Good day.I e-mailed Mr. Landis at the Dearborn Museum. Here is Mr. Landis's reply: Below his reply is my original e-mail. It seems like Mr. Landis has sent similar replies to other memebers and N-Tractor enthusiasts. It 'sounds to me like' Mr. Landis appreciates the tractor history and plans to do what he can to keep it around. 9N'er "Mr. Moore: Thank you for your e-mail, and for giving me the benefit of the doubt. I appreciate your interest in our collections and agricultural machinery, especially Ford tractors. I'm not sure how the rumor was started and posted on the N tractor board, but we do not have plans to eliminate agricultural machinery from Henry Ford Museum. It is true I have reworked the agriculture display as it had been since 1979, and in total I have overseen the movement or removal of machinery three times over the last seven years. However, as long as I'm here I will do all I can to keep at least three Ford tractors on exhibit. Currently, we have the 1905 Experimental Ford tractor, Fordson Production model #1, and the 1939 9N Prototype. These are important machines that we are committed to maintaining on exhibit in Henry Ford Museum. As a bit of background, I have taken three Ford tractors off the floor, two Fordsons and a 1953 8N. We have never really had an "N" series display, and have never had a 2N in our collections. The 8N is the most recent to leave exhibit, and I hope at some point I can get it back out for public display. However, we have taken to using Ford tractors more in Greenfield Village. We have an 850 and an NAA that we can use as service tractors. So the loss is two Fordsons, a cutaway and a Fordson with a Taco mower. Additionally, we plan to install a machinery exhibit in Greenfield Village next summer. It will consist of a number of pieces that we took off exhibit in 1997. Among the items we hope to place on display in the building is the Fordson with the Taco mower. It happens that the building is the structure where Henry Ford had his researchers experimenting with agricultural crops for industrial purposes. His scientists identified soybeans as the most useful in manufacturing Ford automobiles, and this work led Time magazine to call him, "America's #1 soybean man." I am committed to emphasizing Henry Ford's contributions to American agriculture from tractors to soybeans. Let me know if you have any additional questions. I hope this is helpful for you. I also appreciate your willingness to assist with any future developments. Thank you for your support of our agricultural collections and programs. Sincerely, Leo Landis Leo E. Landis Curator of Agriculture & Rural Life The Henry Ford leol@thehenryford.org 313.982.6085"
"Mr. Landis:
Good day. It's hard to know if the Henry Ford Museum is planning to remove the Ford Tractor section from the museum or not. If, that is the case, may I offer my opinion and wish that the museum would plan to keep and enhance the Ford tractor history exhibit. Although the general public is enamored with automobiles there is a large following both nationally and internationally regarding Ford tractors, Henry Ford's philoiophy of saving the farmer work, his role and influence on American agriculure and productiivity, and his attitude toward tractor production. It is an important part of American history and the Ford legacy. I would be happy to visit with you in more detail to assist the Henry Ford museum to develop a range of alternatives to keep the Ford tractor display pertinent to the mission of the museum, and enable today's society to know and undestand the legacy and important role Ford played in agriculture design, and innovative tools that are miimicked and produced today on modern tractors. It would be a shame to let that episode of Ford history disapear and not be available for the public to understand now and for the future." Tom Moore
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