For this week's posting I thought I'd show mostly pictures that I took over the last couple of weekends of my
favorite season.
Oh, and there are a few videos to boot, to whet your appetite for my updated historical fall posting.
Anyhow, I don't know about where you live, but here in Michigan, the months of September through early November is cider mill time, where thousands of city folk trek out to the country to experience, in a way, "old-fashion" traditional family fun. Cider mills are packed with people this time of year, and people cram to watch the apple presses squeeze the apples into pulp, all the while collecting the juice to make cider. They buy caramel apples, apple pies, apple cider, apple butter, pumpkins, gourds, and all kinds of fall decorations. They spend exorbitant amounts of hard-earned cash to climb haystacks, get lost in corn maizes, take hay rides, visit haunted houses, pet the animals in the petting zoos, and take pictures posing behind wooden stand ups. It's also this time of year when people love to take scenic country drives to enjoy God's splendor and marvel at how He painted the leaves the beautiful colors we now associate with autumn.
With me being the
historian that I am, what better place to take fall pictures and to enjoy the old-time autumn atmosphere than at the historical
open-air museum of Greenfield Village? Much better than the over-priced cider mills, Greenfield Village has so many
wonderful events for folks who love history, but I believe they present
autumn the best, as you shall see:
Welcome to the world of autumn past.
I didn't know they had pumpkin trees! But here in the 1920s, we came across one as soon as we came out of the time-tunnel.
Now we're in 1915, and I see a home with a splendid garden.
This is the garden as it might have looked at the Edison cottage in 1915.
Though this picture is from southern Michigan, it certainly has a southern United States feel to it. Maybe Tennessee or Georgia.
As we continued on the road to autumn past, we saw some cows out to pasture at the 1880s Firestone Farm.
Walking toward Firestone Farm, I noticed the hay baler sitting in preparation to do its work.
Here's another shot of the hay baler.
And that's just what they're doing here: baling hay!
The horses are getting ready to plow the fields.
Wait---who is this I see plowing?
Yes...that's me looking determined to do it right for my
first time out plowing behind a team of horses. What a thrill it was to
have that opportunity. The Firestone Farm workers told me I didn't do
bad at all, especially considering it was something I've never done
before.
It was hard work, and I only did a couple of rows, but I did it! A highlight of my living history life! I thank the powers-that-be at Greenfield Village for allowing me the opportunity to experience this chore from the 19th century. I also thank Steve Opp (pictured with me) from Firestone Farm for his wonderful guidance and direction to help me do it correctly. I was even welcomed into the "very small group of people who
actually done this" club by one of the farm hands! Yep---this truly was a major
highlight in my living history 'career.'
Here are a few of the trees in the Firestone heirloom apple orchard. The tree on the right is a Belmont from the 19th century.
The heirloom apple tour was very cool, and we not only were able to learn of the many heirloom varieties here in the Firestone orchard, but we were able to taste six or seven of them. Here's one of the tour helpers cutting up the apples for tasting.
And here are the rest of the apple guides. They use no pesticides other than what was used in the 19th century, and yet the apples fair wonderfully every year.
The kitchen garden has been harvested as well. The Firestones had a fine year and should be well-off over the winter months.
The ladies in the Firestone kitchen were very busy cooking a meal - a thresherman's dinner - for all the hardworking farmers harvesting the crops. Boiled dinner, potato salad, squash biscuits, fried green tomatoes, and pumpkin bread.
The candle sticks and holders upon the mantel.
The cellar will soon be filled to over-flowing.
The country road leading you further into the past...
A country store - JR Jones General Store (1880s) - has a fine selection of gourds.
We passed the Scotch Settlement School on our time-travel journey, looking every bit as it did when Henry Ford went here in the 1870s.
While in the 1870s we visited the Ford kitchen...
...where they were boiling grapes to make jelly.
Greenfield set up a few fall displays throughout the Village.
Nothing says autumn like pumpkins!
Now we're in 1860 and visiting the kitchen of the Susquehanna Plantation from Maryland where the ladies of the house are cooking up a seafood meal.
The food from Susquehanna Plantation: fish croquettes, fricasseed oysters, caramel carrots, and corn bread. And please watch the following videos to see more of Susquehanna.
After smelling all of this fine food, we decided to head to 1850 and enjoy a meal at the Eagle Tavern
My wife looked lovely as she sat awaiting the dinner bell to be rung.
Awe heck! We both look pretty good! Like we were made for each other! This was taken directly after I plowed - look at my shoes!
A warming fire was roaring in the dining room fireplace.
Being it was pretty cold outdoors (a damp, windy 48 degrees), standing by the fireplace was the perfect way to warm ourselves.
Taking another leap
back in time, we landed in 1760s Connecticut, at the home of Samuel and Anna
Daggett, where we find the men of the house brewing beer. During the formative
colonial years most of the brewing and drinking was done in the home. Although
the young villages would soon witness the establishment of commercial breweries, it was in the home where most beer was produced.
Yes, it's true. Beer was brewed quite frequently in colonial times. Now, the silly introduction the the all-knowing History Channel's "Founding fathers" series makes a point to state something along the lines that it was a wonder the Founding Fathers could stand up with all the beer they drank. Hey! Guess what? Although there were those who drank to get drunk, most drank because it was healthier than water. Even kids drank beer.
Ale
and beer was a major dietary staple in the colonies. Literally everyone
partook. It was the common item which spanned generations, from cradle to grave
everyone drank beer. Infants were fed beer and it was especially recommended
for nursing mothers. Farmers, laborers, merchants, lawyers, and craftsman all
drank beer. It was a common thread in all their lives and this democratic
beverage would even play a role of mid-wife in the formation of government. It
was not uncommon for drinking to begin even before breakfast and it continued
with every meal throughout the day. See the video below with more beer brewing information.
Inside the 1760 Daggett lean-to farm house, the kitchen
was also bustling with activity, where a fine harvest meal was being
prepared.
Onion pie, sausages, potato cakes, dressed vegetables, and a pupton of apples for dessert.
Dried herbs and spices hang near the kitchen hearth.
More herbs and spices hang at the back window.
The walnuts are also drying in preparation for dyeing wool.
Even the Daggett table has a feel of autumn about it!
Since we were in colonial times we decided to visit one of the fancier city houses, the home of John Giddings.
Mrs. Giddings awaits her guests for a harvest tea.
She had a special fruit tree. Please watch the videos below to hear more about it and of the house itself.
"Oh! My guests shan't be too much longer, I pray."
In the Giddings kitchen, the servant girl prepares to make mussel stew along with saffron and queen cakes for the tea. Again, please watch the videos below to learn more about her life at the Giddings home.
I thought this little fall vignette inside the Giddings kitchen looked nice.
Americana: an Independence Hall replica against an autumn sky. So long til next time, 18th century!
Time to leave before the old lamplighter comes around to light the street lamps.
I hope you enjoyed this fall journey through America's past. As I mentioned at the top of this posting, I am working on a new version of my autumn post from a few years ago, including a lot more videos. It should be posted in two to three weeks or so.
There are those who say that we have too many historical reenactments, that due to the overwhelming amount of opportunities to portray life in the past, less participants will take part.
Then there are those who grab the bull by the horns and say, "Bring 'em on!" and attend nearly every reenactment that takes place.
Can you guess which category I fall into?
Really, about the only events I turn down are what I call "parking lot events" - you know, the kind that takes place on a small patch of green located right next to a parking lot along a busy avenue which is surrounded by stores and businesses (CVS, Walmart, gas stations) and has non-history-loving visitors who could not care less about these crazy people dressed in funny clothes while pretending to live in the past.
Talk about an anachronism!
However, when a new event comes along that takes place inside a historical village, I jump at the chance to attend!
And that's exactly what happened recently.
The good folks from the 17th Michigan began this event at Greenmead open-air museum located in Livonia, Michigan kinda as a trial run in 2013. It went well and they decided to open it up to a couple other units, including the one I belong to - the 21st Michigan - and we are certainly glad they did!
The historic structures at Greenmead were utilized for demonstration purposes, showing some of the occurrences that happened during the American Civil War including a house of mourning and a school house.
I did not take as many pictures of all the houses that have been relocated here as I had hoped to, but I plan to get more sometime in the future.
Nor did I take any military pictures for no other reason than I was usually doing something else when they were marching and drilling.
So, instead, I concentrated on the impressive living historians and their presentations.
Hope you like what you see here.
Let's begin with Mrs. Folcarelli, the local baker. Cooking is her specialty and she goes beyond the typical cooking over an open fire. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but Mrs. Folcarelli has taken it to new levels.
Here she is rolling out dough for her locally famous apple pie!
Mr. Assenmacher (aka "The Eggman") explains his life as a poultry farmer.
Seeing babies at events always lends a note of realism for reenactors and visitors alike, for it helps everyone to understand that history was more than just war and politics but was also about families as well.
Mrs. Root and her daughter also attended Greenmead. Mrs. Root, a living historian extraordinaire (and one who has guided me in my journey to the past more than any other) was the guest speaker at the afternoon tea.
Here
we have my very good friend, Mr. Tennies, whose portrayal of a 19th
century Michigan Senator has brought the almost lost-to-history name of
Jacob Howard to the forefront at local reenactments. He has garnered a
fan base to the point where visitors return to certain events every year
just to see and hear him speak.
Miss Adams makes sure her bonnet is right before she heads off to town. Miss Adams is new to this "hobby" and, unlike many newbies (including yours truly), has started off on the right foot
Now here is an interesting picture: it's almost like seeing a young lady standing next to her great great great grandmother.
Or maybe a before and after picture of a reenactor. But, no and
no...what we have here is a picture of twin sisters standing next to
each other. With a bit of trickery I was able to make them look like
they were from two different periods in time.
But they're sisters, identical sisters all the way. One pair of matching bookends, different as night and day...(apologies to the Patty Duke Show theme song)
My fellow living historian Kristen and I hung out for part of the day. Kristen portrays my daughter during our immersion events, but on this day she was my main focus of photographic attention, as you shall see in most of the following photos, for she willingly poses as I ask her to do:
What you see here is the Newburg School House, constructed in 1861. For the first twenty years of its existence, the children went to school from November through March and then from May until September. This allowed the kids to work on the family farm during the planting and harvesting seasons.
The local school teacher, Miss Mrozek, awaits the children's arrival.
As she rang the bell, the children came from all over, some walking over a mile to get to school.
Into the school house the young scholars go.
"Children, my name is Miss Mrozek and I am your new teacher. You previous teacher, Miss Crabtree, went off and got married over the break."
"Oh! There is always one unruly student! Young man! I shall ask you to get up at once or I will speak to your father and he will surely give you a whipping!"
"Children, I have a surprise for you! I have asked the local photographer to come and take an image of all of us to-day. Let us step outside to have this done."
And here is the tin type of the children and their teacher taken on this first day of school in 1864.
Here are a few video clips of the fun Kristen had while portraying a 19th century school teacher:
So, Kristen and I hung out a bit and toured the grounds. We came upon a house decorated in mourning:
Although it's hard to tell by this photo, there is a mourning wreath upon the front door of this home, which was built by an English immigrant named Thomas Shaw in 1843. A couple rooms were set up with a mourning presentation.
It is inside the front parlor where we find the coffin. The blinds of the windows were raised so modern visitors could see the display.
In the kitchen Kristen found a pie on the counter. Kris, that's for the guests. Put it down!
Was I there...or was I really there?
Here is a sampler from 1833, made by Thomas Shaw's eldest daughter 10 years before the house was even built.
A fall scene from the kitchen window.
The ladies of town held a Temperance Rally.
Unfortunately, Otis, one of the husbands of the ladies here, showed up feeling a little...well...let's just say he was very happy his time in the military was up and he spent time celebrating.
We'll leave you this week with a photo of a young scholar who is very eager to learn in hopes of one day leaving the farm and become a successful businessman in the nearby big city of Detroit.
And there you have it - a new event with lots of potential.
It is my hope that there will be growth in the Greenmead event and I look forward to playing more of a part next year.
