Arts & Entertainment

Margaret Dunning's Model A Pickup Featured in Plymouth Historical Museum Exhibit

"Made in America" will run through June 9 at the Plymouth Historical Museum.

As the Plymouth Historical Museum's benefactress, 102-year-old Margaret Dunning has never had one of cars featured in an exhibit before now. 

Museum Executive Director Elizabeth Kerstens said she was amazed to discover that. 

Dunning, who built the museum and its addition, owns a classic car collection that includes a prized 1930 Packard 740 roadster that she exhibited at Plymouth's Concours d'Elegance event in 2011 and a 1931 Ford Model A Pickup that is currently the centerpiece of the Plymouth Historical Museum's "Made in America" exhibit. 

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The pickup was made during the last two weeks of production for that model, according to Kerstens. 

"It's been hers (Dunning's) for about 40 years," Kerstens said. "And it's an original - it's not restored. The only thing she's added, I believe, are turn signals to make it street legal. That's the biggest thing in the exhibit that is not ours."

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The museum's "Made in America" exhibit pays homage to American ingenuity and industry on both the local and national scale. 

"The exhibit crew brainstormed the idea - I wasn't part of the conversation, so I don't know where it came from, but I liked the idea," Kerstens said. I"t just seemed to fit with the current climate out in our culture. And most of the exhibit items are from our collection."

Most of the artifacts came from the museum's own collection, but several - like the Model A - were loaned. 

Westland resident Greg Gladki loaned peddle cars that were, of course, made in America.

Michigan company Wolverine loaned two pairs of boots worth about $1,000, Kerstens said.

The Plymouth Historical Museum operates differently than other museums that sometimes take up to two years planning exhibits. It takes the exhibit crew about three to four months planning the exhibit and going through the museum's collection of artifacts. Then it takes about two weeks to set up.

The exhibit is open Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from 1-4 p.m. through June 9. For more information, visit www.plymouthhistory.org.


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