Ypsilanti's rich historical significance is showcased by our outstanding Museums throughout the year. The Ypsilanti Heritage Foundation's annual Historic Home Tour is one of the highlights of the Ypsilanti Heritage Festival. The City of Ypsilanti also pioneered the concept of Historic Districts in Michigan and remains one of the largest in the state.

Originally a trading post established in 1809 by Gabriel Godfroy, a French-Canadian fur trader from Montreal, a permanent settlement was established on the east side of the Huron River in 1823 by Major Thomas Woodruff. It was incorporated into the Territory of Michigan as the village Woodruff's Grove. A separate community, a short distance away on the west side of the river, was established in 1825 under the name "Ypsilanti", after Romanian-born Demetrius Ypsilanti, a hero in the Greek war for independence. Woodruff's Grove changed its name to Ypsilanti in 1829, and the two communities eventually merged.

Ypsilanti has played an important role in the automobile industry. It was in Ypsilanti that Preston Tucker designed and built the prototypes for his Tucker Torpedo car.

In 1945, Henry J. Kaiser and Joseph W. Frazer bought Ypsilanti's Willow Run B-24 Liberator bomber plant and in 1947 began the production of Kaiser and Frazer model cars. The last Kaiser car made in Ypsilanti rolled off the assembly line in 1953, when the company merged with Willys-Overland and moved production to Toledo, Ohio. General Motors purchased the Kaiser-Frazer plant, and converted it into its Hydramatic Division, beginning production in November 1953.

HISTORIC BUILDINGS, MUSEUMS AND TOURS
Event	Friday	Saturday	Sunday
$ Garden Tour www.ypsilantigardenclub.org Sponsored by Ypsilanti Garden Club		Noon--5pm
$ 32nd Annual Historic Home Tour www.yhf.org Ypsilanti Heritage Foundation			Noon--5pm
$ Michigan Firehouse Museum c.1898 110 W. Cross Street www.michiganfirehousemuseum.org	10am-4pm	10am-4pm	Noon-4pm
$ Ypsilanti Automotive Heritage Museum 100 E. Cross Street www.ypsiautoheritage.org	Noon-9pm	10am-9pm	11am-6pm
Ypsilanti Freight House Depot Town www.yhf.org
Restoration Exhibit- Cafe	Noon-8pm	10am-8pm	11am-6pm
Ypsilanti Historical Museum c1860 220 N. Huron St www.ypsilantihistoricalsociety.org	4-6pm	11am-6pm	Noon-4pm
$ Festival Opening Reception Sponsored by Sesi Motors	Thursday, August 20, 7-10pm