Casey Durham

Nov. 18. 2015

Dr. Hudson

Essay 2: Where are we going?

The Piquette Plant
The Ford Piquette Plant is a nationally significant location in American
history. The plant helped make Detroit the place it is today, the automotive
capital of the world.1 Fords Piquette Plant was the birth place of the Model T,
the most significant car built in history, along with models B, C, F, K, N, R,
and S, which ultimately made the auto industry soar.1 Due to its association
with the Model T and Henry Ford, the Piquette Plant is also a historical
landmark.2The Piquette Plant was built in 1904 in the Milwaukee Junction in
Detroit.3 It was in a perfect spot due to the fact that it was near railroads,
making it easy for transporting the cars. The plant was the last manual
assembly line before it industrialized to a moving assembly line.1 The
Piquette Plant created jobs for skilled workers in the United States. In todays
times, 1 in 10 people have a job in the auto industry.4 The Piquette Plant
represents a very important time for Detroit because it was one of the main
reasons why Detroit has become an international industrial center. Without
the Piquette Plant, there may not have been such a rise in the auto industry,
1 http://www.henryford150.com/get-involved/ford-piquette-avenue-plant/
2 http://www.nps.gov/nhl/find/statelists/mi/FordPiquette.pdf
3 http://www.fordpiquetteavenueplant.org/?p=21#building
4 http://economix.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/11/17/how-many-jobs-depend-on-the-big-three/?
_r=0

Casey Durham
Nov. 18. 2015
Dr. Hudson

making Detroit the place it is today. However, what has the auto industry
done for us today?
As Detroit is the Motor City, a city that is highly dependent on its auto
industry, it has created numerous jobs for people. The Great Migration alone
showed flocks of people coming to the city for jobs and a better living when
they heard of Fords $5 a day (Martelle 90). Henry Ford wanted to make his
cars affordable, also pay his employees enough so that they could afford to
purchase the cars being produced.5 This in turn, led to a growing economy. It
also gave reason for people to be able to live where they desired since they
no longer had to live near a railroad or stations.4 During the 1900s, when the
automotive industry was rising, the world wasnt always in a great place.
During this time period in the 1900s, there was World War I, The Great
Depression, and World War II. This created a fluctuation of jobs in the
industry because of people leaving for wars. When the economy was
booming, more cars were being produced because there was a greater
demand for them, and in turn there were more jobs and work opportunities.
However, when the economy wasnt doing too great, less cars were being
produced because there was not as great of a demand for them leading to a
shortage of jobs. When the moving assembly line came into place, it reduced
the 12 hours it took to assemble a car to a mere 2 hours and 30 minutes.6
5 http://l3d.cs.colorado.edu/systems/agentsheets/New-Vista/automobile/

6 http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/fords-assembly-line-starts-rolling

Casey Durham
Nov. 18. 2015
Dr. Hudson

But it also reduced the number of workers needed to manufacture a car. The
Model T was the most important car built in U.S. history. The auto industry
grew from there. The Model N marked the beginning of Ford but the Model T
is what really made the industry take off. You can almost credit all of Fords
automotive success now to the Model T. If it werent for the Model T the auto
industry wouldnt be what it is today. Detroit might be a whole different city if
Henry Ford never invented a car. It is almost hard to believe that the massive
auto industry today started in something as small as the Piquette Plant (at
least part of it). It isnt that large of a building, with old wood floors and
wooden poles. There wasnt much lighting except for the windows and a few
lights. When you walked around in the plant, it was very rustic. However, it
also felt a little unsafe because of how creaky the floors were. You could see
Fords office and private areas that were used by Ford and his team to invent
new ideas and designs.7 I didnt feel like I got the full experience in the plant
because in Fords office and some of the spaces there was nothing that was
once there, nor was the plant set up how it used to be when it was still
running. The building was just kind of a museum with models of cars, which
isnt what it looked like so many years ago.
All in all, the Piquette Plant led to many big and great opportunities. It
kick-started the automobile industry, created thousands of jobs, and most of

7 http://nighttraintodetroit.com/2010/04/01/the-ford-piquette-plant-opens-today/

Casey Durham
Nov. 18. 2015
Dr. Hudson

all it helped shape the face of Detroit. Without the invention of the Model T
or any of Fords other ideas and car models, Detroit may not have become
the nations largest automotive industry.

Works Cited
"Ford Piquette Avenue Plant | Henry Ford 150." Henry Ford 150. N.p., n.d.
Web. 18 Nov. 2015.
"Fords Assembly Line Starts Rolling." History.com. A&E Television Networks.
Web. 18 Nov.
2015.
How Many Jobs Depend on the Big Three? Economix How Many Jobs
Depend on the Big Three
Comments. 17 Nov. 2008. Web. 18 Nov. 2015.
Hyde, Dr. Charles K. Ford Piquette Avenue Plant. National Historic
Landmark Nomination
(2007): n. pag. Print.
"Our History." Ford Piquette Avenue Plant. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Nov. 2015.

Casey Durham
Nov. 18. 2015
Dr. Hudson

The Impact of the Automobile on the 20th Century. The impact of the
Automobile on the 20th
Century. Web. 18 Nov. 2015
"The Night Train." The Night Train. Web. 18 Nov. 2015.