Representatives from the City of Richmond Hill including Christy Sherman, executive director of the Convention and Visitors Bureau and Georgene Brazer and Paige Glazer of the  Downtown Development Authority recently participated in a two-day summit intended to advance the respective and collective missions of the Henry Ford historic sites in Michigan, New York, Georgia and Florida. The group also visited the Benson Ford Research Center where they did research on Richmond Hill. The Ford Organizations Summit was held at Fair Lane, the estate of Henry and Clara Ford in Detroit, Mich., and was organized by Edsel B. Ford, II.
 
“During the summit, we were able to showcase Richmond Hill and to collaborate with representatives from other Ford sites. In the process, we found many common threads. We will continue to work on stitching those threads together to create a collective product through various themes,” Sherman said.

Other attendees included representatives from Berry College, Historic Ford Estates, Ford Piquette Plant, Ford Foundation, Edison & Ford Winter Estates, Henry Ford Heritage Association, Henry Ford Health System, Henry Ford College and the Ford Fund.
 
Henry and Clara Ford  began purchasing land in Richmond Hill, Georgia in 1925 and eventually owned upwards of 85,000 acres. They built a winter home and grew a community until their deaths in 1947 and 1950, respectively. More information about the Fords’ impact in Richmond Hill can be found at the Richmond Hill History Museum located at 11460 Ford Avenue.