supplying power to the village, and the millsite was abandoned. In 1931, the village decided to demolish the building, but Henry Ford, who had contemplated purchasing the site since 1922, bought it instead. In 1935, Ford began refurbishing the mill, and constructed some additional new buildings. The plant opened in 1936 as a copper-alloy foundry, making primarily copper welding tips. The site and employed up to 125 people. The Dundee site closed in 1954, and was purchased by the Wolverine Fabricating and Manufacturing. They used it until 1970, sold the mill to the village of Dundee for $1.00. The site was unused for a decade until 1981, when restoration began. The village renovated the mill into offices, a community center, and a museum, which opened in 1986. The site was designated a state of Michigan historic site in 1979, and was placed on the National Register of Historic Places as part of the Dundee Historic District in 1990. Milan site The Milan site is located at 147 Wabash Street in Milan, Michigan. Ford purchased an existing mill in Milan in 1936. The mill was renovated, including the construction of a new dam and hydroelectric plant. The mill was used to process soybeans, and a small factory located on site was used to manufacture ignition coils. By 1939, the mill had nearly 200 employees and produced all the ignition coils used by the Ford Motor Company. The plant continued to make ignition coils through World War II, but was closed in 1948, with the production line and its employees moved to the nearby Ypsilanti plant. The property was turned over to the village of Milan, who used it for offices, the police department, and a library. Milford site The remaining structure from the Milford site is located near a mill pond at 225 West Liberty in Milford, Michigan. The Upper Mill Pond in Milford was created by an 1845 dam. Early in the 20th century, Detroit Auto Dash built a factory nearby. Ford purchased the Auto Dash factory and nearby property and in 1938 opened a plant, officially known as the "Pettibone Creek Hydroelectric Station," on the Upper Mill Pond. The plant consisted of two hydroelectric powerhouses (the Huron River and Pettibone Creek stations) and a manufacturing facility. The facility was designed by Albert Kahn. The Milford site was used to produce carburetors. The initial capacity of the facility was 2,450