Press Release
November 17, 2023
Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation Welcomes the 1918 Cadillac Type 57 from the National Historic Vehicle Register
This vehicle will be on display until July 2024
(Dearborn, Mich. – Nov. 17, 2023) — The 1918 Cadillac Type 57, with engine number 57A704, is currently on display in the Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation’s National Historic Vehicle Register exhibit, powered by the Hagerty Drivers Foundation. On display until July 2024, this vehicle has a strong connection to America’s involvement in World War I.
Known by its United States military designation U.S 1257X, the vehicle was the 257th passenger car to be registered and was used a support vehicle for the American Expeditionary Forces (A.E.F.) and Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) efforts.
The vehicle was used to support French and American troops at the front during the Second Battle of the Marne, the key turning point that led to the end of the war on Nov. 11, 1918. This date is known as Armistice Day, which we now celebrate as Veterans Day.
The 1918 Cadillac Type 57 was built in the summer of 1917 and delivered on July 31 to Cadillac distributor Inglis M. Uppercu of the Detroit Motor Car Company in New York City. The vehicle was purchased on August 9, 1917, by Rev. Dr. John H. Denison, a member of a wealthy Massachusetts family and a pastor. Rev. Denison gave the car to the YMCA, along with his services as a driver, to support the United States efforts in World War I. After the war, Denison served with the vehicle throughout France for two years until returning to New York in August 1919.
While in service for the YMCA, Rev. Denison chauffeured Eleanor Butler Roosevelt, the wife of Theodore Roosevelt III, who led women’s involvement in war efforts. Eleanor Butler Roosevelt was essential in the formation of the leave system during the war.
The rotating exhibit is part of a partnership between The Henry Ford and the Hagerty Drivers Foundation to display cars from the National Historic Vehicle Register that tell the story of the automobile in American history. The Cadillac was the fourth vehicle added to the National Historic Vehicle Register and archived in the Library of Congress.
About The Henry Ford
Located in Dearborn, Michigan, The Henry Ford, a globally recognized destination, fosters inspiration and learning from hands-on encounters with artifacts that represent the most comprehensive collection anywhere focusing on innovation, ingenuity and resourcefulness in America. Its unique venues include Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation, Greenfield Village, Ford Rouge Factory Tour, Benson Ford Research Center and Henry Ford Academy, a public charter high school. Together with its online presence at thf.org, its national television series The Henry Ford's Innovation Nation and Invention Convention Worldwide, the growing affiliation of organizations fostering innovation, invention and entrepreneurship in K-12 students, The Henry Ford inspires individuals to unlock their potential and help shape a better future.
About The Hagerty Drivers Foundation’s National Historic Vehicle Register
The National Historic Vehicle Register records the important history of America’s significant automobiles, preserving their information for future generations in perpetuity at the Library of Congress. Following the model of preservation work and legislation that has existed at the federal level for significant buildings, bridges, and airplanes, but never cars, the Historic Vehicle Association (now the Hagerty Drivers Foundation) initiated a collaboration with the U.S. Department of the Interior in 2013 to include automobiles in the Historic American Engineering Record through a National Historic Vehicle Register program. Following criteria set forth by the Heritage Documentation Programs and the Secretary of the Interiors Standards, many more vehicles will be added in the future. For more information, please visit https://driversfoundation.org/.
