Thread by @tedryan64

70 years ago this month, in Feb 1951, the Ford Motor Company Archives was founded and we have been serving the needs of the Company ever since. Henry Edmunds, formerly head archivist of the US War Production Board, was named chief archivist #HowItStartedHowItsGoing #FordArchives

Edmunds first big challenge was to provide raw material for a two-volume history of Ford Motor Company by historians Allan Nevins and Frank Ernest Hill. The Ford Archives moved in 1952 and was formally dedicated at Fair Lane Estate on May 7, 1953. #Fairlane #FordHistory

The Archives was relocated to the Rotunda building in Feb 1957 while some of the holdings were donated to Henry Ford Museum to aid the mission the Museum. When fire destroyed most of the Rotunda in Nov 1962, the archival records survived and were moved to different storage areas

In 2015, the Ford Archives returned to the Ford Engineering Lab, where it originated in 1951. This state-of-the-art space includes climate-controlled stacks, containing three miles of moveable shelving, three separate climate-controlled film coolers and a flexible exhibit space.

We maintain the collections to help the business and activate the holdings in a way that brings value to the Company. We hosted the Bronco team countless times as the designers fleshed out the details of the new Bronco. The historic materials provided inspiration. #FordBronco

To support #FordPerformanc we hosted a media event on the GT40 when Ford v Ferrari aired where we displayed some never seen before original documentation on the creation of the GT40 program and victory at Le Mans. We even had the NASCAR drivers for a visit! #GT40 #LeMans #NASCAR

The archives storage space has even served as a backdrop for video productions. For the launch of the Bronco, we created a display featuring vehicles and artifacts for a video overview. #BroncoHistory media.ford.com/content/fordme…

One of the more unusual experiences we have had was when the mocumentary John Bronco was filmed in the Archives. It was great to meet Director Jake Szymanski and actors Walton Goggins and Tim Baltz and see the Archives integral to the story. #WhereIsJohnBronco #JohnBronco

Our goal for the past 70 years has been to collect and preserve the records of the Ford Motor Company and use these assets to create value, build reputation and link past innovations to today, building trust in our ability to lead in the future. Here is to next 70 years.