Opening Day 2025 at Greenfield Village

It is cause for celebration for us who love history when Opening Day rolls around in mid-April  (this year,  April 11)  due to the fact that Greenfield Village is shut down for nearly four months. Yeah,  let the media clamor over the Detroit Tigers baseball and their opening day;  million dollar sports stars ain't got nothing on our country's history!

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Here is the  "official"  Members
Opening Day print from the
print shop!

Closed since the last evening of the wonderful Holiday Nights program on December 28th,  2024,  Greenfield Village finally reopened its gates for members only  (and their guests)  on Friday,  April 11,  and it was like a  "Welcome Home"  celebration for so many of us.  

December 28 until April 11 / 12 is quite a long wait.

Why two dates?

Well,  because there are actually two opening day's for Greenfield Village.  The first one – April 11 - is for Members Only - for the folks who pay a higher one-time only annual fee for the privilege of visiting as often as they'd like throughout the open season,  including visiting the Henry Ford Museum. 

The second opening day – April 12 - is the following day,  and this is when Greenfield Village opens up to everyone, whether they purchases an entrance ticket or have a membership pass.

I usually go to both, though this year I was unable to make it on April 12.

But Opening Day at Greenfield Village – either day – is cause for celebration!  And what a celebration it was!  It’s a time to renew old friendships.  It’s a time to walk amongst 400 years of history and to see structures that were originally built in the early 1600s all the way through the 20th century.  It’s a time to take a ride on a steam locomotive,  a Model T,  and a horse & carriage.  It is a time to eye the beauty of the flowers of the past as planted and cared for by the Village Herb Associates,  a  “strong group of volunteers,”  that cultivate the gardens,  including the Dr.  Howard's Garden and the Burbank Garden.  It’s also a time to witness the  trained historic presenters tending the gardens  (kitchen gardens usually)  at the historic homes,  such as at Daggett,  Firestone,  and Ford Home.

It's a time to Get Back to where we once belonged. 

Bruce Focht printed my Opening Day print.

God was with us - - the weather was absolutely perfect!  Highs in the low 50s with a good sun (with a few clouds)  all day - not the rain we usually have.  

Those of us who are Members of The Henry Ford,  which includes Greenfield Village,  pay an annual rate and can then visit as often as we want for the year,  except when the Village closes from  late December through mid-April  (sniff).  Given the fact that the Village in 2024 was also closed quite a bit more than usual during daytime hours and activities,  this year's Opening Day is even more anticipated.  I'm also anticipating a better fall harvest program for 2025 - where the Village  (hopefully)  remains open in October and has fall harvest weekends once again.  At least I hope so.

For 2024,  I visited nearly every Thursday,  usually with my friend,  Norm,  and I'm kinda thinking it'll be the same for 2025.

Now,  one might think we'd be bored visiting so often,  but we are not...not at all.  

And for a variety of reasons:

~seeing our presenter friends.  And they are our friends...neighbors,  and a few even feel like family,  in a way.

~ many,  many seasonal photo opportunities.  That goes without question.

~ it is also a place to walk and clear one's head...to get away from modern topics,  even for a short while  (kind of like the way the Bloom County comic strip is seen here---with my own modification):

There is little worse than  "stepping into history"  only to hear modern topics being discussed.  Everyone  needs a break.  I know I  certainly do.

~but mostly,  for me,  just to be in the midst of  all that history - - - - - - I can't fully explain,  but with 300 acres of land hosting nearly 100 historic structures dating from the early 1600s through the 20th century,  it just feeds my passion for the past until my cup runneth over.

And it's here where we can see - witness - the seasonal changes and activities,  and the daily life of the past that accompanies the seasonal changes. 

History!

For instance:

spring - plowing,  harrowing,  planting,  and cleaning

summer - haying,  4th of July celebrations,  summer harvest,  car shows,  and period baseball

autumn - fall harvest and food preservation,  wool spinning & dyeing,  beer brewing,  and winter preparations

There is also Motor Muster,  Old Car Festival,  4th of July,  Hallowe'en,  Christmas,  and other events throughout the year.

The only season the average visitor is not able to enjoy in Greenfield Village is winter  (and if you click the link HERE,  you'll see snowy photos taken inside the Village obtained when the snows came before it closed for the season).  We used to be able to have winter visits many years ago,  but they now shut down for the first three and a half months of the year,  and so those of us who love  "seasonal history"  either have to travel a ways to experience wintertime past or just read about old time winter activities. 

So it was on this Friday,  April 11th,  here in 2025 - a members-only Opening Day - where so many of us enjoyed God's blessings of a Michigan spring day,  a little cool with the sun shining down...perfect enough for our excursion. 

Of course I had my ever-present camera with me and took plenty of photographs of  this exciting time.

AND...I also dressed for it - - - - as my friend Vicki wrote:
"When visiting a historical venue or living history event,  it is a much more meaningful experience when you dress in the period of the place you're visiting.  There is something magical in wearing period clothing.  It puts you right back in that time period."

I approve of Vicki's message.

I hope you enjoy what I have here:

Emily Marchetti captured me,  Karen,  and Norm near the Ackley Covered Bridge.
The three of us spent the day together.

We came across goose eggs by the bridge,

My first  "capture"  of the day!
I see Daggett House,  Farris Windmill,  Plympton House,  and Susquehanna Plantation House.

First actual stop?
Why...Daggett House!

Come friends...let's enter - - - 

Someone was diggin'  my queue!

Lyle prepared dinner as Norm looked on.

Elda was back!

Oh!
To be able to build a replication of this house!

Karen enjoyed the daffodils.
 Daffodils,  from Spain and Portugal,  are flower that  "mean spring."

The Plympton House - another favorite.

Karen inside Plympton House.

Loretta Tester captured us in a sort of time warp - - 
just what is  that carriage without a horse pulling it??

DJ and friend.

Off to the Eagle Tavern...

I do not know our hostess's name,  but she was wearing the fashions of 1850.

Gail Merrifield snapped this pic of me inside the tavern.

I had the Stewed Pork with Sweet Potatoes,  Cream,  and Bacon  (plus carrots)
Karen had Chicken Croquet with Sauce
Norm had Potatoe Soup

The newest presenter at JR Jones General Store - - (I didn't get her name)

Mr.  Jones hired a new girl - - - - lol
Another time warp:  1770s meets 1880s.
"Ooh!  That's the fabric I'm looking for!"

This oil lamp inside the General Store caught my eye.
I don't believe I've seen it there before.
I like it.

There I am in front of a building built in 1787!

This Fairfield Rice Mill  (now the pottery shop)  was once situated on the Fairfield Plantation at the Waccamaw River near Georgetown,  South Carolina,  this building housed the threshers,  grindstones,  shafts,  and pulleys needed for the miller to do his job of threshing the grains of rice. 

Well,  there ya go!
My first Greenfield Village visit for 2025.

Plenty more to come...

Until next time,  see you in time.

A Listing of Links to the Historic Structures at Greenfield Village: Walls DO Talk

Here are most of my postings about the homes and structures and even more thoughtful posts on Greenfield Village and history.

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Books On Everyday Household Items From America's Colonial and Early Republic Period

The books highlighted in this post are something special in that they can help the historian and living historian learn more about daily home life through artifacts - many of which can still be purchased or reproduced at fair prices.

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Two of my six bookshelves - 
all filled with history books~

Books have played - and continue to play - a major part of my life.  I'm not sure how many I have,  but I've no doubt they number more than a thousand.  And,  aside from a very few,  they're all history books of some sort or another:  American history  (which make up the largest subject in my collection by far),  world history,   and even music history.

Now,  I've written plenty of postings about the various books in my home library,  but I am centering this week's post on a few books in particular that specifically look at  "things"...mostly the common objects that folks of the 18th century may have had in their homes or outbuildings.  Items they would have been familiar with.  I use the books I list in today's post as guides when purchasing certain things for my living history excursions - sometimes authentic antiques while others being close replications -  and these books have not failed to help me in my purchases to recreate a period home.  I also have a couple of friends I contact sometimes in which to double check or hear an opinion---just to make sure.  They're also great itentification guides for when visiting museums.

In fact,  these are museum books---books oftentimes used by museums to date or define items in their own collections:

~Early American Antique Country Furnishings~

"Right here we find a reliable encyclopedia covering those cherished furnishings found throughout homes from colonial times up through the 1800's.  A multitude of furniture,  fixtures,  appliances,  and knick-knacks hundreds of years old are found throughout this volume."

~Early American Antique Country Furnishings~
There is a wide-range of colonial home items in this book.
So what's at  your  hearth?

Flat-bottomed Spider that I purchased from a local blacksmith.

~Early American Antique Country Furnishings~
Nice,  simple,  descriptions that also include approximate years.

Windsor Chair
I found this at an amazing price...like around $40...on Marketplace

~Colonial Living~

"Colonial Living is EdwinTunis's vigorous re-creation of 17th and 18th century America of the everyday living of those sturdy men and women who carved a way of life out of the wilderness.  In lively text and accurate drawings we see the dugouts and wigwams of New England's first settlers and the houses they learned to build against the cruel winters;  the snug Dutch and Flemish farmhouses of Nieuw Amsterdam;  the homes of the early planters in the South which would one day be kitchens for the houses they dreamed of building when tobacco had made them rich."

The one mistake I caught in this book is the bit on covered bridges.    It is to my understanding that erecting covered bridges in America didn't occur until early in the 19th century.  The first known covered bridge constructed in the United States was the Permanent Bridge,  completed in 1805 to span the Schuylkill River in Philadelphia.  I didn't know this until recently.

Centuries do overlap,  so,  I suppose this book can and does do the same.

Don't you just love continuing research?

~Colonial Living~
"Long research and a love for his subject gave  (author)  Tunis an intimate knowledge of the details of daily living in colonial times,  from the period of tiny coastal settlements to the flourishing,  interdependent colonies which fought a major war for independence." 

Sugar cutters and a tinderbox
The sugar cutters are original 18th or 19th century,  while the 
tinder box was made by tinsmiths at Greenfield Village.

~Colonial Living~

"Tunis shares all with his readers the building of houses,  with their trunnels,  girts,  and hand-hewn beams,  the spinning of yarn and its weaving and dyeing,  the making of candles and soap,  and the intricate business of cooking on the open hearth with lug poles,  cranes,  bake kettles,  and spits.  He describes the early crops,  and pictures the implements and animals used to produce them;  in detailed pictures we see again the tools and products of the craftsmen,  the blacksmith,  the cooper,  the miller,  the joiner,  and the silversmith."

A friend pointed out this sketch in Tunis's book of a ladder back chair and a hog scraper candle stick...so I decided to replicate it ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

And even more Edwin Tunis books:

~Frontier Living~
"Frontier Living brings to light every significant aspect of daily life on the American frontier,  with vivid text and more than 200 wonderful drawings.  Immerse yourself in the character and culture of the men and women who stood at the harsh cutting-edge of our civilization:  their dwellings,  clothing,  food,  furniture,  household articles;  their hunting,  farming,  schooling,  transportation,  government;  their amusements,  superstitions,  and religion.  In Frontier Living the reader finds the forest frontiersman in his log cabin,  the ranchero in his casa,  the sodbuster in his prairie sod house." 

~Frontier Living~
"Here is the keel-boatman,  the cotton farmer,  the fur trader,  the mountain man,  the forty-niner,  the cowhand - each helping to shape a new and distinctive way from untamed country.  The flintlock gun,  the Kentucky rifle,  the freight and Conestoga wagons,  the stagecoach,  the Ohio flatboat,  the first steamboat and steam railroad,  are all reconstructed here in exact detail.  This informative,  authentic re-creation of the American frontier,  seen in relation to its historic perspective,  offers a major contribution toward an understanding of the American character."

~Colonial Craftsmen~yep---Edwin Tunis yet again!
"How are homes built?  How do they make glass?  How do carpenters make beautiful cabinetwork?  Why should Paul Revere be more famous for his silversmith work than for his  "Midnight Ride"?  What were the handwork origins of frying pans?  Bookbinding?  Shipbuilding?  That,  and countless other things are beautifully and understandably described  (with superb black and white drawings)  in this book.  This classic can actually fire up interests in yourself you never knew you had." 

~Colonial Craftsmen~
"Tunis'  descriptions of the colonial trades are easy to read but more than a basic description.  Text seems to be at middle School Highschool level."

From the book pages in the picture above this one~
Top left  (on the wall shelf):  an actual 1750s pewter candle stick
Top right:  a candle holder
Bottom left & center:  lanterns
Bottom right:  clay pipe,  quill,  and books/pamphlets

A tin wall sconce - I purchased this at a reenactment only because I liked it.
Imagine my surprise upon finding a similar original in the Colonial Craftsmen book!

~Everyday Artifacts America 1750 - 1850~
"Over 280 crisp color photos reveal artifacts of early American everyday life that were useful for surveying land,  building log homes,  farming the land,  traveling,  blacksmithing,  and cabinetmaking."

~Everyday Artifacts America 1750 - 1850~

"From light paper ephemera such as land surveys and playing cards to heavy garden stones and Conestoga wagon components,  they are pictured and explained.  This book is ideal for all those with a passion for history or a curiosity about objects used in America in the mid-eighteenth and nineteenth centuries."

~A Guide to Artifacts of Colonial America~
"Cited in virtually every colonial-era site study of North America,  A Guide to Artifacts of Colonial America holds a place of honor among historical archaeologists.  It is a classic,  highly sought-after handbook for the professional archaeologist,  museum curator,  antiques dealer,  collector,  or social historian."  

~A Guide to Artifacts of Colonial America~
"Though first published more than thirty years ago,  Ivor Noel Hume's guide
continues to be the most useful and accurate reference on the identification
of artifacts recovered from Anglo-American colonial sites."

Here are my replicated silverware.
These were purchased from a variety of places including Samson Historical.

~In Small Things Forgotten:  An Archaeology of Early American Life~
"A fascinating study of American life and an explanation of how American life is studied through the everyday details of ordinary living,  colorfully depicting
a world hundreds of years in the past."

~In Small Things Forgotten:  An Archaeology of Early American Life~
"History is recorded in many ways. According to  author James Deetz, the past
can be seen most fully by studying the small things so often forgotten.  Objects
such as doorways, gravestones, musical  instruments, and even shards of pottery fill
in the  cracks between large historical events and depict the intricacies of daily life."

I have actually been eyeing the next set for a couple of years now,  but the price was so dang high that I simply could not bring myself to buy them - I just could not justify paying such a price,  upwards of $150-and up!  But patience is a virtue,  and I have learned patience,  at least to some extent.

As you can see,  they are now in my collection.

~The World of the American Revolution~

"What was life really like for ordinary people during the American Revolution?  What did they eat,  wear,  believe in,  and think about?  What did they do for fun?  This encyclopedia explores the lives of men,  women,  and children―of European,  Native American,  and African descent―through the window of social,  cultural,  and material history. 

The two-volume set spans the period from 1774 to 1800,  drawing on the most current research to illuminate people's emotional lives,  interactions,  opinions,  views,  beliefs,  and intimate relationships,  as well as connections between the individual and the greater world."

~The World of the American Revolution~
"The encyclopedia features more than 200 entries divided into topical sections,  each dealing with a different aspect of cultural life―for example,  Arts,  Food & Drink,  and Politics & Warfare.  Each section opens with an introductory essay,  followed by A–Z entries on various aspects of the subject area.  Sidebars and primary documents enhance the learning experience.  Targeting high school and college students,  the title supports the American history core curriculum and the current emphasis on social history.  Most importantly,  its focus on the realities of daily life,  rather than on dates and battles."

By the way,  if you do want to purchase this set,  do as I have done and have patience.  It is quite expensive,  but I waited and waited,  searching the internet,  and wound up finding both volumes for a total of around $25.00!

Every-so-often I like to remember the everyday household objects that were used in the house I grew up in back in the 1960s and 1970s,  and of how they are now a part of history,  much like the items in the books here in today's post.  Greenfield Village is reconstructing a house from 1965 that will be open to the public in 2026,  known as the Jackson House  (the name of the owner).  Now though this house was once a home where Martin Luther King had stayed,  my main interest will be the original furniture and objects that were a part of the everyday life of those who lived in it.  Perhaps I will see the kind of items that I may recognize from my own youth.   Wait---am I that old??

Until next time,  see you in time.

<<^>>

Now...just as a mention before you go...a sort of bonus...here is a brand-spankin'  new book published in this year of 2025 about Paul Revere's ride - just in time for Lexington & Concord's 250th:  The Ride.

1st edition 2025 release
for the semiquincentennial---
America's 250th

I saw this advertised while I was scrolling a few of  Facebook's history pages and it caught my eye.  After reading the description - "Americans have heard about Paul Revere's heroic ride since childhood.  But few understand the real story—the loosely coordinated series of rides by numerous men,  near-disaster,  capture by British forces,  and finally success.  Utilizing archives,  family letters and diaries,  and contemporary accounts,  I set out to reveal just how complex the ride that determined the fate of a nation was.  THE RIDE is the result and I can't wait for you to read it!" -  I decided to purchase it.  In fact,  I just began to read it,  so a full review is upcoming.

However,  judging by the downright silly comments made on those Facebook advertisements - especially on the American history pages - Americans need to start picking up more books and begin to read them,  for the idiotic comments made by those who obviously received their education from Facebook memes - "Facebook University"  (as I call it  -  or,  more currently,  "The  (ahem no longer history) History Channel"---where history is history lol),  tend to show their lack of knowledge.  And ya gotta love it when they comment even before reading the book,  such as many did with this one here on Paul Revere.  Most of the commenters had not read it  (that was obvious),  so they felt the need to throw in their  "two-cents worth of knowledge"---which is about all their knowlwdge is worth!  lol

Yes,  I'm being harsh - at least read the book or learn something about the subject at hand.  You don't look very smart when you don't.

Sheesh!

Anyhow,  aside from the books I have listed in today's post,  here are other Passion For the Pasts on some of the other books in my collection.

The Wonderful World of Eric Sloane:  An American Historian & Patriot 

Looking at Their World Through Their Eyes

History According To Time-Life:  More Books from Ken's Personal Library  

History Books of the 18th Century:  Recent Acquisitions for my Library  

"Museum in a Book"  Books Put History at Your Fingertips  

Books:  Researching the 18th Century  

Baby,  It's Cold Outside!  (Winter Reading)  

The Cabin Faced West:  Historic Children's Author Jean Fritz Dead at 101 Years of Age - My Personal Tribute  

History Books 

History Books University:  Here's Where I Got My  Degree

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