Edsel Ford Barn New Rear Doors Revealed - 300 lbs Each!

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Weighing approximately 300 pounds each, the new rear doors for the Edsel Ford Barn in Highland State Recreation Area

The Friends of Highland Recreation Area volunteers are proud to reveal a first look at the giant newly-rebuilt rear doors for the Edsel Ford Barn. The doors as shown in the photos were completed to this level of construction at a recent FOHRA weekend volunteer work bee. Friends group volunteers support the Michigan Department of Natural Resources with park events, historic restoration projects such as this, and park amenities, among other things.

The historic Barn, which is located in the Haven Hill section of Highland State Recreation Area in Highland/White Lake, Michigan, was once a major structure in a collection of buildings that comprised Edsel and Eleanor Ford’s former Haven Hill estate. Prior to a severe storm in June of 2008 the Barn extended the entire length of the visible concrete pad from north to south. High winds destroyed the long southerly expanse of the Barn, and what now remains is the functional front-end. Therefore the existing rear doors as they now stand were actually inside the Barn, and are now exposed to the elements as exterior doors. These new doors will replace the old doors now visible to Park visitors.

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Above: 2 GIANT new rear doors for the Edsel Ford Barn

Progress continues on the restoration of this beloved and historic structure. The installation of new doors is targeted to occur prior to the July 27 Haven Hill Festival.

Browse the FOHRA website and Facebook entries, make donations, and come to the Park and volunteer. Look for a list of upcoming events at Highland State Recreation Area at www.fohravolunteers.org.

Headquartered in Highland Township, Michigan, the Friends of Highland Recreation Area is a nonprofit 501c3 organization comprised of Michigan residents, private businesses, local user groups, and various resource organizations, working to combine the existing activities and amenities of Highland State Recreation Area, with the unique historical and cultural background of Edsel and Eleanor Ford's former Haven Hill estate.

Read the article on our website at

www.fohravolunteers.org/blog

Pick It Up - Litter at Haven Hill

Jack and Jay Fitzgerald talk trash and pickup litter at Highland State Recreation Area. Friends of Highland Recreation Area volunteer members Jay and Jack talk about their spring litter cleanup hike film, and picking up litter in the Haven Hill section of Highland State Recreation Area.

Edsel Ford Barn: Hot Sun in the Summer Time

The Edsel Ford Barn clean-up work is nearing completion as FOHRA members use the mornings' cooler temperatures to sweat out a few hours of hard labor. The photo below shows the amazingly clean and visible concrete pad that was once under as much as 10 feet of debris after the barn collapsed in 2008.

Multiple large dumpsters of non salvageable wood and debris have been filled and removed from the work site over the past several months. The Edsel Ford Barns' rear 2/3 section collapsed in a June 2008 storm. Much of 2009 was spent readying the site for the clean-up effort.

Seen below, Dustin Proctor works hard today hand moving wood from one of the final piles of barn debris.

Much of the work has been done by hand in order to sort the debris. Heavy machinery has been used to move mostly large sections of the barn. During today's work just three Friends of Highland Recreation Area volunteers filled nearly one half of a 30-yard dumpster.

Above: FOHRA volunteer Jenna Coyle gives a "thumbs up" after emptying another of the many cans of debris moved today.

As a reminder, the conceptual drawing of the Barn's future is shown below. A rebuild of the front end of the barn (still standing today) and the addition of a new "pavilion" roof over the concrete pad to the south.

For more information and to help with this great project go to www.fohra.org.