Another Autumn Past Visit to Greenfield Village

Here we are,  back at Greenfield Village,  experiencing harvest time as well as the end of the daytime visits,  for by December,  the Village will be closed during the day and will only be opened for the special ticketed  "Holiday Nights"  event.  

Away from the metro-Detroit area,  Michigan is mostly a rural state,  and fall color tours,  along with cider mill visits,  are in great abundance and demand.  But,  to me,  nothing emits an Autumn flavor like historic Greenfield Village. 

So I try to take full advantage of my visiting opportunities before it shuts down for the winter.

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Back in late October - just over a month ago - I wrote about my time-travels to Greenfield Village beginning with the last day of August,  then going through September and most of October.  That post had around 100 photos,  the most I've ever included in a blog.

So today's post is like the second of a two-parter:

We'll begin by going way back to September 14,  just 9 days away from the official autumnal equinox,  but fall had seemingly already sprung to life  (an oxymoron?),  which can plainly be seen.

For this visit,  my friend,  Norm,  came along.  And since we both practice living history,  we came dressed for the part.

Mid-September:  Here I am in my 18th century farm clothes,  while Norm shows
his 18th century preacher portrayal. 

What I find interesting is that when people see anyone dressed as we are,  they automatically think we are someone well-known from the past.  Too often,  Norm is referred to as Benjamin Franklin,  or even the Quaker Oats guy.  And if I am wearing my cocked  (tricorn)  hat,  similar to what Norm is wearing,  I will be called George Washington or even a pirate.  And when my hat is off,  folks see my,  um,  wide part  (shall we say)  and automatically think I am Ben Franklin.

And this is from adults!

Better you ask us what we are portraying rather than just call out some well-known Founding Father's name.  Not everyone was a politician or well-known back then.

Of course you know where my first stop was going to be:

Over at the Daggett House,  Roy was working on the well-sweep he spent the summer building,  hoping to have it completed before the Village closed up for the month of October and their Hallowe'en event.

Please click HERE to read the story on the Daggett well-sweep that I wrote about and posted.

I spent my summer Thursdays watching and documenting
Roy completing the project,  which was finally finished at this visit.

And I was honored to be able to help,  even in a small way.
My own little touch on Daggett history.

Yes,  the well-sweep was finally done.
I enjoyed watching as Roy  (and Chuck)  built the contraption,  for they used the old
traditional tools and methods that Samuel Daggett himself would have used.
It was really a very interesting learning experience.

Roy has been working at the Daggett House since he was hired over a decade ago,  and I associate him fully with that historic mid-18th century house,  as well as with Samuel Daggett,  the builder of the home.  And it makes me feel so good that I've had people say the same about me,  though I do not work for the Village.  Yet because of my attachment not only to the house,  but to the 18th century and in wearing  "Daggett fashions,"  I,  too,  have had a strong association and connection to this house.  So to be able to say that I gave a little of myself here,  why,  that's as good as it gets for me.

Meanwhile,  inside the great hall,  the ladies of the house prepare the noon-time
dinner meal,  as Norm looks on.

A basic understanding of the times in which this house depicts will help the visitor envision a bit more clearly the people who originally lived in it and their ways a little better;  to realize that the current integral roles of a family - the very nature of  the modern family - has changed greatly since the time of Samuel & Anna Daggett:  many women now work outside the home and,  thus,  are not in the house all day,  while men,  in some cases,  may or may not be there at all.  And children of today no longer spend their time away from school following in their parent's footsteps to learn their crafts and trades,  but,  instead,  may be on their electronic devices.

But the colonial women who spent their time at the hearth were nothing short of culinary geniuses.  "The housewife's universe spiraled out from hearth and barnyard to tending a kitchen garden and perhaps a large vegetable garden,  as well as assisting with the grain harvest."

And through it all our female ancestors rarely questioned their role as wives and mothers,  for they knew their importance in the family structure.

Mind you,  I said  "rarely,"  not  "never."

And neither did the men question their roles in the family structure as  "bread-winning"  husbands and fathers,  for on top of their own arduous farm work,  they would cut and split the wood,  bank fires,  carry water,  help with seasonal projects,  and fixed what needed to be fixed & made what needed to be made  (such as the well-sweep!).

The household ran like a well-oiled machine - everyone had their part and place,  and one missing link could throw a wrench into the entire operation.

That's why families were so successful in those old colonial days - it was how they survived.

This basic knowledge of colonial life should help the casual visitor more fully understand the working of such a home and family.  And I can simply feel that past while inside this house.

From the Daggett place,  it was off to look at the church.

Since Norm is dressed as an 18th century preacher,  I thought it
fitting to have the Martha-Mary Chapel - which is based on colonial
New England churches - in the background.
By the way,  the bell in the steeple was cast by none other than
Joseph Warren Revere - the son of Paul Revere!

As we sauntered through the Village on this beautiful late summer/early fall day,  we found that hunger was over-taking us,  so it was decided we'd enjoy a fine period meal at the Eagle Tavern.

My favorite place to dine,  the Eagle Tavern.

The Eagle Tavern,  built around 1831,  could easily pass for one built nearly a hundred years earlier.  The architectural style had not changed much at all from one century to the next.

Colonial taverns were run by keepers of a middling class who had a steadier income than a farmer or other laborer might have had,  and food,  drink,  and overnight accommodations were offered for a price.  The tavern owner was a very prominent man in town,  and was thoroughly informed on all public and most private matters.  He enjoyed the confidence of all who gathered around his fireside,  and he usually held some sort of public office,  many times as postmaster,  for in an area without an authorized post office,  taverns were the repositories for incoming and outgoing letters and packages. Being that the tavern was where he lived,  the owner's house was the busiest in town.  He was certainly the best-known man around,  that's for sure,  and he made it a point to get to know all of his patrons.

The food here is excellent - we both enjoyed the beef stew with corn on the cob. 
I will state here and now that it tasted every bit as delicious as my own mother's. 
It was that good!

The straw coming from my cherry effervescent drink is a stick of macaroni,
as was common practice at 19th century taverns,  from what I was told.
But the corn on the cob - - yes! 
A fine harvest meal indeed~

After the tavern it was off to Firestone Farm.

Greenfield Village tends to center itself on farming,  even though it also has a few of the homes and laboratories of America's greatest inventors in its locale  (Edison,  Wright Brothers,  Carver,  etc.).  And it's at these historic farms where I tend to find myself spending the most time.  You may recall that I wrote how back in days of old,   "Harvest"  was equivalent to  "Autumn,"  and the two words,  at one time,  actually meant the same thing.  

They do to me.

The corn truly is as tall as it looks there behind me - pushing ten feet!
And it is mid-September!

The harvest of the field crops at Firestone Farm have actually been underway since late July as the wheat ripened. 

Soon it will be time for the corn in this photo to be turned into shocks. 

From mid-September we're going to jump forward about a month to October - to Sunday,  October 22,  to be exact,  on what I consider to be the epitome of a fall day.  The sun was out,  though clouds showed up for a while as well,  the temps hovered mostly in the 40s,  reaching the low 50s eventually,  the colors on the trees were,  in my opinion,  at their peek.  And my friend Norm and I got together once again and were wearing our 18th century clothing.

On this day,  no houses or any structures were open,  for it was a  "Members Strolling Day,"   and that's pretty much all we could do was to stroll around the Village.

And take pictures.

You know,  some people complain an awful lot when cooler weather strikes.  They now have to wear jackets,  the leaves need to be raked,  winter is right around the corner... And yet,  these same complainers also tend to be very active this time of year:  they head out to cider mills,  go on hay rides,  take part in Hallowe'en activities,  enjoy nature walks,  high school football games...

Me?  I am a Fall person  (in case you hadn't noticed),  and I so look forward to this time of year more than any other season.  I've been this way a lifetime - there's no changing me now.

And,  to me, no other place emits an Autumn flavor in its totality like historic Greenfield Village.

If you look close enough you can see me walking along the fence.  This was taken at
19th century Firestone Farm,  though,  in this photo,  it can easily pass as one
from a hundred years earlier.

The miller would be working long,  hard hours about this time of year as the local farmers would have their horse-drawn carts and wagons lined up to have their grain ground into flour.
Even though this Loranger Gristmill was made in the 1830s,  it,  too,  can pass for one from a hundred years earlier.

Americana history abounds in this picture:
I see the gray toll booth,  and,  there in the distance  (on the right)  is the Sarah Jordan Boarding House  (burnt orange in color).  This was one of the first houses ever lit by electricity.

The wondrous season of autumn in itself has a tendency to make everything look old...wooden...and,  dare I say,  traditional.  Many houses in my neighborhood have fireplaces,  and on these cooler days one can see smoke billowing out of the chimneys. 

"So why do you go to Greenfield Village to enjoy the fall then,  Ken?"  you ask.

I really can't tell you why for certain,  except that I immerse myself into it because it is history and,  thus,  historical.  I do the same whether I am practicing the art of living history,  reading a history book,  or watching a quality period movie or TV series.  Seeing the Daggett Home,  Firestone Farm,  McGuffey Cabin,  or any number of the historic structures relocated here engulfed in the reds,  golds,  orange,  browns,  and even a touch of left over green leaves brings out the best of autumn...of old autumn...and I can almost see what our ancestors did.

So back to an original,  authentic 1700s building we go:

Over at Daggett we can see the firepit poles are completed.
And just look at the magnificent colors of the trees!

And another shot of me with the well-sweep.
With the building locked up and no presenters,  we made our own good time.

I'm checking out the hops here for brewing beer.
Roy & Chuck brew beer this time of year,  so that's what they use the hops for.

Even though nothing was open,  just being able to stroll through this perfect autumn day here at Greenfield Village really made it all worth while.  However,  I must say,  other visitors/members there really appreciated us wearing our period clothing.

In this shot we are still in the good old colony days,  with two structures - the Farris Windmill and the Cotswold Dovecote & Fence - representing the early 1600s.  But we also have the red Plympton House from the early 1700s.  Then there's me, 
representing about 1770.
Yeah,  this Village just about covers it all.

From the early 1700s we have the red Plympton House.
From about 1633 we have the Farris Windmill.
From about 1750 we have the dark gray Daggett House.
~A fall scene from October 22 in the good old colony days!~

And across the street we have the Giddings House,  built in the mid-1700s!

The Eagle Tavern was also closed during daytime visits for the month of October,  .
Oh!  How we wished it was open!
Oh well...we'll make it back there in November!
Sad,  though,  that they close for the month.

Greenfield Village re-opened its gates in early November.  Of course,  I was there the first day of re-opening,  and I was there the second November weekend as well,  and captured a few interesting images:

I had never captured the horse & carriage going through the Ackley Covered Bridge
from this angle.  I am very pleased how it turned out.

Next year perhaps I can repeat this while the leaves are in full color.

There ya go!  Another favorite picture of mine. 

With the later mornings,  the sun was low in the sky,  giving this an almost silhouetted feel.

The autumn leaves framing the Daggett House.

I get a lot of snarky comments about my fondness – some call it an obsession – for the Daggett House.  No,  I’m not obsessed.  This house and the way it is utilized  (most of the time)  just seems to represent everything I love and enjoy about history.  

For instance,  in this photo we have a young lady staring,  perhaps longingly,  out the kitchen window into the kitchen garden.  Framing her are the drying fruits or squash or gourds tied up,  encircling the glass.  She could be thinking of the root vegetables still in the garden that are ready to be pulled for storage in the root cellar.  She could be thinking of her beau who she would see at church this coming Sunday.  Or maybe even spend some time with him or other friends at the frolic afterward.

But she dare not daydream for long,  for there was work to be done:  dinner must be prepared,  for father will be hungry upon coming in from working on the well-sweep.  And mother,  who is working diligently in the next room cutting up their recent harvested vegetables,  will ensure a fine meal will be hot and on the table for him.

That’s how I think when I walk into a place like the Daggett Home,  for I am continuously in a state of historical research,  and,  though the architecture may interest me  (for one example),  my main course of study is the daily lives of people from the past.  I do much of this by reading the journals and diaries of those who have come before,  making it a bit easier to  “get inside the heads”  of people from the past.  Like this young lady.

So next time you visit the home of Samuel and Anna Daggett,  please make sure to watch a bit more closely and see how the presenters work,  almost as a family,  to bring this house and people like the Daggetts to life.

Only a week later I captured Kirsten gazing out the front great hall window.
Perhaps the beauty of the autumn leaves has captured her attention...
(thank you,  Kirsten,  for your poses)~

Welcome to the 17th and the 18th centuries.
All of what you see here are the oldest on Michigan soil:  the two Cotswold structures that flank this picture are the oldest,  originally built in England about 1620.  The windmill was built on Cape Cod in 1633.  And then the Daggett House there was built around 1750 in Connecticut. 
Michigan has only four buildings from the 18th century original to our state 
(click HERE to read about them).

And I snapped another of the horse and carriage as the trotting horses moved past the one-time homes of  famous American poet Robert Frost,  who lived there in the mid-1920s,  and the 1822 home of Noah Webster,  which was where he completed his first dictionary.

Looking out the Eagle Tavern dining room window.
Eating inside the tavern is also a somewhat immersive experience,
even while dazing out the window.

The corn shocks to the left,  from the era before silos,  and the replicated Martinsville Cider Mill on the right,  with the 19th century Firestone Farmhouse near the center. 
It may be November,  but that tree certainly has an October feel to it!
Beautiful!

This is not something we see often at Firestone Farm. 
In fact,  this was my first time even witnessing any of the ladies, 
in this case,  Larissa,  sewing. 
To be honest,  I never really paid attention to the sewing table
underneath the window in the sitting room!
Guess I would not make a good tayler.

The Firestone cold room in the cellar has plenty of pie pumpkins ready for Thanksgiving!
I always enjoy seeing the fresh picked fruits and vegetables down here.

From the Firestone Farm front porch!
How country!  Welcome to 1885~

From the far opposite end,  you can make out the farm house,  the barn, 
the red cider mill,  and the Loranger Gristmill on the far right.

Another long shot from a slightly different angle.

So you would think the two autumn postings of my fall visits to Greenfield Village would complete the picture,  right?  

That would be a great big NOPE!  For there are a few more November visits that I,  and friends,  plan to make.  Like I said,  it will soon be closed up,  so I visit as often as I can.  And I enjoy sharing my pictures here,  too. 

Yes,  I write about - and often interject - Greenfield Village quite a lot in my blog posts.  This historical open-sir museum is such a picturesque place with so much history that I could probably call this blog  "Passion for Greenfield Village"  and write about nothing else.  

We in metro-Detroit are so lucky - blessed - to have such a place within our vicinity.  Just imagine:  400 years of history right here!  So is it any wonder that I love to visit so often?

Until next time,  see you in time.

To read more about the making of the Daggett well-sweep,  please click HERE

To read more about a Colonial autumn,  please click HERE

To read more about a Victorian autumn,  please click HERE

Celebrating a Victorian Thanksgiving,  click HERE

Celebrating a Colonial Thanksgiving,  click HERE

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