Henry Ford Museum

Went to the Henry Ford Museum today.  I was lucky in that the hotel zhas drivers that you pay to take you to places as it is a long way from downtown detroit and I don't know that I would have felt safe just hailing a taxi on the street.  Clearly a day at this museum is not sufficient.   I particularly wanted to see the Kennedy limousine -the one he was assasinated in - Aand it was amazing looking at an object that was so associated with history.  The gentleman who took the museum tour I went on actually worked on this car after the assasination when they were securing it - he said there was a secret service man at all times with the limousine and any work he did on the car was double checked by the security service man.  Apparently this car was used by three subsequent Presidents.  At one time Jackie Kennedy was offered a ride in it to something she was attending and she simply refused to get in it - understandably.  There were three other presidential limousines there right back to when it was a horse drawn carriage.   The museum also has the rocking chair that Lincoln was sitting when assasinated.  The bus where  Rosa Parkes refused to vacate her seat is also in the museum -I actually sat in her seat - which was a strange feeling.  Her action led to a ban by negroes on using the buses and as they were 75% of the people who used the service this was so important to the civil rights movement being successful.  You  can also see documents signex by Thomas Jefferson, John Adams and George Washington.  It is truly amazing seeing these original signatures.  There is also the letter written by Benjamin Franklin at the time of the War of Independence.

It is quite a sad day in Detroit - apparently there are a lot of forclosurex taking place today for non payment of State taxes -so my driver said there would be a lot more homeless people today in Detroit.  He also said there were a lot of people living without water which had been cut off due to non payment of their bills.  It appears quite dire here for a lot of people.