Dearborn: A History in Maps
Early Maps
Dearborn has grown and changed a lot since the time of the Detroit Arsenal in the 1830s to now being the seventh most populous city in Michigan. Here we will look at how the city has changed by looking at some historical maps.
The maps below show Dearborn Township in 1860 and in 1915. Notice how much of the township Henry Ford bought by 1915. (You might want to expand the maps to full screen by clicking on the icon in the upper right corner, and then zoom in.)
Use the slider to see Dearborn Township in 1860 on the left 1 compared to Dearborn Township in 1915 on the right 2 .
The maps below show the Village of Dearborn in 1891 compared to the City of Dearborn in 1947. Had I made a different choice, I could have shown Dearborn and Springwells Townships on the left, and the City of Dearborn on the right — to show that the city resulted from a merger of the two townships.
Village of Dearborn in 1891 (left) 1 and the City of Dearborn in 1947 (right) 2 .
Historical Markers
Dearborn has a lot of history. In fact, more than 100 historical markers have been placed in Dearborn. The following set of maps shows the locations of these historical markers and the organizations that have placed them. Note that a couple of these markers have been moved and a couple have been removed entirely. (All photos and locations are from the Historical Marker Database — https://www.hmdb.org/ — and photos are by Joel Seewald, unless otherwise indicated. 5 )
This chart shows how many markers have been placed by the different organizations that have placed them. You can click on a symbol on the map to see the marker's text.
The largest number of Dearborn historical markers, 25, have been placed on Fair Lane, the Henry Ford Estate. Here is an example of the most common type of marker at the estate.
The MotorCities National Heritage Area has placed more than 200 markers throughout southeastern Michigan — and as far west as Hickory Corners. Eighteen of these markers can be found in Dearborn. An example of a MotorCities marker is this Wyoming Avenue marker, placed in northeast Dearborn.
The State of Michigan has placed more than 2,000 markers throughout the state — and even as far away as France. Fifteen examples of these green markers are scattered throughout Dearborn. This Dearborn Hills Golf Course marker, near Telegraph Rd. and Michigan Ave is an example.
Ford Motor Company placed 12 markers at the Ford Rouge Plant on Miller Rd. This Fort Street Bridge marker is an example of these markers.
Photo by Craig Doda.
Greenfield Village has placed 11 historical markers. This Daggett Farmhouse marker is an example.
Photo by Barry Swackhammer.
The Dearborn Historical Commission has placed ten historical markers. Most of these indicate where buildings of the old Dearborn Arsenal were located. The U.S. Arsenal - Sutler's Shop is an example.
The Dearborn Inn has placed five historical markers — all in front of replica historic homes. This image shows the marker in front of the Barbara Fritchie house.
Nine historical markers have been placed by organizations that didn't identify themselves on the marker. These markers do not conform to a single style, so this example of the Piccard flight (at Stout Elementary on Oakwood Blvd.) is not representative of this group.
Finally, there are a few markers that have either been moved or removed entirely. These have been included in the above maps.
Timeline
Here is a timeline of Dearborn's history, as told by the historical markers placed by the State of Michigan under different names: Michigan Bureau of History, Michigan Historical Center, Michigan Historical Commission, and Michigan History Division.
1885
Michigan's first private mental institution.
1833
Commandant's Quarters built at the United States Detroit Arsenal at Dearbornville.
1851
First Catholic Mass for German-speaking families from Rhineland-Westphalia who settled near Warren Avenue and Schaefer Highway.
1863
Henry Ford was born on July 30.
1903
Orville Hubbard, Dearborn mayor from 1903 to 1982, was born.
1915
Fair Lane, Henry and Clara Ford's house, was completed.
1917
Construction began on the Ford Rouge Plant.
1922
The old Dearborn Town Hall was opened on June 26.
1922
Dearborn Hills Golf Club opened. [The golf course's website says that it was built in 1923.]
1924
The Ford Airport was built.
1925
Stout Metal Airplane Company became a division of Ford Motor Company and the Ford Tri-Motor was developed.
1927
Approximate year Charles A. Kandt House was built.
1928
Fordson High School was dedicated on March 22.
1929
The Edison Institute, now The Henry, was founded. [Marker no longer exists.]
1930
The third Saint Alphonsus Parish church building was built.
1931
The Dearborn Inn was built by Henry Ford.
1932
Ford Hunger March took place on March 7.
1937
The Dearborn Inn adds replicas of famous historical houses.
