Plymouth Township, Michigan

Women working on electronic wiring at Phoenix Mill. 1944

Benson Ford Research Center

American World War II Heritage City

Plymouth Township is the home of the Phoenix Mill Ford Plant, one of Ford Motor Company’s many village industries. Built during the first half of the 20th century, village industries were small rural manufacturing plants owned by Ford Motor Company and developed, in part, to provide farm workers with a stable source of income. Built in 1922, Phoenix Mill employed local people who would maintain their farms while working at the plant. The majority of the Phoenix Mill workforce and staff were women and were paid as much as or more than their male counterparts.

During World War II, Phoenix Mill manufactured electrical harnesses for B-24 Liberator bombers which were being assembled at Ford's nearby Willow Run Bomber Plant. Along with harnesses, Phoenix Mill also produced identification badges and electrical wiring for the M7 gun director, an external firing solution calculator used with anti-aircraft guns.

The Phoenix Mill Ford Plant has undergone preservation and restoration and today is being reused as an event center. The area around the plant now has historical way markers to honor the efforts of Plymouth Township on the home front. The Plymouth Historical Museum also has a collection of archival materials related to the WWII home front and the War's effects on Plymouth.