Exploring Old Settlers and Henry Ford’s Legacy
Old Settlers plaque
Aired on August 3, 2013
As the world celebrates the 150th birthday of Henry Ford, World Footprints takes you to the place where automobile history was made and beyond. Today we’ll explore the treasure trove of history and culture in Michigan — a State that both Ian and Tonya call home. We’ll start our tour of the Great Lakes State in Mecosta County in Mid-Michigan where you’ll meet descendants of the “Old Settlers”—a group of twelve African-American families, including Tonya’s family, who migrated by underground railroad and wagon train from Canada and Southern and Eastern states to settle in Western Michigan.
Then we’ll travel to the Southeast suburbs of Dearborn and Grosse Point where you’ll experience the Henry Ford and Greenfield Village as we share an audio history of American ingenuity. Finally, you’ll take a step back into history and experience what it was like to live the life of an auto baron as we visit the regal Grosse Pointe home of Henry Ford’s only child, Edsel Ford.
We dedicate this broadcast to our dear father, Lonnie D. “Boogie” Johnson–a man whose wonderful legacy will live on forever.
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