Wedding Crashers

Packard Motor Car Company / Packard Proving Grounds

Date Visited:  June 22, 2019

Stop:  #8

We had just spent an enjoyable time at Unwined Winery, and decided to make an unplanned stop at an historical marker.  When we had set out a couple hours ago, it was with the intention of only visiting the winery.  I hadn’t even checked the MiQuest Map I created to see if we would pass any historical markers along the way.  We had only one objective.  However, on our way to Unwined, my wife noticed a marker that we were not expecting and, not surprisingly, that became our second objective for this trip.

The marker in question is located 1.1 miles north of Unwined Winery on the west side of Van Dyke and marks the location of the Packard Proving Grounds.  There are two driveways that lead to the two main gates entering the Proving Grounds, appropriately named the North Proving Grounds Blvd and the South Proving Grounds Blvd.  The marker itself is located between the two driveways about 150 feet from Van Dyke.  On this particular day, the grounds outside the main gates were covered with parked cars as we soon learned that the facilities were hosting a large wedding that day.  Getting to the sign proved more difficult than expected as we had to meander amongst the parked cars to get to it, but we managed to squeeze in close enough to read the sign and take a couple of pictures.

The sign itself is two-sided, with the “front” of the sign dedicated to providing a brief history of the Packard Motor Car Company.  It describes the origin of the company, which was founded in 1899 in Warren, Ohio and was named the Ohio Automobile Company at that time.  The company was bought by investors in 1902 and moved to Detroit and renamed the Packard Motor Car Company.  The sign provides additional information about the company’s legacy through the 1920’s and 1930’s.

The “back” side of the sign focuses on the Proving Grounds itself.  The Grounds date back to 1926, and by 1929, included many buildings, including the Gate Lodge (the main building alongside the main gates), and several laboratories and warehouses, some of which have been restored and serve as banquet halls for special events.  The Grounds also included a highspeed test track and miles of roads simulating the worst conditions of the day.  Chrysler leased the Grounds during World War II in order to test tanks, and in 1961, Ford Motor Company purchased the property after Packard ceased production (in 1958).  In 2000, Ford and the Packard Motor Car Foundation began preserving many of the buildings and features of the Proving Grounds.  Today, it is a popular tourist attraction with several signs placed around the grounds that provide more details about the history of the Proving Grounds over the years.  It is also a popular venue for weddings, corporate events, car shows, and the Shelby Farmers Market.  You can visit the grounds and read the signs, but need to make an appointment if you want to tour the grounds and explore the buildings.  You can learn more about this historic site on their website, https://packardprovinggrounds.org/. 

My wife and I spent some time exploring the grounds, reading the historical signs, taking pictures, and visiting the area that had been set up inside the Main Gates for the wedding ceremony.   We could see the wedding guests enjoying the reception inside the Garage & Engineering Building.  It was tempting to crash the wedding, or at least get closer to the building to get a look inside, but I regathered my sensibilities, finished taking some great pics, and headed back to our car so we could get on to our own party.  It turned out to be a fun, spontaneous visit.

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