Late Summer Historical Fun at Greenfield Village (and a bit of my colonial miniatures collection)

Historic Greenfield Village is my place of solace - my home away from home...the old neighborhood (old being literal here). As a school employee, I am off during the summer and I travel the 20 or so miles to the Village about once a week, sometimes only for a couple hours, other times with friends (and becoming their personal tour guide), or even just to eat a lunch at the Eagle Tavern.
But it is my special place...
So what I have here are a few of my favorite photos taken on some of these quick visits from late August to early September - just before the glorious autumn time of year hits - pictures that I wanted to share with other fans of the Village. Or fans of history.  Or just people who may like my style of photography.
No, you won't find me all dressed in my period finery in any of them. Okay...maybe in one (we'll see if you can spot me). I was just enjoying the moment in time of being there. Believe it or not, there are times I do visit the Village in modern clothes, and I always have my camera with me as well, hoping to get a few pictures that are not only different from the norm, but has that step-into-the-past feel to them.
I hope you like 'em:

What I like most about this picture is that the modern
cement street has more of a take me home country road 
feel to it, in my opinion.
That is the birthplace of Henry Ford in the way back. 

I'm guessing that if you are a regular reader of this blog, you already know that the 1750 home of Samuel and Anna Daggett is my very favorite of the nearly 100 original historic buildings that have been relocated inside the historic village created by Henry Ford, and you shall see a few of my latest Daggett pictures shortly.
But there are some homes inside the Village that you may not have seen in Passion for the Past very often, such as the Cotswold Cottage, originally from  Chedworth, Gloucestershire, England.

The Cotswold Cottage was built in 1620 - the very same year that the Pilgrims left Holland for America (they moved to Holland from England 11 or 12 years earlier).
This is one very old home that is now used to serve tea.

Welcome to my favorite restaurant, the Eagle Tavern.

This stage coach stop was called Parks Tavern when it originally opened around 1831, then became known as the Eagle Tavern in 1849. It changed names again to the Union Tavern during the Civil War.
Henry Ford christened it The Clinton Inn  when he included it as part of his Greenfield Village in 1929.
In 1982 the name was changed from the Clinton Inn back to the Eagle Tavern, for this was in line with Greenfield Village's new goals of making itself more functional and accurate. The meals served are period-accurate to the mid-19th century, and the servers, greeters, hosts, and barkeep all wear period-appropriate clothing.

Looks a little like this painting,  doesn't it?

As you can see, the Eagle Tavern is still a stage coach stop - how very cool.

Inside the Eagle Tavern.
What you see in this picture is a part of the original tavern. When it was brought to Greenfield Village in 1929, Henry Ford enlarged the size greatly as to accommodate sizable crowds, especially the school children who attended school there (during the early years, Greenfield Village was mainly used as a school).
The tavern has a very immersive atmosphere, for even the lighting is non-electric.

Meanwhile, inside the Logan County Court House, which was built in 1840 - - -
From the Greenfield Village blog:
A note sent to Henry Ford in 1938 from Eugene Amberg about the bar pictured below:
"At the time the Court House was made into a dwelling the railing that separated the judges desk from the main court room was torn out by my father (John Amberg) who was doing the remodeling, this he stored in the attic of his home, recently my mother died and while cleaning out the attic we came across these spindles, which are the original 28 spindles that the hand railing rested upon."
Negotiations evidently faltered, as a price was not agreed upon, and the spindles were never sent. Fast forward 71 years to 2009 when an email arrived (to Greenfield Village) from Carol Moore and her brother, Dennis Cunningham, the grandchildren of Eugene Amberg. They had no idea that their grandfather had begun this process, and were amazed when we produced the original correspondence from our archival collection. As it turns out, their story was almost identical to Eugene’s. As Carol wrote their mother, “Patricia Amberg Cunningham died March 1, 2008. While cleaning her house in Delavan, Illinois to prepare for sale, we found 28 old wooden spindles and a newspaper article believed to be from the Lincoln Courier indicating that the spindles are from the original Postville Courthouse in Lincoln, Illinois. It is our desire to donate them to the original Postville Courthouse.”
And here they are. The courthouse is now complete:

It is wonderful to have this original feature, long absent from the courtroom, making a return to the Logan County Court House where Abraham Lincoln once practiced law. Using the original set of wooden spindles, Greenfield Village has re-created their interpretation of what the rail, or the bar, that divided the courtroom may have looked like in the 1840s. By referencing images of other early 19th century courtrooms, and studying architectural features represented in Greenfield Village, a typical design was created.

And don't the spindles look great back where they belong?
So good, in fact, that it seems like apparitions from the past also found their way into the courthouse...

Naw...just a bunch of us Civil War reenactors posing for a photo of what it may have looked like in the mid-1800s.

The Scotch Settlement School from 1861,
Taken on Labor Day Monday - - - the day before Michigan schools officially begin the school year (many schools began a week or two before Labor Day this year).
Henry Ford attended class here in 1871.

Me being 'artsy' with my picture taking,
This is of the Loranger Gristmill from about 1832. 

Another of my favorite houses, the very active Firestone Farm, representing life in Columbiana, Ohio in 1883.

The ladies of the house, as you can see, are always doing some chore or another, including preparing and cooking food using a period-correct (for the house) coal stove, as well as the constant cleaning and other household duties.
The men of Firestone work outside in the fields maintaining the animals, barn, and the crops, which are planted and cared for utilizing 1880s man and horsepower.

And now to my very favorite spot in all the Village - - - no need to introduce to my regular readers the Daggett breakback-style farmhouse, which was built around 1750 and is representing the 1760s.
There is a feeling I get that can't be explained whenever I enter this beautifully restored original representation of an 18th century house. I have been drawn to it from the first time I saw it back in 1983 (only a few years after it was brought to the Village), and, as often as I visit Greenfield Village, I make sure to stop in to greet it and the presenters who keep its past alive.

I like to think that upon looking through the open window I am seeing the same sight that may have been seen by Samuel Daggett himself 250 years ago.

And that's why I enjoy this particular home so much:
as an 18th century living historian, I can visually be transported back to a time shortly before the birth of our nation, for, even though 1st person is not practiced, the sights and sounds of the 1760s do come to life.

To witness the action in this manner, one can almost feel as if they are in the company of Asinath, Tabitha, and Anna Daggett.

Spying out the kitchen window into the kitchen garden...again, the past comes to life...

...and we also we see more 18th century chores taking place, only this time from the inside looking out.

As I mentioned, upon entering the grounds of Daggett, one can easily become immersed in the world of 250 years ago.
Besides the varieties of squash, beans, lettuce, asparagus, and other vegetables used to help sustain the family, Anna Daggett would have also grown plants for medical purposes as well, including wormwood, which was a purgative for stomach issues or worms, tansy was used to stop bleeding and bruising, and chamomile, which was used, same as it is today, to make a calming tea.

Wait---is that Samuel Daggett?

Colonial Williamsburg is such an amazing place
to visit, and I hope to go back soon, but I am thrilled
that we have such a fine representation of colonial
farm life right here in Michigan.
And the presenters at the Daggett homestead are not
unlike those at Firestone Farm (on the other side
of the Village) in that they recreate a time long
past in action as they share their knowledge.

I went back to Greenfield Village the Saturday following Labor Day where the annual (and oldest) Old Car Festival was held.  I'm not sure if there is any other car show quite like it - hundreds upon hundreds of privately-owned cars from before the turn of the 20th century to the very early 1930s are lined up along the streets of the Village.

I'm not sure the make of this horseless carriage, but it is from 1901. It was the oldest car there when we arrived in the later afternoon, for the autos from the 
1890s had already left the Village.

Some car clubs make traveling to Greenfield Village for the Old Car Festival an event in itself:

I can just imagine how cool it must've been for travelers seeing such a sight as dozens of ancient cars rolled along the highways and byways of mid-America.
Greenfield Village or Bust!

Fords, Oldsmobiles, Buicks, and many other names, some companies of which are long gone, not lasting much longer than a year.
For a list of the now defunct auto manufacturers, click HERE

A bust of Henry Ford as a hood ornament.
How cool is that?

Many, if not most, of the owners dressed in clothing that suits the period of their car. And that adds so much to the overall effect and feeling of the Old Car Festival. It almost has a bit of reenactment in the midst.

My friend, Lynn, and her husband also dress the period,
even though they don't have a car of this vintage.
They do, however, have a 1965 Volkswagon Beetle - "Herbie" -
that they take to car shows for more recent autos.

I took a picture of someone taking a picture...

One of the highlights is the gas light tour that takes place on Saturday evening where the headlights of these ancient autos are lit, sometimes kerosene and sometimes electric.
No candle lamps, though - - (lol)

One of my favorite occurrences of the entire time there during the Old Car Fest was watching the evening sun go down. Since being inside Greenfield Village after dark is a rarity for most of us (aside from Holiday Nights at Christmas time), I took advantage of the opportunity and photographed the sunset and twilight time from the back garden of the Daggett House.
Yes, you may see a hint of Moody Blues poetry in some of my commentary here...

I stood there behind the house in the back corner...a-watching the sun disappear from view and the darkness of night beginning its reign.

I took a picture every few minutes as the late-summer evening sky removed the colors from my sight.

Watching light fade as the Daggett Farm House became a silhouette against the veils of deepening blue.

Shadows on the ground, never make a sound,
fading away in the sunset

But something almost magical began to occur: just as the last glimmer of light began to fade, new light began to show.

And this glow against the night time sky grew brighter with each passing minute... 

Until finally....

The last burst of the day's glow gave a show like nothing I've seen.
And I was thrilled that my camera - this old point and shoot from 2009 - could capture a touch of the brilliance of God's glory.

And then, nearly as quickly as it had come, it faded away...
night had now become
day for everyone...

~   ~   ~

As one who loves history, I also, as you probably know, reenact the past.
But this history nerd is also a collector of the ceramic lighted houses, most notably, those put out by Dept. 56. And when I learned they had a replicated breakback/saltbox house and windmill, much like the Daggett House, I scoured the internet and found the pair...cheap, I might add, and purchased them.
I had my very own Daggett Farm House and Ferris Windmill!
Jump up a few years until fairly recently when I inadvertently discovered (through another collectible miniatures fan), 18th century accessories. I mean, these were more than just accessory people walking in their finery; I found out that back in the 1990s Lang & Wise, through the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, put out a collection of houses and, more importantly, period figures, of the 18th century variety.
I was elated beyond compare.
Again, I delved into the search engines of the internet, finding many, if not most, of the collection, again, at very good prices (you need to have patience. If you wait long enough, that $30 piece can be found at $10 or $15).
Selling off many collectibles of a different sort that I rarely, if ever, looked at (or forgot about), I was able to purchase a good many of these Williamsburg figurines.
I'm not as interested in the houses in this Lang & Wise collection - at least, not at this time. They are quite a bit smaller than the Dept. 56 size, and they make the figures that supposedly are to go with them look like they are much too large for the houses.
So, as I am interested in historic farming, I put together a colonial farm scene - - - maybe this could be the Daggett household sitting a-top my computer desk.
Here you go, from your fan in history:

In this first picture we have the Dept. 56 House and Ferris Windmill.
Well, not really. The pieces together were originally called "Home Sweet Home," for they were inspired by the East Hampton, NY historic landmark home of John Howard Payne, composer of the song. 

The ceramic house was originally painted green, but I repainted it a darker gray in order to give it a more "Daggett" look.

It's fall - harvest time - and there is a lot going on in this picture:
from the left we see pumpkins, a corn shock, apples being pressed into cider, and a woman cooking over a fire. Perhaps she is making dinner for the farm family and farm hands.

Candle dipping, spinning wool into yarn, and churning butter, all chores done on a colonial farm.
I've not seen a figurine by Dept. 56 or Lang & Wise of a spinning wheel, but I did find the one you see here in an antique shop. Since my wife spins and since I dip candles, both were must haves for me.

As we move away from the house, we find the harvesting of vegetables from the kitchen garden.
I have never seen accessories like these before - actual farm workers from the colonial period. Ya gotta love it.

The little ones around the farm tend to the chickens, roosters, and the eggs.

Milking the cows: again, other than this, I've not seen a figurine of milking a cow, have you? And they are done very well.

I have a sort of sheep pen, for sheep shearing is to take place.
Some of the sheep are from my manger scene.

And here we are: two women shearing sheep while another watches the flock.

And, since I've actually plowed behind a team of horses, this is a special accessory for me, even though it is oxen and not horses.
Seriously...how many people would get so excited about a plowing accessory?
Well...me, for one!

In fact, this entire collection is pretty exciting to me, especially since I, as a historical presenter, speak about colonial farming at reenactments, schools, libraries, or wherever me and my presentation partner are asked to go.
And this miniature collection really does fit in well with my love and fascination - infatuation? - for not only the colonial period in America's history, but with Greenfield Village's Daggett Farm in particular. I suppose it's a sort of could it have been like this?
Too bad I don't have more room to spread it out a bit more...
Anyhow, I hope you enjoyed this little reprieve from the modern world. I try to surround myself not only with my family, but with the little things that help to get me through life.
Some people have sports. Others travel. I do history.

Thanks for stopping by.
Until next time, see you in time.



To read more about the Daggett House, click HERE
To read about my Dept. 56 Dickens Village collection, click HERE
And I am currently working on an everyday life on a colonial farm posting, but that won't be ready for a few weeks yet.

~   ~   ~