Historic Ford Estates

After talking with several interpretive planners, Carol Bossert was chosen by Historic Ford Estates to create and lead a series of custom workshops for research and interpretive staff. The goal of these workshops was to lay the ground work for developing a comprehensive interpretive plan. Historic Ford Estates represents a recent merger of two historic properties, the Edsel and Eleanor Ford House located in Grosse Point Shores and Fairlane, the home of Henry and Clara Ford located in Dearborn. The interpretive planning workshops provided one of the first opportunities for staff from these two sites to come together to discuss how they will collaborate to create new programs. The merger of these two great historic properties is a unique opportunity to provide an unprecedented look into the Fords as individuals, their family relationships and their lasting impact on society. The workshops identified a number of persistent myths about the Fords and strategies for getting beyond the caricatures to engage new audiences. The final report captured the variety of ideas and thoughts about potential stories, a decision-making framework for prioritizing research efforts and strategies for expanding interpretation beyond the traditional historic house tour.

The workshops identified a number of persistent myths about the Fords and strategies for getting beyond the caricatures to engage new audiences. The final report captured the variety of ideas and thoughts about potential stories, a decision-making framework for prioritizing research efforts and strategies for expanding interpretation beyond the traditional historic house tour.

Project completed:  June 2015