In December 1921, Burton brought together 19 prominent local historians to found the Detroit Historical Society, an organization dedicated to the preservation of the city's history.

[2] On July 24, 1951, the 250th anniversary of Detroit's founding by Antoine Laumet de la Mothe Cadillac, the new museum was dedicated in an elaborate ceremony.

Senator Homer S. Ferguson, the French and British ambassadors and Detroit native and Nobel Peace Prize recipient Ralph Bunche of the United Nations.

From 1949 through 2006, the museum also operated Fort Wayne, a former military installation constructed in 1845 on the banks of the Detroit River approximately 4 mi (6.4 km) southwest of the city's downtown area.

Initially, a literary society bent on studying and discussing Detroit history, its direction changed in 1927 when under the leadership of one of the DHS directors, J.

Bell Moran being called into government service due to the war, George Stark took over the leadership of the DHS and instituted a building campaign in 1942.

The Detroit Historical Society turned its collection and sizable building fund over to the city and assumed the role of being the principal outside financial backer to the museum.

This exhibit traces Detroit's development into the Automobile Capital of the World and includes an operating assembly line with a two-story body drop from the General Motors Cadillac Division Clark Street Plant.

[8] On March 13, 2020, the museum along with other institutions in Michigan announced it would close through April 5 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and restrictions issued by Governor Gretchen Whitmer.

On June 25, several museums in the city announced they would reopen July 10, 2020, after devising a coordinated plan that included requirements and protocols to keep staff and visitors safe.