For Sale, This Vivid Reminder of a Time When Fords Were "Built in Texas by Texans"

I just stumbled across an item of intrigue that's presently for sale on eBay for the whopping buy-it-now price of $499. And it's not just any ol' auction item: This vintage photo, which comes on a 38"-by-58" "ready-to-hang stretched canvas," pulls in via the fine folks at the Ford Motor...

By Robert Wilonsky

December 2, 2011

[
        {
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Inline Content - Mobile Display Size",
          "component": "18855504",
          "insertPoint": "2",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "2"
        },{
          "name": "Editor Picks",
          "component": "17105533",
          "insertPoint": "4",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "1"
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "18349797",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "17105532",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "18349797",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - Leaderboard Tower - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "17105535",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        }
      ]

I just stumbled across an item of intrigue that's presently for sale on eBay for the whopping buy-it-now price of $499. And it's not just any ol' auction item: This vintage photo, which comes on a 38"-by-58" "ready-to-hang stretched canvas," pulls in via the fine folks at the Ford Motor Company, which is making available a seldom-seen look at its assembly line that used to operate on East Grand.

For those unfamiliar with its storied past, in 1925 Ford opened the assembly plant that shuttered in '70 before becoming a sprawling storage facility. Cars that rolled off the line came with a sticker that read, "Built in Texas by Texans," a phrase that made its bow, more or less, at the 1936 Texas Centennial Exposition at Fair Park. Here's a nice look at the plant, and that slogan, in '56. You're welcome, Dad.

KEEP THE OBSERVER FREE... Since we started the Dallas Observer, it has been defined as the free, independent voice of Dallas, and we'd like to keep it that way. Your membership allows us to continue offering readers access to our incisive coverage of local news, food, and culture with no paywalls. You can support us by joining as a member for as little as $1.