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Milford
Mill
In
1938, Henry Ford opened the twelfth village industry in the rural
town of Milford on Upper Mill Pond, about 50 miles north of the
Ford Rouge Plant. The official title was the Pettibone Creek Hydroelectric
Station, named for one of the two powerhouses that supplied 4,600
volts each for the factory. Men and women worked on the Milford
production line manufacturing carburetors. |
Carburetor
manufacture at Milford included making most of the 150 parts for
the carburetor from scratch. Raw materials such as pig iron, zinc,
steel and brass were brought in and cast, stamped and carved into
parts to create a carburetor. Original design of the factory allowed
Milford total capacity production of 2,450 carburetors per day.
Renovation in 1945 increased output to 3,200 carburetors per day.
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| Renowned
architect Albert Kahn, who had previously designed the River Rouge
and Highland Park Plants, designed the Ford buildings in Milford.
The factory was air-conditioned and naturally lit by large windows.
Kahn also designed the two powerhouses that supplied 75 percent
of the energy needed to operate the factory.
Production
was transferred to Rawsonville in June 1957 and the Milford plant
closed. The Huron River Station, the larger of the two, was demolished
in 1997. The Pettibone Creek Station, designed in Art Deco style,
still stands today and is currently undergoing restoration.
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Historical marker for the
Milford Village Industry Plant
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Updated
February 17, 2004
contact us Autoheritage@umd.umich.edu
site
maintained by W. Michael
Photo
Credits: Library of Congress,
Prints & Photographs Division, FSA-OWI Collection |
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