R.E. Olds Transportation Museum

About

A stunning collection of classic and antique cars including the very first Oldsmobile built in 1897, antique REOs, Stars and more. www.reoldsmuseum.org

Story

The Museum is a nonprofit, educational organization governed by a Board of Trustees. The Museum has thousands of irreplaceable items in the archives along with over 55 vehicles that range from 1886 through 2004. It is dedicated to Ransom Eli Olds, inventor, entrepreneur, and financier, and one of Lansing’s most notable automotive leaders. He created the principle of the assembly line in the automobile industry and founded two local automobile companies: Olds Motor Works (1897) and REO Motor Car Company (1904).

As the Museum has grown in interpretation of its mission, and to more accurately promote Lansing area’s many contributions in transportation, the word “Transportation” was added to the Museum’s name in 1987.

The Museum exhibits a significant collection of automobiles, engines, and other materials significant to the transportation history of Lansing, the region, the state and the nation. The R.E. Olds Transportation Museum and the Bates and Edmonds Engine Company offices are resources within the Lansing Stewardship Community of Motor-Cities-National Heritage Area, a cultural heritage area and affiliate of the National Parks Service.

Currently, the REOTM and its surrounding land are leased from the City of Lansing.

Mission

The purpose of the R. E. Olds Transportation Museum is to collect, preserve, study and exhibit those objects that will serve to illustrate the part Lansing played in the development of transportation, with special emphasis on the automobile and its effect on the community and its people.