STOP 2: 146 DIXIE HIGHWAY
Edward Ford Club
Our next bit of Rossford history is right outside your car window.
You’re still at 146 Dixie Highway, where today you’ll see the sign for Industrial Power Systems Headquarters.
But more than a century ago, this building was known as the Edward Ford Club.
Back in the early 1900s, the idea of work-life balance wasn’t exactly common.
Edward Ford had a different vision.
He created this club as a place where factory employees could relax, socialize, and enjoy time together after work.
Downstairs, employees could bowl or play basketball.
Upstairs, there was a ballroom for dancing and dining.
And Ford even started a concert band.
But Ford’s vision for Rossford went far beyond this building.
As workers arrived from other countries and communities across the United States, he understood that a successful town needed more than jobs.
It needed homes. Schools. Churches. Businesses.
And a sense of belonging.
Ford built 100 affordable homes for his workers, giving families a chance to put down roots in Rossford.
He also supported—and sometimes fully funded—the town’s first churches, schools and banks.
And when families were struggling, Ford sometimes helped quietly and anonymously, paying medical bills, grocery bills and other expenses.
For Edward Ford, building a successful company also meant building a community.
