With the successful introduction of the Model T in 1909, the assembly line in 1913 and an unheard of $5.00 day for laborers, Henry Ford and his family felt that they could no longer live peacefully in their Detroit Mansion. Reporters, salesmen and desperate job seekers showed up on their doorstep interrupting any sort of privacy the family had.
As much as the Fair Lane Estate is known for its history involving the Ford family and the automotive world, the grounds surrounding the estate are equally revered - by creatures large and small. Set over 72 acres of land owned by the University of Michigan-Dearborn - Ford Motor Company donated it in 1957 - the estate grounds house the largest metropolitan natural area in the state of Michigan.
Amongst all the praise, adulation and honors bestowed upon Henry Ford, the great American capitalist that put Detroit on the map (and of course supplied the grounds on which the University of Michigan-Dearborn currently sits), it is interesting to note that there is a dark side to his legacy that is often ignored or forgotten.