You Can’t go to Town in a Bathtub: The 100th Anniversary of the Ford Model T

April 1 to October 31
J.K. Lilly Automobile Museum

This year is the 100th anniversary of the most significant automobile ever made.  Henry Ford’s darling, the Model T.  Over 15 million were produced and these inexpensive, versatile autos literally put America on wheels.

In production from 1908 to 1927, the Model T continually went down in price due to such advances as the assembly line and modern factories.  Model T’s took the city folk to the suburbs, the farmers to the market, and pervaded culture in songs, movies and even American language.  Have you ever heard of a Tim Lizzie or a Jalopy ?

Moxing archival photos, family snapshots and newsreel movies with the cars themselves, the exhibit will show how people adapted the "Universal Car" even more.  See how Model T’s were modified to fight fires, run the family sawmill, and even become a snowmobile! The importance of the Model T is best stated by a farmer’s wife interviewed in the 1920’s.  When asked why she had a brand new Model T but noindoor plumbing, she responded: "Why, you can’t go to town in a bathtub! "