN THE MACHINE AND THE GARDEN-- AND WE'RE STILL TRYING TO WORK IT OUT, THANK GOODNESS.

SO, JUST AS AMERICA HAS HAD ITS HENRY FORDS, IT'S ALSO HAD ITS HENRY DAVID THOREAUS, AND THESE DIFFERENT DRUMMERS GET THEIR PLACE AT THE MUSEUM AS WELL.

IN A DISPLAY I FIND PRETTY DISTURBING TO ALREADY SEE IN A MUSEUM, YOU CAN MARVEL AT THE MATERIAL CULTURE OF THE DOME-DWELLING BACK-TO-THE-LANDERS OF THE 1970s.

THEY'VE EVEN GOT THE FURNITURE RIGHT, WITH THE SAME KIND OF BOOKCASES I USED TO MAKE.

AND THEY DO HAVE FURNITURE, FROM THE ROCKER WHERE ABRAHAM LINCOLN WAS SITTING WHEN THE ASSASSIN'S BULLET ENDED HIS LIFE TO THIS WONDERFUL BREWSTER CHAIR.

IN 1970, THE MUSEUM BOUGHT THIS BRILLIANT EXAMPLE, THIS RARE BREWSTER CHAIR, THIS RARE ARMCHAIR IN PERFECT CONDITION.

IT WAS SUCH A PRIZE THAT IT WAS FEATURED ON THE COVERS OF MAGAZINES AND IN BOOKS, AND IT WAS GREAT, IT WAS WONDERFUL-- JUST A FEW SPINDLES KNOCKED OUT IN THE FRONT TO MAKE ROOM FOR A FOOT REST, AND IT HAD THIS GREAT STORY ABOUT HOW IT HAD BEEN DISCOVERED IN THE PARLOR OF AN OLD FARMHOUSE IN MAINE.

I MEAN, IT WAS ALMOST TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE, AND MAYBE IT WAS.

IN 1977, WHEN ARMAND LA MONTAGNE SAID, YOU KNOW, HE HAD MADE A BREWSTER CHAIR, FAKED IT UP, AND PUT IT INTO THE ANTIQUE WORLD TO JUST KIND OF TWEAK THE NOSE OF THE EXPERTS.

AND THE EXPERTS SAID, "NO, IT CAN'T BE THIS ONE.

THIS IS RIGHT.

THIS IS REAL.

THIS IS PERFECT."

AH, THAT'S WHAT THEY SAID UNTIL THE X-RAYS CAME BACK, AND THE DIAGNOSIS WAS NOT GOOD-- SEVERE BREWSTER FRAUDULENSIS OF THE JOINTS.

THE X-RAY SHOWED THAT THESE JOINTS HAD BEEN BORED WITH A MODERN SPIRAL AUGER INSTEAD OF WITH THE PROPER SPOON BIT, LEAVING AN ENTIRELY DIFFERENT PROFILE.

SO...WHAT TO DO?

YOU PAID A LOT OF MONEY FOR THIS CHAIR, AND IT'S OBVIOUSLY A FAKE, SO WHAT DO YOU DO, HIDE IT AWAY?

NO.

TO THEIR GREAT CREDIT, IT'S RIGHT HERE ON DISPLAY AND YOU CAN COME SEE IT AS A LESSON TO US ALL THAT ALL THAT IS SPLINTERED IS NOT OLD.

BY FAR THE MOST SIGNIFICANT CHAIR IN THE MUSEUM-- OR PERHAPS "SEAT" IS MORE ACCURATE-- IS THIS ONE RIGHT HERE.

THIS IS THE SAME SEAT WHERE ROSA PARKS SAT IN 1955 AND REFUSED TO GIVE UP FOR A WHITE MAN.

THIS, OF COURSE, LED TO THE MONTGOMERY BUS BOYCOTT AND ONE OF THE MAJOR TURNING POINTS IN THE AMERICAN STRUGGLE FOR EQUAL RIGHTS.

AND YOU CAN SIT IN THIS CHAIR, BUT YOU CANNOT GET UP AND NOT BE CHANGED.

THE ROSA PARKS BUS IS OBVIOUSLY NOT ABOUT TECHNOLOGY, BUT IT'S EXACTLY WHAT HENRY FORD WANTED TO CAPTURE IN HIS MUSEUM-- ARTIFACTS THAT TELL THE STORY OF PEOPLE WHO HAD THE COURAGE TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE.

HOW ONE PERSON CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE, WHETHER THEY WORK FOR THEIR CONSCIENCE LIKE ROSA PARKS, OR WITH AGRICULTURAL CHEMICALS LIKE GEORGE WASHINGTON CARVER.

HENRY FORD WAS A GREAT ADMIRER OF GEORGE WASHINGTON CARVER AND HAD THIS CABIN BUILT AT GREENFIELD VILLAGE TO HONOR HIM.

THE 2 MEN WERE BORN ABOUT THE SAME TIME, CARVER A SLAVE IN MISSOURI, HENRY FORD GROWING UP A FARMBOY.

TOWARDS THE END OF THEIR LIVES IN THE 1940s, IN RESPONSE TO WARTIME SHORTAGES, THE 2 MEN BEGAN WORKING TOGETHER ON A PROJECT TO BUILD A CAR MAINLY OUT OF SOYBEAN PLASTICS, CAR THAT RAN ON ETHANOL.

THAT'S HISTORY AND MAYBE SOMETHING FOR THE FUTURE AS WELL.

"HISTORY IS BUNK," SAID HENRY FORD.

WE ALL KNOW HE SAID THAT.

THERE'S MORE TO WHAT HE SAID: "HISTORY IS BUNK, MORE OR LESS.

"IT'S TRADITION.

YOU DON'T WANT TRADITION.

WE WANT TO LIVE IN THE PRESENT.

AND THE ONLY HISTORY THAT MATTERS IS THE HISTORY WE MAKE TODAY."

THANKS FOR JOINING ME.

THIS HAS BEEN ROY UNDERHILL HERE IN "THE WOODWRIGHT'S SHOP."

WE'LL SEE YOU NEXT TIME.

LEARN MORE ABOUT "THE WOODWRIGHT'S SHOP" AND TRADITIONAL WOODWORKING ON OUR WEB SITE.

YOU CAN FIND US ONLINE AT PBS.ORG.

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ROY UNDERHILL IS THE AUTHOR OF "THE WOODWRIGHT'S SHOP" AND OTHER BOOKS ABOUT TRADITIONAL WOODWORKING, PUBLISHED BY THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA PRESS AND AVAILABLE IN BOOKSTORES AND LIBRARIES.