Henry Ford's Attachment to Lincoln Memorial University

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Henry Ford's Attachment to Lincoln Memorial University

During a span of more than 20 years Henry Ford had a keen interest in this coal region of Kentucky and Tennessee. The following exerptst from the Benson Ford Research Center (PDF Document) and Cimorelli.com Model T Digital Library will give you an idea of Ford's interest not only in the ore that the mountains rendered but for the people of the area he would mine the ore from:

In addition to the Dearborn, Michigan Fair Lane Estate, Henry and Clara Ford owned properties for personal and business related purposes in numerous states including Georgia, Massachusetts, Florida, Tennessee, Ohio, Kentucky, and West Virginia. Richmond Hill (Georgia) was a winter residence, where the Ford's also focused on improving community life, schools, and medical care, while working toward increased agricultural productivity. The Wayside Inn in Sudbury, Massachusetts, America's oldest inn, was purchased and restored by Henry Ford in 1923, along with 2,487 additional acres acquired to preserve the Inn's natural setting. In Tennessee, Ford purchased land abridging his coal mines specifically to donate to Lincoln Memorial University. In 1923 Ford purchased the northern Michigan lumbering town of Pequaming complete with three churches, schools, a town hall, a hotel, a powerhouse, sawmill, docks, tugs, and eighty-five houses.

Also Henry Ford could be credited with some of the roads brought into the mountains of Appilachia. The following comes from Charles Henry Davis and the National Highways Association Information regarding Henry Ford, Ford Coal, From Mines to Markets - PDF Document.

It was the early 1900's and the American public was looking to the newly developed automobile for transportation. The business was in its infancy, and most makes of cars were too high priced for the general public. Carl was convinced a reasonably priced car that could be bought by everyone was about to appear on the market. Just who was to bring it out was a mystery.

A young man named Henry Ford had similar ideas about such a car . . . . Carl approached Henry with the proposition that he lease his whole Kentenia area to him on a basis that Ford do all the mining himself and pay Davis an agreed price per car load of coal at the minehead plus a royalty on each Ford car that was produced . . . . After lengthy negotiations this contract was achieved. As the years passed, this became the main source of Charles Henry Davis's wealth.

These next few articles are from the Digital Library of Appalachia and tell of Ford's visits and gifts to Lincoln Memorial University during those years.

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