A few week ago, a considerate gentlemen sent me a number of letters written by a young woman that was traveling from Ohio to California by way of a Model-T Ford in 1928. I would really like to share that story here on these pages as it really is incredible, but I seem to have lost the sender’s contact information. If you are out there, send me an email!
I’ve been trying to verify the owner of this hotel. There is some consideration towards Henry Ford being one of the original investors, but I haven’t been able to find anything that substantiates that. In any case, I wanted to post it as I thought is was hilarious… and figured you guys would too. The slab was located inside a restroom at the Grand Union Hotel originally, but is now located at the Downtown Athletic Club in NYC. The text reads:
“The Meanest Man
in the United States
occasionally visits this Toilet Room.
He always carries away as a souvenir, either a coat
hook, doorlock, or paper holder and often several of each.
He would take the marble slabs if they were not made fast.
We guarantee this man a warm reception
if we get hold of him.
Ford & Co.
Grand Union Hotel.”
Nebraska farmer, Elmer J. Sweet, treks to Southern California by Model T to visit his sister and ‘wonderful pal’ Jane and family, accompanied by L.E. Cruise.
The pictures are nothing short of incredible.
In September of 1931, the New York Times asked Henry Ford what he thought life would be like in 2011. His answer was forgotten and mostly lost until recently when a South Carolina Law Firm stumbled upon the script. Henry’s answer was not specific so much as it was emotional and I thought you guys might get a kick out of it.
Last year, an employee at the Henry Ford Museum was doing some cataloging and stumbled across something very interesting. Essentially, she found a number of coded telegrams that were either to or from Ernest Liebold – Henry’s personal and general assistant. The series of telegrams is incomplete and some have yet to be decoded, but it’s still incredibly fascinating. If you’ve got a few minutes, check it out.
