Factory #62

I found this in one of my old "National Geographic Magazine's" This is the Unified Assembly Line in Factory #62. This view is facing south. This was in the March 1928 issue of the magazine. The article went on to explain the vehicle manufacturing history in Flint from the time of carriages to 1928.   Buick's silver anniversary

Original Buick Factory In Flint Michigan

Buick also built engines for the farm.

This south-east view over the original Flint Wagon Works factory before it burnt on March 21, 1900 shows the site directly across the street (wood storage above the word Kearsley) where the first Buick factory would be built in late 1903.

This view facing west, with the Chevrolet avenue bridge in the distance, is the same view as below. The small building just south (to the left) of the building #4-C with the row of windows around the top would be the location of the first Buick plant in Flint. This is the east end of factory #4.  You can still see the remnants of the Grand Trunk rail line in the foreground.

This fantasy photo resembles what would have been in late 1903 with Kearsley street running between the two factories. The viewer would be facing west.   Link for original plant in color

This is a 1907 map showing the original location of the first Flint Buick factory #1. This later became factory #2 after the creation of the Big Buick plant on Hamilton avenue.

This is showing the original locations of the first Buick factory in Flint. The view is facing west across the old Chevy in the hole site. This was where I worked in 1973. You can see many more photos of this site in my previous posts.

This map showing the detail north of the Flint river shows Wilcox st. which later became Chevrolet ave. This is from the same 1870 map as shown below.

This closeup photo showing the location of the various buildings comprising the Wagon Works was taken at the Stockton House on Ann Arbor st. in Flint. This is a wonderful 4 foot 1870 map. Said to be the only one known to exist.

The location of the original Buick factory on west Kearsley Street in Flint, Michigan. 

This is the first Buick factory viewed from across the Flint river. The white addition  built in 1907 was removed when the east addition of Chevrolet factory #4 was built in 1917.

This was the original product being built in the Flint factory.

Buick Poem

This poem from back in the early years of Buick was found in a diary at the Salvation Army by Joanne Ladd who is a "Mother Goose Storyteller". She said that she had donated the diary to the Labor Museum. I found this a fascinating look into one working man's early career at Buick . The old timers back in the day called people like Sherwood "DESPOTS". "This person probably became a foreman at Buick". From the poem I deduce that Lorey would have been working in the new engine plant . This new factory for building the Buick engines was called #11 which is still standing as of this writing. Factory #11 started producing engines in December 1909. At that time they started calling the old Buick engine factory on Kearsley st.#2. The original factory was later called "Mason Motors". The Flint wagon works was located directly across the street from the old Buick Motor Company Engine Works. A.C.Mason was originally the manager at the new factory #11 but left in late 1911 to work for Billy Durant at the old Flint Wagon Works (building the "Little" car) which eventually became "Chevrolet". It seems from the dates that he then rehired into factory #11 again. I seen so many people at Buick try to climb the ladder (raise a few) of success by crawling over the bones of other workers that this poem would still hold up even today.

Factory #01 closed body receiving 1924.

July 15,1922 announcement.  

A real nice model at the Sloan Museum in Flint, Michigan. Buick factory #75 had a large rail dock but I think that would mostly be used for receiving stock used in the building of the body's. 

October 15, 1922 Announcement.

Exhibit at the Sloan Museum in Flint, Michigan showing the kind of trucks that hauled the Buick body's back then.

This is inside of the Scripps Booth factory in Detroit which became Buick factory #75 shown below.

Beginning in 1922 and ending in 1925, production of the Buick (closed) body's made there way from this factory #75 in Detroit. They made the 57 mile one way trip over the famed Dixie Highway (originally the "Dixie Trail"). This was an old Scripps-Booth factory. This factory was located at 9416 Ford avenue. After Durant sold his new factory on south Saginaw st in Flint to Fisher Body, this plant was no longer used for that purpose. This view is facing north-west from Ford avenue, called Ford street now. The factory was on the corner of Wyoming st. and Ford ave.  Click here for a look at the Sanborn fire insurance map of factory #75.  

                                                                                             

The Aerial view at far left shows the weather enclosed (closed body) receiving conveyor attached to the third floor of factory #01. The inserted photo was taken from inside this conveyor. The open bodies would travel under Hamilton Avenue. The view at far left showing the old Weston-Mott plant next door is a north east view. The direction of the inserted photo is facing south. 

   

Body Receiving Through The Years.