Old Car Festival 2025 at Greenfield Village: Early 20th Century Life

Old Car Festival is dedicated mainly to the automobiles from 1932 and earlier.

Tied together with June's Motor Muster  (with cars from 1933 to about 1976),  these two wonderful car shows at Greenfield Village exhibit 20th century Americana pretty much in its entirety  (okay...aside from the 1980s and  '90s),  showing  "materials concerning or characteristic of America,  its civilization,  or its culture".  Yes,  it's true that,  contrary to popular belief,  we do have a culture here in America,  albeit a more modern culture,  and the automobile is a major part of it.

To me,  the Old Car Festival is an awesome celebration of  the United States in the early part of the 20th century.    And even late 19th century.  But,  this event is about more than just cars.  It's about the creation of the lifestyle of the 20th century  (and beyond).

That's what keeps me coming back every year.

*^&

The 2025 program

It took place on an early September weekend afternoon - not even a week past Labor Day - where we had a perfect late summer day,  with highs in the upper 60s.  But there was a nighttime chill - the feeling of fall was in the air,  even though it was still summertime.  And I wore,  for the first time since probably last May,  my hoodie. 

That's when I attended the 2025 Old Car Festival at Greenfield Village.

To me,  the Old Car Festival is an awesome celebration of  the United States in the 20th century.  And this event is about more than just cars.

That's what keeps me coming back  (as well as Motor Muster)  every year.  In fact,  I sometimes find it difficult to call this event at Greenfield Village  "Old Car Festival,"  for it's more of a celebration of life at the turn-of-the-20th century,  and how transportation - especially  the automobile - played a major role.

And that began in earnest in the late 19th century.

It seems we don't celebrate the period from the 1880s/1890s and early 1900s as we should.  In fact,  Old Car Festival,  more like a reenactment than a car show,  is pretty much the only one of its kind that I'm aware of that tends to show the various excitement,  celebrations,  and activities of that time...the period of my grandparents and great grandparents.

Let's begin by putting today's post into historic perspective with this daguerreotype:

Please meet Dorothy Catherine Draper,  one of the first people to ever have an image taken - this was captured in 1839/1840.

I would like to put this posting in its place by beginning with this nearly 200 year old photo.
According to the US Archives,  this is the earliest sunlight picture of a human face.  
But it's more than that:  It is believed to be the first photographic portrait made in the
United States,  taken by Dr. John W. Draper  (1811-1882),  brother of the subject we see.  It was taken in his Washington Square studio at the New York University within the first year of Louis Jacques Mande Daguerre's announcement in Paris of his invention of the daguerreotype process.

Identified as a copy daguerreotype,  this reproduction was made by Draper's son Daniel when he snapped a picture of the original picture.  And thankfully he did,  for the original was damaged during an attempt at restoration early in the 1930s.

Dorothy was born in 1807 and lived to 1901.

Over the course of her lifetime she was a contemporary of John Adams,  Thomas Jefferson,  James Madison,  Paul Revere,  Queen Victoria,  Thomas Edison,  Billy the Kid,  Scott Joplin,  Jesse James,  Harriet Tubman,  Susan B.  Anthony,  Abraham Lincoln,  Jane Austen,  Sitting Bull,  Charles Dickens,  Abigail Adams,  Dolley Madison,  Henry Ford,  Crazy Horse,  George Washington Carver...and went from horse & carriage to steam locomotive to the automobile  (she missed the airplane by only two years).

I like putting history in its place - -

So we'll begin with the cars that were around when Miss Draper was still alive:

1899 Marot-Gordon A   from Corbie,  France.

This is the only one known in existance.

1885 Benz Patent Motor Wagon  (replica)

From the Automotive Hall of Fame

1893 Benz Velocipede 

From Mannheim,  Germany

The 1888 you see here is the model number of the vehicle,  not the year built.

1890 Morrison from Des Moines,  Iowa
and,  according to the sign with it,  is America's 1st car.

The sign also tells us this is the first car sold in America..

And,  lucky for us,  we were able to see it being driven during the gas light parade.

Going through the 1832 Ackley Covered Bridge~

You know,  even if Dorothy Catherine Draper never had ridden or even seen one of these horseless carriage contraptions,  I am certain she,  at the very least,  had heard about them...possibly may have even seen an image,  perhaps in a local paper.

Okay,  so let's move on to a few of the more recent vintage automobiles  (heh---"recent vintage")  as well as a few of the activities of early 20th century life:

This placard just about covers this vignette

We were actually on our way out when I realized we didn't take a few minutes to check out the gathering of old Civil War soldiers,  just as was done over a hundred years ago.
This was taking place in the Ford Home yard.

Patriotism on the Ford Windmill.
Grand Army of the Republic!
These gatherings/reunions occurred in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

I was very glad a few of the men were still there this late in the evening.

From what I was told,  the men portraying the retired Union Civil War soldiers are all former Civil War reenactors who either do not reenact any longer or rarely reenact anymore.
So,  in a sense,  they are retired as well.

Historically,  members of the Grand Army of the Republic  (GAR)  and American World War I soldiers would have met during and after WWI.  Though the GAR's membership was aging and declining,  its legacy influenced new veterans'  organizations for the WWI generation,  such as the American Legion. 

And that is exactly what happened during Old Car Festival.
In fact,  from what I was told,  the WWI soldiers actually put on a dinner for the GAR members here.
Like I said,  this is more than just a car show.
(This wonderful photo showing the two groups meeting was taken by Carolyn Ivanoff. 
I was given her approval to include this image)

"Dearborn or bust"?
What's that all about??
Well,  Dearborn is where Greenfield Village is located, 
and the driver just may have driven his vehicle from out-of-state to get here!

REO
as in Speedwagon!

Early 20th-century picnics featured portable,  non-perishable foods like cold cuts,  sandwiches,  baked meats,  pies,  and cakes,  packed in baskets for outdoor excursions in parks and countryside.  Socializing and leisure were central to the experience,  which also included games and activities.  The concept evolved from elaborate Victorian affairs to simpler outings,  influenced by the rising popularity of national parks

This is what I would picture an early 20th century picnic would look like.
All that is needed is a gazebo....

...wait----look at this!

This vignette is a reflection of a growing middle-class culture of leisure,  with families escaping city life for simple,  wholesome outdoor gatherings.  The development of railways,  bicycles,  and early automobiles made it easier to reach scenic locations like parks,  riverbanks,  and groves.

Another turn-of-the-20th Century-picnic gathering in another part of the Village.

Here we have a musical interlude,  for let's learn a bit about the wondeful sounds of Rag Time Music as performed by the incomparable Ragtime Revue as they perform at the Old Car Festival in 2025.

And the Ragtime Review musical group seen in this photo played so many familiar ragtime tunes…to perfection.  I apologize for not taking any videos.

To me they are one of the highlights at Old Car Festival.

"Ragtime is a distinctively American, syncopated musical style, primarily for piano, characterized by a rhythm where the melody is "ragged" over a steady bass. Developed in the 1890s, it drew from both European and African musical influences and was performed by Black American artists. The 1893 World's Fair in Chicago helped make ragtime a national sensation, with composers like Scott Joplin becoming major figures. Ragtime's emphasis on syncopation and improvisational elements paved the way for early jazz, with musicians like Jelly Roll Morton and Art Tatum adding flourishes and speed."

On a personal note,  I remember back when a Ragtime song called The Entertainer became a million selling hit in the 1970s when it was featured in the popular 1973 film,  The Sting.  Originally written and performed by Scott Joplin back in 1902,  movie score composer and pianist Marvin Hamlisch created an adaptation of Joplin's classic ragtime piece,  which reached number 3 on the Billboard pop charts in 1974 and won an Academy Award for its score.  This use in The Sting film sparked a revival of ragtime music,  bringing Joplin's compositions back to mainstream popularity.  I use to play the flipside of the 45,  “Solace,”  also written by Scott Joplin  (in 1909),  nearly as much as the  “A”  side.

One of my favorite old-time cars is the Stanley Steamer.

The Stanley Motor Carriage Company was an American manufacturer of steam cars that operated from 1902 to 1924,  going defunct after it failed to adapt to competition from rapidly improving internal combustion engine vehicles.  The cars made by the company were  "informally"  called Stanley Steamers.

(from Wikipedia)

Originally from Watertown,  Massachusetts.
What a beautiful piece of machinery...from 1912.

Stanley automobiles ran on steam,  not by direct comparison to a steam train but by operating a steam boiler and engine to generate power,  similar to how a steam train works.  They offered quiet,  powerful,  and fast performance but required a warm-up period to build steam pressure,  a water supply for the boiler,  and used kerosene for fuel.  

This large tub is the boiler.

And from the rear.
When they let the steam go,  boy!  Does it whistle!
Loudly!
And let off the steam~~~

Here's a Steamer from 1909.

These were so cool to see and hear in action.

There was also a vignette for The Great War - WWI:

This tells about another great vignette

Welcome to 1917 - - - set up at the Cotswold Cottage originally from England.

It was popular,  and visitors were consistantly milling around and getting a wonderful history lesson.

There is a great WWI movie from 2020 called  "1917" - very well done.
Watch that then see these reenactors...talk about immersion!

By the way,  if you return to Greenfield Village in December for Holiday Nights,  the WWI reenactors will be back in this same spot showing how they spent Christmas during the Great War.  It's fascinating~~~

The guns are cool,  and so are the uniforms and the tents.  But,  in my opinion,  it's items such as what they had displayed that really brings it all together.
Smoking is horrible,  but they were a part of daily life back during the time of The Great War,  and I am so glad they're not afraid to show that.
Now I want to get a Hershey Bar.

To add to these early autos,  we have the penny-farthing,  also known as a high wheel,  high wheeler,  or ordinary,  is an early type of bicycle that was popular in the 1870s and 1880s.

The penny-farthing became obsolete in the late 1880s with the development of modern bicycles more common today.

Meg is a reenactor of mostly the 20th century.  I have seen her do 18th and 19th centuries,  but she now prefers the more liberating period of the 1900s.

For this picture I saw Meg sitting on the opposite side of the road and so I climbed down the slope to catch this look.

I do not know the make or year of this car,  but I'm guessing 1900 to maybe 1905.

It does add quite a bit when the drivers and riders dress the part.

It was a mostly sunny day though by early evening clouds rolled in.  Then suddenly,  the sun peeped out for a few moments before setting.

The cars toured around the Village throughout the day and increased greatly in the early evening.

And as the sun went down,  the Saturday Night Gaslight Tour began.
"A spectacular sight as hundreds of cars featuring gas,  kerosene,  and early electric lamps take to the streets."
Where can one see such a thing?  I don't believe there is anything like this anywhere else.

Also occurring as the sun sets there is the River Raisin Ragtime Review and Ragtime-era dancing.

After we had our fill with the gas light tour,  and stopping for a few moments to watch the 1890s/1900s dancing,  we decided to find our way out to beat the modern traffic.  But give a man a camera and he'll take advantage of the opportunity to take twilight photos during the time of day the Village is normally closed.

The yard of the Ford Birthplace.

Horses near the Ford Barn  (built in 1863).

An early 20th century street light.

And maybe my favorite:  the Stars  'n'  Stripes flying over the Henry Ford Museum,  which the exterior is a replication of Philadelphia's Liberty Hall.

Can't forget the Motor City!

To get to or return from Greenfield Village from where I live,  we usually take the I-94 freeway through downtown Detroit,  and back in 2024,  mainly for the NFL Draft event that took place in April of that year,  a new city sign was erected as folks enter the City of Detroit from the west side - just minutes away from Greenfield Village.   

Some refer to it as the  “Hollywood-style”  Detroit sign. 

Each letter is 8-feet tall and all are perched atop 2-foot concrete blocks.

As I wrote on my Facebook page that spring:

"On my way back from Greenfield Village,  I took a snap of the new Detroit sign on I-94.

I hear a lot of crap about it - (can't please everyone,  I suppose) - but I really like it!  I think it's awesome - - the only thing I  *might*  have done different was have the  "Old English D"  rather than the D they used - - but otherwise,  Detroit,  ya done good!  Two thumbs up!"

Seems that I'm in the general minority,  for a lot of locals do not like it and consider it a waste of money.  Well,  maybe to some,  but sometimes it's these little,  somewhat unobtrusive things that can make a small difference.  And I don't consider it  "Hollywood"  in any way.  There is no comparison - -

Detroit needs positive press - we've had nothing but negativity since 1967,  and too often for good reason,  I suppose.  But we've improved greatly over the past 50-something years,  and sometimes little things like this can give it a bit of a boost and a touch of pride.

So,  yeah...Detroit,  ya done good.

Here's that photo I took in April of 2024.

In the nighttime the sign is lit,  and I have tried to capture the electrified image,  but it always ends of being a blur.

But this night in September of 2024...I got the picture I'd been hoping for:

Here's the nighttime photo I took in September---almost perfect!

Detroit - car capital of the world - "can't forget the Motor City!"

It looks great in daylight,  but literally shines at night!

I love it day or night - - I personally think it is so cool~

The Old Car Festival is about as good as it gets.  I don't believe there is another car show like it anywhere!  It's as much a reenactment as a car show - - if only more of those who own these historic vehicles would dress the era of their auto.  More and more seem to---and hopefully one day we'll see it completed.

Either way, Old Car Festival really make these ancient autos come alive like nowhere else.

Until next time,  see you in time.

~~ ~~ ~~