Days Out: Henry Ford's Greenfield Village

At the beginning of December, my parents and I visited Henry Ford's Greenfield Village and the Henry Ford Museum, (Days Out: Henry Ford Museum). We did not get to see and do everything that we wanted to do in Greenfield Village because there's so much to do. We had to split our day between this and the museum. Greenfield Village was the highlight for me as I am a big fan of living history and history in general. Old times have always captivated me, and if I had a time machine, I would always go back in time to a world that has now been lost.

Henry Ford bought and moved all of the buildings that make up Greenfield Village because he knew that his assembly-line method of production would change the world, and history was important to him. He bought homes and buildings that meant something to him, such as his school. He bought the homes of others (Thomas Edison, Wright Brothers, Firestone, Heinz, George Washington Carver, etc.) that meant something to him, and all of these were moved together to create Greenfield Village. He also bought machinery and locomotives.

Steam engine

There's so much to interact with at Greenfield Village, and this was their final opening day before closing for the Christmas season, so there were not many people about. Christmas trees were up in some of the houses and buildings, and the air was chilly, so it did feel like Christmas. 

Cider mill and sawmill

We arrived and got some photographs of some farm machinery in one of the buildings, and then we checked out this steam engine below. Instead of heading toward the "town" area, we walked to a farmhouse (the Firestone family of the tire/tyre fame) first. We got some nice photographs of the buildings and fields on the way.

Corn shocks

Actually, this method for drying corn was still used in the 1950s/1960s and my father remembers having to make these when he was younger, and they didn't do such a great job because several had fallen to the ground. The Amish (Travels to Ohio's Amish Country and A Trip to the Amish Country) still farm this way. 

Hens

When we came to the Firestone Farm, we saw a lot of beautiful chickens. They were hanging around the farm and in the bar area.

The employees who work at Greenfield Village actually do use all of the items produced. We went into the farmhouse and had a chat with the farmer's wife, who was preparing the meal. We explored the house and the cellar area.

Corn-sheller in the barn

The barn is one of those beautiful multi-level barns that is built into a bank, and we had a look around at the different machinery. The wooden machine with a handle is a corn-sheller. You put an ear of corn inside the hole, and you turn the crank, and the kernels funnel out.

Firestone Farm

The chickens especially liked the barn above, with the old wagons. The slat area on the left is where ears of corn are dried out.

Sawmill

We had a look inside the pottery shop and saw pottery being created and painted, and we had a look at the sawmill, but it was not operating. We also had a quick stop at the tin shop and were told about the importance of tin, the glass shop, and the printing shop where we printed a paper using the printing press. There's also a water mill and weaving shop. I wanted to create a glass flower, but we did not have enough time.

Woolen mill and glass shop

Sawmill

Our next stop was at the Detroit, Toledo & Milwaukee Roundhouse. A Roundhouse is where trains were worked on. Inside the Roundhouse were several huge locomotives, and these are in working order. A water tower is near the railway line. Not far away is the station, which we explored. In those days, the station contained rooms for the staion master to live in, a waiting room for passengers, and telegraph room. 

Water tower

Nearby is the Herschell-Spillman carousel, and this is in working order and guests can ride on it for a fee. We did not becuase of the lack of time. There is also a pub near here, and this would have also been a nice option for lunch, but we wanted to see more of the village. We did stop into the general store, and we were told about the history of the building and other facts about general stores.

General store

Chapel, schoolhouse, and courthouse were additional stops. We made our way into the actual "town" area of Greenfield Village, and we started to see more people about on horses or driving classic vehicles. Visitors could ride on some of the vehicles for a fee.

Horses in Greenfield Village

We went into a few homes that belonged to famous people, such as George Washington Carver's log cabin, and Ford's childhood home and the Wight Brothers' home. We were in a little bit of a hurry, so we did not get to do much.

Bus in Greenfield Village

We went to the Ford dealership, and we got a ride in a ModelT Ford. This was a "must" for me, as I've always loved the old ModelT Ford. I used to draw these. I think the ModelT that I got to ride in was a 1923 model. My parents rode in a different model. This was a quick blast around some of the streets, and we were taken to an area that we had not seen yet as we didn't have time.

ModelT rides

After our ride, we walked by a post office and stopped in as I wanted to see if I could send postcards. We were in luck! I have an obsession for postcards, and I always like to buy them and write a travel journal onto them of the places that I have been. The post office actually sold vintage-style postcards, and they had Christmas ones. I bought a couple to post, using modern stamps and prices, of course.

Horse-drawn wagon

We had to make our way back to explore the museum. The building in the photograph below was moved from England, or at least the decorative elements were. It was a watch and jewellery shop in London. In Greenfield Village, it is a sweet shop. The clock figures move.

At some point, I need to visit Greenfield Village again and see the bits that we were rushed through and spend more time on some of the other areas. For an interactive map of all of the buildings and a description of the buildings, visit: http://www.thehenryford.org/village/map.aspx

For more information about the Henry Ford Museum, read my entry Days Out: Henry Ford Museum, which we went to visit after Greenfield Village.