A Colonial/Early Republic Tour of Greenfield Village: A Thanksgiving Weekend Tradition

This is mostly about spending time in and around the houses from America's colonial period  (mid-18th century mainly)  and the early Republic of our Nation  (post Revolutionary War through the early 19th century)  that are a part of the collection that makes up the grand 300 years of America's history inside historic Greenfield Village.  It's always a fine time for those of us who don our period clothing and take the trek to Dearborn,  Michigan in a sort of anti-Black Friday time-travel excursion.  What I have here is a picture diary with text for accent.

Hope you like it.

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I wrote quite a bit about traditions in last week's post.  I also hinted at what was to come for this week's post.  Yep---another tradition:

I always visit Greenfield Village over Thanksgiving weekend,  and have been doing so for over a decade now,  and on this particular weekend I always go dressed in my period clothing.  Most times a few like-minded friends will join me.

This year was no different.

Five of us teamed up and ventured out on this beautifully sunny almost spring-like day,  with temperatures eventually reaching the mid-50s,  all the while donning our Revolutionary War-era clothing,  and strolled leisurely amongst the historic buildings - the most unique collection of Americana anywhere - taking in all of the wonderful history being offered.

Here's how it went:

Three members of Citizens of the American Colonies about
to enter the gates of Greenfield Village,  and two more on their way.
Notice what's behind us?

We usually hurry to the far end of the Village,  where the structures of  "our"  time are situated.  Our first stop this time,  however,  was actually the Post Office.  Even though it was built in Connecticut about 1825,  the Phoenixville Post Office still has that 18th century architectural style,  so it was a good backdrop for us.

*sigh*
Unfortunately,  the door was locked and we could not get in.
Well,  perhaps next time.
Notice the wreath on the door...so,  would I have put such a decoration
upon my door had I been living in the 18th century?

Wreaths were used centuries ago during the Pagan Yule festival and were meant to symbolize nature and the promise of spring.  They held candles that were lit in hopes of the return of the warmth and the sunlight.   In the 16th century,  the use of wreaths were adopted by Christians and became a custom in the form of Advent wreaths.  A wreath that's hanging on one's door at Christmas may symbolize the invitation of  Jesus into their home,  or,  in more modern times,  it may be inviting the spirit of  Christmas into the home along with good luck.

As living historians,  part of our job is getting people to feel like they’re in the 18th century,  so when folks see us around the Christmas decorations,  they can easily think this type of  holiday  (or holyday)  décor was commonplace in the 18th century.  However,  very little documentation exists of  common colonists who did any kind of  Christmas decorating to any great extent inside or outside their homes.  Not that they didn't have their Christmas parties and celebrations,  for they most certainly did,  especially the more well-to-do;  songs of the period can attest to that:

This is a time of joyfulness and merry time of year 

When as the rich with plenty stored do make the poor good cheer

Plum porridge,  roast beef,  minced pies stand smoking on the board

With other brave varieties our master doth afford.

~A Christmas tune from the mid-17th century~

But decorating for Christmas was somewhat in its infancy  (click HERE for well-researched colonial Christmas information)~

Aside from the distance of time and the changes that occurred,  Christmas celebrations haven't changed too dramatically.  Even from my own youth the actual celebration of the Holiday was roughly a couple weeks long...and sometimes longer.  In the 18th century,  the actual Christmas celebrations may have taken place on December 24th and/or 25th.  Also there were parties on December 6 as well as on January 5th (12th Night)  and/or 6th  (Epiphany).  Also,  New Year's was a more celebratory holiday in those days of our founding generation.  These parties encompassed eating,  drinking,  singing,  dancing,  and general revelry.  Here in the 21st century we still encompass all of it - from Thanksgiving through New Years and,  in many cases,  through 12th Night,  just as in days of old,  we gather with friends and family to celebrate! 

Most times today with decorations of some sort.

So that's why there's a wreath on the door of a two hundred year old building with 250 year old people around it,  Charlie Brown.

But I do wonder if I would have...
Here you have a committee of five.
Okay---too closely related to the writing of the Declaration of Independence/
How about an assemblage  of five then?

Once again,  the far end of the Village,  where the colonial houses sit,  was our main destination,  and it seems that each of us put the Daggett House at or near the top of our list of favorites.

Come on,  everyone!  Let's head over to the colonial part of the Village!

In this photo I captured to homes built right around the same time - (the mid-1700s  Giddings & Daggett) - flanking a home from England built around 1620  (Cotswold)!

This is the final weekend for Greenfield Village to be open during its regular season.  After Thanksgiving weekend,  the Village closes down except for the ticketed Holiday Nights event.  For 18 nights,  Greenfield Village celebrates 300 years of Christmas past like nowhere else can or does.

And even though I will be attending that extraordinary event,  I am still sad I won't be able to visit my favorite place of history,  and especially my favorite house,  the Daggett Farm House,  until next April.

My favorite view - - 
What is it about the Daggett House that I love so much?

Probably because it is a house of the everyman/everywoman - the type of house I may have lived in had I been born back in this time.  Believe me,  if I were younger and had the money,  this is what I would be replicating.

Ahhh...wouldn't it be nice...

I am often asked why I wear period clothing when I go to Greenfield Village.  This---what you see in this picture is why.  Because the buildings,  such as the Daggett House,  engulfs me...immerses me into its time.  It's hard to explain,  but that feeling of  emersion has always been with me when it comes to history.  I don't just read or see history---I feel it.  And that's exactly what is occurring to me at this moment at this house.

Someone's knockin'  at the door...and Anna Daggett opened it up to greet me!
Okay,  so it was actually Ruth,  but on this day she could've been Anna...lol...

What I like about this photo is that it captures a moment in time -
a moment looking as natural today as 250 years ago.

This is an excellent fireplace,  with heat emanating
as if it were a forced-air furnace.

This architectural style of home is an American tradition, 
and has been since the 1600s going through the early 1800s.

When we see other visitors heading to the house - any house we may be in - we make it a point to leave,  for we do not want to confuse the guests.  

So,  as it were,  a few modern visitors stepped into the Daggett great hall
and we slipped out the back kitchen doorway...

...and made our way to the kitchen garden.

Spring planting does not seem that long ago,  and summer weeding
was only yesterday,  right?  Time doth fly.

Beets,  cabbages,  even broccoli are good,  popular late fall harvest vegetables. 

As far as the man who built and lived in this house in the 18th century,  here is a bit of  what he wrote in his ledger book:

November 22,  1764:  

Joseph Griswold had two hundred and 49 pounds of beef

and thirty five pounds of tallor  (tallow?)

more to a tap and facet and four quartz of cyder

more to one booshil  of ingain corn

more to going and draw a tooth

more to two booshils of indun corn cash price

more to half a booshil of seed corn  cash price

more to one peck of seed corn  cash price

more to half a booshil of common seed corn

more to five gallon of vinegar

more to half a days work of oxen to draw wood

more to one third part of a cord of bark

November 25,  1749:  

Thomas Lymon,  debter,  for work about his house

more to worl

more to mending his cart

(a worl is a flywheel or pulley,  as for a spindle)

As you can see,  Samuel Daggett knew how to not only keep busy,  but how to make money doing so.

An  'artsy'  shot from Ken:
reflections of the way life used to be...

The Daggett house was built by Samuel Daggett in Coventry  (now Andover),  Connecticut around the year 1750,  right about the time he married his wife,  Anna Bushnell.

In this picture it seems as if we are not quite ready for a group shot,  but I actually like this one more than the actual posed picture below.

Deep in thought...perhaps it's time to head to our next location.

After spending time at the Daggett House,  we moved over to Cotswold Cottage,  originally built in England,  so  'twas not a part of  America's colonial or early Republic period.  But it certainly was around at that time,  for it was built in 1620 – the same year the infamous Pilgrims left for America  (perfect for Thanksgiving,  right?)!  The Cotswold Cottage structures were reconstructed in America's Greenfield Village and ready for visitors by early 1931.

In a letter dated February 4, 1929 from Ford secretary Frank Campsall,  it is stated that Ford was looking for  “an old style  (English home)  that has not had too many changes made to it that could be restored to its true type.”  Herbert Morton,  Ford’s English agent,  was assigned the task of locating and purchasing a modest building  “possessing as many pretty local features as might be found.”

Morton was driving through the tiny village of Lower Chedworth when he saw it.  Constructed of native limestone,  the cottage had  “a nice doorway,  mullions to the windows,  and age mellowed drip-stones.”  Morton knew he had found the house he had been looking for,  which also included the barn and stable.

And so, right here in Dearborn,  Michigan,  we have a little bit of 17th century England.

One can just imagine on a brisk autumn day in, say, 1770, the ladies of the region gather to talk about, perhaps, their up-coming winter chores such as preparing wool for spinning, for the Cotswolds were known for their longwool sheep breed. 

Cotswold sheep were raised for cross-breeding purposes, for their thick fleece, and sometimes even for the mild flavor of their meat. At one point, many years ago, Greenfield Village had imported these sheep, also known as the Cotswold Lion, and kept them within the stone fences of the barn and stable.

At one time Greenfield Village had English sheep grazing inside the enclosed area, 
but that was many years ago.  Still,  it is something that I feel should be
considered once again.

Methinks Jackie & Lynn have something other than sheep on their minds, 
such as looking for extra work to be done around the house...

I,  however,  have thoughts of spring planting on my mind. 
Yes,  'tis only November but one can never begin to plan too early.

Since Cotswold is considered to be one of the most picturesque structures inside Greenfield Village,  the ladies decided to pose at the door.

Which is your favorite?

~Amy~

~Lynn~

~Jenny~

~Jackie~

From Cotswold Cottage we crossed the road to the Plympton House.

This home was built in the early 1700s,  around 1707 or so,  but the fireplace
has a brick that shows it was built in 1640.
So,  which is it?
Well,  both,  to be honest!
The original Plympton home was  built around 1640.  However,  this first house was burnt down to the ground in the early 1700s.   I have not found a date of  when the newer structure was completed,  though we can safely assume it was probably soon after the first house burned.  And,  obviously,  this second structure was built around the brick hearth and chimney.
And this is the house that is now sitting inside the walls of Greenfield Village.
Oh,  there is so much more history to this house!  Just click HERE to learn about it.

On the inside the Plympton Home is plexiglassed off,  for there are no presenters inside  (and there hasn't been since,  I believe,  they brought the Daggett House into the Village.  Visitors can only walk into the front door and move along the wall while they listen to actors on a recording bring the Plympton family to life by way of imagination as the voices speak in a pseudo Old English dialect.

Taken just inside the door.
This is the majority of the Plympton Home;  here is there living area and kitchen all rolled into one.  To the upper left of the fireplace you can see a bit of the ladder going up to the second floor sleeping area.  This is through the plexiglass - you can see hints of reflections here and there,  but it is mostly clear.

This picture was taken from the opposite side of the home  (through the window), 
one can easily see the plexiglassed section...and a better view of the ladder.

Unfortunately,  the plexiglass shows the strong reflection of the light coming through the window,  the reflection of those standing in front of it,  and the separation of each large pane from floor to ceiling,  so attempts to get a good clear photo of a living historian inside without the museum-y look and feel are nil.  However,  this time an idea popped into my head:  by way of experimenting with the light and reflection,  we found a way to snap a few images without having to overwork the photoshop too much.  What we did was pose ourselves standing in locations that covered the,  ahem,  blemishes  to give it a more natural look. 

Not a reflection in sight.
And it does look like we are in a building without any barrier at all.

Here am I,  inside the Plympton House.

It is my understanding that,  because the Daggett Farm and,  to a lesser extent,  the Giddings House are being used as representations of colonial living by way of costumed presenters,  the plexi-glass and push-button recording will remain in the Plympton Home.

Giddings also has plexiglass.  However,  it is removed during Holiday Nights and visitors can walk through the  "everyday parlor"  and go into the kitchen.  Daggett is the main colonial that is as close to a free range as any house inside the Village.  

By the way,  this little red Plympton House,  originally from Sudbury,  Massachusetts,  has direct connections to the Revolutionary War - to the very beginnings of it,  in fact:  the Battle of Lexington & Concord,  as well as to Paul Revere.  To learn of this and much more about this house,  click THIS link.  I believe you'll find it truly is a special part of American history!

When I am photographed in or around this house,  I like to think I am sort of representing Thomas Plympton,  the 6th great grandfather of Kimberly Elder  (a facebook  friend of mine who is also a Plympton descendant) - she has done extensive research on her family.  She lives in Massachusetts and has never ventured this way to see the Plympton House.  Perhaps one day she will.  Until then,  I am very happy to take photos of  her ancestral home while at the Village.

Our colonial tour still wasn't over yet - we have two more structures yet to visit.

Next up,  the mid-18th century home of John Giddings from Exeter,  New Hampshire.

John Giddings was one of the most active and trusted supporters of the patriotic cause in the local Legislature,  and in 1775 was nominated for the important appointment of delegate to the Continental Congress,  but modestly withdrew his name.

The grey Giddings Home was built right around the same time as the Daggett House - about 1750.
The white building a further off there was once the home of  Noah Webster
and his family.  Have you ever heard of the Webster Dictionary?
Yeah...that's the guy.

I say this often but I really despise the fact that Giddings is presenter-less and plexiglassed off for most of the house.  It has been this way for years,  aside from Holiday Nights.  There was a time when they had a period dressed presenter inside and Giddings & Daggett used to teach the differences between urban and rural living,  including fashions.

The two photos here were taken a
number of years ago...

...when there were still
presenters in the house.

I've always thought how cool it would be to have a stairway like this with the balcony and all in my own home.  Just so I could take family pictures in this manner!

Before we came below stairs,  the ladies peeped out the upper window, 
so I got this grand picture idea:

It didn't turn out quite as I had hoped,  but,  well,  you can see my idea.
Next time we'll try again.

Before we moved on we took another group shot -
this time on the Giddings porch.

As we journeyed along on our  "all things colonial at Greenfield Village"  tour,  we made sure our next stop would be the 1789 McGuffey Cabin.

Okay,  so 1789 was not colonial - it was early Republic - but it was still roughly the same era.

Cabins have almost a different feel for me,  and possibly Jackie as well,  since she and I,  along with our other cabin cohorts,  Larissa and Charlotte,  spend quite a bit of time in one at Waterloo,  practicing our living history skills.  But all are different to some extent,  and this one is actually from the 18th century.

This McGuffey Cabin was built on the Appalachian frontier of Western Pennsylvania,  within a closely-knit Scottish-Irish family and community.

The men and women who built and lived in cabins out on the frontier lived in primitive conditions until land could be cleared and a small,  one-room cabin built.  The climate could be very harsh,  and settlers also dealt with annoying insects and dangerous animals. 

It's always interesting to step inside a historic building,  no matter
how often one may have done so,  for it has American spirit  within its walls, 
and it seemed to welcome us...

This 1789 log cabin was the birthplace of  William Holmes McGuffey,  who would,  beginning in 1836,  publish the most popular school text books of the 19th century,  The McGuffey Eclectic Reader.

It is roped off,  and we,  of course,  respect that.  
I stepped outside and took a window shot to capture this image.

It was a mite chilly out so I gather wood to build a fire.
Okay---not really!  I don't think the Village would appreciate that!
But they are getting low on logs.

When I was a young lad growing up in the early 1970s,  my father often asked me to go out back and get some logs for the fire.  We had two fireplaces in the house I grew up in and from September through April it was a rare day that we did not have a fire going in at least one of them,  so gathering wood for me brings me back to those day.  Kinda funny,  in a way,  when you think about it.

Now this completes our actual tour of the colonial/early Republic structures of Greenfield Village.

There is another building I,  unfortunately,  forgot to stop at,  which is now the Pottery Shop,  originally was built in 1787 on the Fairfield Plantation at the Waccamaw River near Georgetown,  South Carolina.

Here is a photograph of the building:

And if I would have remembered the age of this building,  originally built in 1787,  
you can bet we would have had our pictures taken in front of it.
Dagnabbit!
Next time!

And then there are,  what I will call,  the sort of pseudo-18th century buildings:  structures that were built in the 19th century  (or,  in one case,  later),  but can easily pass for structures of an earlier time.

Perhaps we'll head off to church:

This built in 1929 replicated non-denominational chapel's design was based on a Universalist church in Bradford,  Massachusetts.  

The bricks and the doors came from the building in which Henry Ford and Clara Bryant were married in 1888 - the Bryant family home in old Greenfield Township  (from which the Village name was taken),  and the bell,  according to the 1933 guide book,  was cast by the son of Paul Revere. 

The name  "Martha-Mary"  came from the first names of his mother and mother-in-law.

Sticking by his original New England village plan,  Ford made sure that the steeple of the church was the highest point in Greenfield Village.  This was as it was in most towns across America in those early days.

Not only does it look colonial,  but definitely New England as well.  Ford hit the nail square on the head here.

The Weaving Shop,  built in 1840 and originally from Bryan County,  Georgia,  has a fascinating history,  for it once housed cotton gins used for separating the seeds from the cotton.  At that time,  most of the first floor was open,  allowing access for horses to the drive mechanism for the gin. 

Built in the mid-19th century,  the colonial feel in the style of this building, 
including the color,  is strong.

Today,  it houses old weaving machines that date from the colonial period through the 19th century,  and the process of weaving cloth is demonstrated by skilled presenters who actually will weave on a colonial hand loom,  the fly-shuttle loom,  and on the loom that gave the world the first steps towards computers:  the jacquard loom,  a 19th century weaving machine that could be  "programmed"  in much the same way as today’s computer.

Although seeing a cotton gin here the way it looked in 1840 would be pretty cool,  I do enjoy watching and learning of the textile arts as presented.

In the following two photos I had my picture taken in front of  an 18th century loom.  These were taken a few years back.  My 5th great grandfather was a weaver in the 1760s,  and with me reenacting his era I figured I can not only honor my ancestor,  but now have something to help accent my living history experiences and presentations as well. 

That's me standing near the fly shuttle loom 

inside the Weaving Shop.

I wonder how close I look to my Quaker ancestors?

No,  I do not portray a Quaker;  the hat,  which has a Quaker-ish look,  

is my wide-brimmed farm hat.

Now yer talkin'!
This was taken when a loom was situated for demonstration purposes inside
the great hall of the Daggett House shortly before and during Holiday Nights.

The runner,  or towel,  you see on my fireplace mantle was made on a replicated 18th century loom...or possibly the real deal.  Well,  here is what the tag stated:
"This hand towel was created by artisans working in our Liberty Craftworks Weaving Shop in Greenfield Village.  It was made with a historical timber-frame loom similar to those used in Colonial America.  Our weavers use this loom to create towels and rugs for the historic homes of Greenfield Village...We are pleased to now offer these same towels to the public in limited quantities."
No matter whether it was made on an actual antiquated loom or a replicated one, 
for either way it's still a way to honor my colonial ancestors.
And history.
And I love the fact that I actually own two,  for this one remains on my mantle
while I bring the other along on our frontier cabin treks.

Oftentimes during the autumn months,  I write about the fall harvest,  and each time I mention the task of taking the grain to the gristmill.

However,  I recently realized there are those who may not know much about this process nor of its importance.  What was once a common occurrence is now rare,  and I think of gristmills much in the same way I think of  the local bakery or the bread store in our present time:  a necessary part of life.

Now,  just what is a gristmill?

It is a fairly large building in which grain would be ground into flour used for baking bread and cakes and the like. 

This is a gristmill - the Loranger Gristmill built in Monroe,  Michigan in the early 1830s.  From the 18th century through the better part of the 19th century,  the
all-important gristmill could be found throughout America.  If you look at  these mills from the 1700s,  you will find there will be little difference from the one here at Greenfield Village. 

Now we'll jump up to the 1880s and visit the Firestone Farm.

There is no mistaking the era of this house and the people who work there;  Rococo and even hints of Eastlake furniture are all around the house.  Originally built in Columbiana,  Ohio in 1828,  it was in 1882 when Mrs.  Firestone and her husband did a major renovation of not only the house itself,  but updated the furniture as well.  So we definitely were time-travelers in this house.  In fact,  it's a rarity that I visit Firestone Farm while dressed colonial because I just don't feel right - I feel out of time,  so to speak  (if you can believe that)  - and I also don't want to have visitors who may not know better think tricorns,  knee breeches,  and buckle shoes was a style during the Firestone era being represented.  But on this day there were a couple of presenters I wanted to see - and I heard about a salt-curing of ham & meat demonstration that I was interested in seeing.

So...guess what I did - - 

I had to say hi to my presenter friends Libby,  Cindy,  and Morgan.

Curing the ham with salt in the cellar.

The cellar cold room was getting filled with the winter stock of food.
I see vegetables,  a variety of items in crocks,  fruits,  and meats hanging
from the rafters.  I believe that's a watermelon bottom right.

And after the moment in time we spent at Firestone Farm it was time for us to take our leave to journey home,  for it was mid-afternoon and we were tired.  We did a lot of walking,  visiting,  eating lunch at A Taste of History  (the Eagle Tavern was,  unfortunately,  closed),  and more walking and visiting;  it was such a good time,  as it almost always is.  And it was a smart move to visit on Saturday,  for the intended day was going to be Sunday,  but the weather report wasn't very promising;  it turned out to be true for Sunday we had nothing but rain fall from morning to night.  So Saturday worked out perfect!  (my wish was to have all the rain that fell on Sunday turn to snow lol).

Being in my period colonial clothing with friends to visit such a historic place...well,  it really is difficult to explain...you see,  to me it's like having the spirits within the walls of the historic houses immersing me - not in a ghostly eerie evil way...just in an...immersive  way;  one can almost feel  the past. 

I often hear the term  "if these walls could talk"...and yet,  they do - - - the connection is there.  And researching the past beyond the schoolbooks,  common history books,  and the horrible Facebook memes that some people actually believe as fact,  will connect you to the past in ways you'd never thought you'd experience.

"Opening a diary for the first time is like walking into a room full of strangers,"  so writes author Laurel Thatcher Ulrich.  And,  yes,  I do read the journals and diaries from those who lived 250 years ago - these remembrances of long ago bring the past to life like little else can.  I mean,  you are reading of someone's life as it happened!  As a historian,  that gives me chills like little else.

That's kind of what it's like for me to visit Greenfield Village  (or the frontier cabin)  the way I do.  For that time I'm no longer in the here and now,  but in a moment in time.

And my blog postings are my diary of my time-travel adventures.

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Well,  now,  we have another Thanksgiving / Black Friday Weekend at Greenfield Village in the books. 

And so is the 2022 daytime season.  The month of December will host 18 Holiday Nights at the Village,  which just may be the most nights held so far.

Until next time,  see you in time.

Thanks so much to all the photographers who contributed.  Between the pictures I snapped and those of the following,  we have a pretty good collection of  images:

Amy Pompeit

Chris Robey

Jennifer Long
Lynn Anderson

Here are a few more of my visits to the past,  as well as about the past,  including a few of the homes inside Greenfield Village:

To learn more about gristmills,  please click HERE

To learn more about the Daggett House,  please click HERE

To learn more about the Plympton House,  please click HERE

To learn more about the Giddings House,  please click HERE

To see where the Greenfield Village homes originally stood,  please click HERE

To read about our 2020 autumn excursion at the cabin,  click HERE

To read about our 2021 wintertime excursion at the cabin,  click HERE

To read about our 2021 springtime excursion at the cabin,  click HERE

To read about our 2021 summertime excursion at the cabin,  click HERE

To read about our 2021 harvesting of the flax at the cabin,  please click HERE

To read about our 2021 autumn excursion making candles at the cabin,  click HERE

To read about our 2022 winter excursion at the cabin,  please click HERE

To read about our 2022 spring excursion at the cabin,  please click HERE

To read about our 2022 summer excursion at the cabin,  please click HERE

To read about our 2022 autumn Pioneer Day at the cabin,  please click HERE

To learn about historic farm tools,  please click HERE

To learn about a year on a colonial farm - living by the seasons - click HERE

To learn about colonial textiles  (looms,  spinning wheels,  etc),  click HERE

To learn how colonials lived with candle light,  click HERE

Adding everyday life to colonial living,  click HERE

How my ancestors fit in time:  Putting Our Ancestors in their Place and Time

To purchase a wonderful DVD about colonial daily life,  including farming,  click HERE

How I am slowly turning a portion of my house into a colonial home,  click HERE

Secrets of the trade - behind the scenes for living historians:  click HERE

 ~   ~   ~