I am requesting $2,000 in CRLT funding to support travel related to a publication/ presentation project that will require primary resource research In London. The project in question relates directly to my teaching in the Museum Studies Program and classroom discussions of the unique nature of original works of creation, the quintessential nature of experiencing those objects in person, and issues relating to originality and authenticity.In the 1920s and 30s, auto magnate Henry Ford assembled a collection of historic American buildings into an outdoor museum called Greenfield Village in Dearborn, MI. Ford's architect, Edward Cutler, had responsibility for the dismantling of structures from around the country and their reconstruction on site in Dearborn. While Ford and Cutler were building on precedent in their creation of an outdoor museum, they were pioneers in the large scale removal of historic structures from one location and their reconstruction elsewhere—the sheer scope of the undertaking remains unique even today. At the end of his career, Cutler participated in a series of oral histories (early 1960s) in which he discussed the circumstances surrounding these building projects. While the techniques used would cause present day preservationists to blanch, Cutler and Ford secured for posterity a number of important structures and raised overall awareness of America's neglected architectural heritage. A thorough review of the Cutler transcripts provides tremendous insight into early notions of originality, authenticity, and the role of objects in recreating history.Two buildings from the United Kingdom traveled the furthest to Dearborn and are among the least documented of the structures. The Sir John Bennett Jewelry Store was brought from Cheapside St. in London, due in large part to Ford's fascination with watches and clocks (three other buildings relating to clocks and watch making exist in the Village). It is of interest here because it was the single structure that was transformed the most in the process of its "preservation" (four storys from the center of the building were thrown away, no on-site architectural drawings were made to guide its restoration, and only a single photograph of the façade existed to guide Cutler in his work). I propose to travel to London to use local libraries and archives to flesh out the history of this structure, document contemporaneous accounts of the Bennett shop's removal from London and relocation to Dearborn, reconstruct the process used by Cutler to complete the project, and, most significantly, consider this work in light of current literature on the notions of authenticity and originality. A resulting publication (and subsequent presentation) would be a chapter in a proposed new book on the Ford/Cutler partnership and their contributions.Funding for this project would enhance my professional development by creating publishing and presentation opportunities and would benefit my teaching in museum studies by affording me the chance to engage through research with several of the major concepts addressed in our curricula.