Summer 2025 at Greenfield Village

This summer has been so hot that I barely wore my period clothing while visiting Greenfield Village. 

Shocking!

Oh,  I most certainly did wear them here and there,  and so did my friend Norm.  But,  due to the heat,  not nearly as often.  And as you will see,  I did my best to cover summertime past at Greenfield Village;   most photos are agricultural in nature while many are just plain ol'  scenic,  in an attempt to have that summer feel.

Well,  enough chatter - - let's hit the photos and remember the time spent in summer 2025 at Greenfield Village!

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This was a very difficult blog post to put together.  Due to my researching harvest and agriculture past,  I wasn't sure how I should present summer.  I mean,  "Astronomical seasons are defined by Earth's position in orbit around the sun,  marked by the solstices and equinoxes,  and have variable lengths. This is what the calendars follow.  Meteorological seasons are a simpler,  fixed-length system based on the annual temperature cycle,  with each season lasting exactly three months to facilitate consistent weather data collection and comparison."

Meteorological Seasons

Winter = December,  January,  February

Spring = March,  April,  May

Summer = June,  July,  August

Autumn/Fall = September,  October,  November

I mean,  as soon as September 1st and/or Labor Day comes,  for instance,  most of us here in the northern portion begin to think of fall.  Same with Memorial Day in late May - we think of summer,  for June 1st is right there.  When March 1st hits,  in my mind it's spring,  no matter the weather.  And December tells me it's wintertime,  with all the Christmas lights,  lack of sunlight,  and wintery/Christmas music. 

Yes,  overlapping always seems to occur no matter which you prefer...but... my Spring at Greenfield Village post goes from mid-April through June, due to its mid-April opening.  I also did an Opening Day blog post HERE.  That being said,  I'll begin this one with a picture I took directly after the Summer Solstice,  in very late June,  only because it fits in with summer:

The past meets the future in this picture of the Wright Brothers Home, for this is the home where one of the aviator inventors was born – Orville – and he and his brother Wilbur grew up here. In fact, this is the house they were living in when they invented the airplane. So seeing a horse and carriage move past the place where future travel was invented is almost like seeing two worlds collide!

I very much enjoy the red, white, and blue we see throughout Greenfield Village during the month of June & into July, and appreciate that the Village is decorated in this manner. 

I spent this 1st day of July taking a few summer scene shots,  including this one of the Ford Farm House.  And a horse in the barnyard.

Looking across the field we can see the Firestone Farm House in the distance,  while we see the quiet little red cider mill on the right.  once fall hits,  it will be hopping.

The wheatfield only has a few days to go before reaping begins.

Ah,  here we go...the Daggett House.
By the way,  you will see plenty of Daggett and Firestone Farm photos in this post, 
for they are the two I visit the most.

I did a blog post about 4th of July at Greenfield Village for their Salute to America event HERE,  but I have some images coming up next from that evening that I have not posted yet.

Until now.

We went to this event on July 2nd - oh,  what a day...and night!!

A penny-farthing  (or big wheel)  bike...and the American flag.

The wonderful old American tunes from the 19th century.

I snapped a bit of a scenic shot---just looked up and liked what I saw.
And captured it.

My grandson enjoyed a slice of that  "sweetened snow"  we call watermelon!

My camera can be a pain in the rump,  but it sure does capture the illuminations!
Here we are at the Daggett House.

July 7 was a pretty awesome day to be at Greenfield Village,  for that was the day the Firestone Farm crew harvested their wheat crop.

Now,  I took many many photos of this event,  and what we have here are my favorites.   

It's ingrained in us that harvest time is only in the fall.  Of course,  that's true,  most of our yield comes to us shortly before the winter weather hits - in those  "brrr"  months of September,  October,  and November.  But we also know that the beginnings of harvest time hits in August,  while it's still summer!  In fact,  if you skip over to THIS posting about Lammas Day,  you'll learn more about this unseasonable season.

However,  Lammas Day and the harvests of August are directly tied to this activity of early July.

A quick meeting before the job~~~

I took a second photo from the reverse angle.

Wheat was planted in the fall,  lay dormant through winter,  and ripened for harvest in early July. 

Threshing was a labor-intensive process,  and crews of men and women were required to operate the machines and handle the grain... 

...and this was exactly what we got to see.
The past truly came to life on this day.

The archaeological record suggests that wheat was first cultivated in the regions of the
Fertile Crescent around 9600 BC.

For smaller farms,  or in less mechanized areas,  wheat could still be cut by hand.

"Bringing in the Sheaves"  refers to the popular gospel hymn written by Knowles Shaw in 1874,  based on Psalm 126:6,  which speaks of the joy of returning with the fruits of one's labor after toiling,  much like a farmer bringing in a harvest.

The central image of the hymn is that of harvesting crops,  where  "sheaves"  are bundles of grain gathered at the end of the growing season. 

The ladies of the farm were forming bundles called sheaves.

Once the loose piles of wheat were gathered up and tied into bundles,  these bundles were then stood up on end with other bundles to create a shock or stook.  This allows the grain to finish drying before it is stored or stacked for threshing later in the season.

"Every year,  the staff of Firestone Farm go into the fields to harvest wheat.  Our living history program at Firestone Farm is set in 1885,  and because the area of east central Ohio where the farm originates was not an intense grain-raising area,  the latest and greatest harvesting technology was generally not in use.  As a result,  we use a somewhat older technology—a  “self-rake reaper.” "

Wheat harvest involved horse-drawn reapers and binders cutting the crop.

Despite the mechanical advancement of the reapers,  such as the self-rake reaper seen in a few of these photos,  workers still followed behind the machine,  manually binding the grain into sheaves using the straw itself.

How did the farmers know when the wheat was ready for harvesting?
When the wheat plant reaches its final stage in the growing process,  meaning it is dry enough and no green is showing,  it is ready to be harvested.

The importance of grain in those long-ago days is given,  perhaps,  an off-handed general  sentence or two in most school history books,  not allowing students to fully grasp its importance.

The high demand for labor during this crucial harvest window meant that everyone,  including family members,  neighbors,  and hired seasonal workers,  pitched in. 

Why is Morgan smiling?
Because soon will be break time!

Here is the original Firestone Farm house,  originally built in the late 1820s and then updated and remodeled in the mid-1880s.
Since July 4th was only a few days previous,  the patriotic emblems remained on the side porch.

And that lead to the thresherman's dinner~~~

Ring the dinner bell to call in the workers.

The communal aspect of the harvest remained strong.  Neighbors and hired hands worked together during the day,  with the women of the household oftentimes preparing and serving large meals to the crews. 

This transformed the noon meal into a major social event;  while men and many women worked in the fields,  other women and girls of the host farm and neighboring families worked tirelessly in the kitchen to feed the large crew. 

On this day the Firestone Farm and farm workers enjoyed their Thresherman's Dinner - a splendid repast of fried chicken,  ham sandwiches,  pot of beans,  lemon cake,  pickles,  deviled eggs,  cheese,  corn,  corn bread...what a meal!

A dozen or more families would often contribute to the massive,  family-style meal.  The table was loaded with hearty dishes to satisfy the hungry field hands.

Since this all took place at Greenfield Village,  it is asked of the workers to wave at the passengers who ride the cars pulled by the steam locomotives as it moves past.

In fact,  whenever I am at the Village wearing my period clothing,  I will also wave,  for many don't know that I am not an employee.  Sometimes I'll forget and wave while visiting in modern clothing! 

Generally, the field workers would eat first,  followed by the women of the house.

Meet farmer Tom,  a mainstay at Firestone Farm for years now.

To me,  this shows the Thresherman's Dinner exactly as it was.
Why are they eating outside?  Remember...this is July - a hot summer day - in a
time without air conditioning.  This was their air conditioning.
Plus,  there was a lot more room to relax out doors.

Enjoying a grand meal before heading back to work~
I was told that the women of the house who cooked this dinner would try to
out do the other local farm wives.  Who benefitted?
The field workers!

The arrival of the meal was a much-anticipated moment. 

The meal was followed by a rest period before the workers went back to the fields 
to finish the task at hand.

Just imagine farm life of the 1880s when these folks would've awakened before the sun rise and sometimes worked until after the sunset,  and still might not have completed the job!

And then,  once the wheat has been shocked and threshed,  it would then be taken to the local gristmill.

The gristmill would have looked very similar to the Loranger Gristmill now located inside Greenfield Village.  It's here where the wheat berries,  which would have been threshed either by hand or by way of a threshing machine, would have been brought to be ground into flour.  

Back in the earlier days of Greenfield Village,  wheat was ground into flour here,  only to be sold in the GFV store.

Sadly,  this no longer takes place.  But every once-in-a-while there will be demonstrations.

This looks like it may be a Currier & Ives print,  but I'm not sure.  I do know it's from
the 19th century and depicts the summer harvest presentation I witnessed to a  "T"~

Out of the...wow...hmmm...hundreds and hundreds of times I've visited Greenfield Village - no exaggeration - I make sure to visit the Daggett House---at the very least as a walk by.  Out of all of those visits,  there has probably been a handful of times I did not,  for one reason or another.

Notice the redware plates and mugs.

For an 18th-century farm dinner in the summer,  families would have eaten dishes relying on fresh,  seasonal produce from the garden and available meats that did not require long-term storage.

Mr.  Daggett and his son Isaiah must still be out working in the field.
Perhaps they are harvesting wheat as well,  though I believe the ladies
would be out helping them in that case.

I very rarely snap photos using a flash.  I enjoy the natural light.

After being closed for the 2024 season,  the McGuffey Birthplace cabin reopened this summer.

Ftom what I understand,  due to the newest historic building anchored in between the McGuffey Cabin and the George Washington Carver Cabin,  the McGuffey Cabin was moved a few yards to the east.  
But everything inside is as it should be.

And now we are staunchly set in Ju;y - there next few photos show the hottest part of summer.

But also the wonderfulness that is Greenfield Village.

I see signs from numerous eras in time,  all in this one photo:

On the far left a snippet of the early 1600s Cotswold Cottage from England.

The Model T from the early 1900s.

The Daggett House from the mid-1700s.

One of the sails  (and bottom)  from the mid-1600s Farris Windmill.

A sort of silhouetted Plympton House from the early 1700s.

The Susquehanna Plantation from the mid-1800s.

All in the hazy heat of summertime.

Only at Greenfield Village can one see such a scene!

Beyond the Daggett House kitchen garden.

Looking through a window to the past...

Gigi received her pay from Greenfield Village.
She didn't realize that since she worked in an 18th century house that they
were paying her 18th century wages!

Great Daggett presenter,  Gigi,  left her job at the Village for a short while.
Well,  lucky for us,  she returned this summer - good to have her back!

Here we have the Giddings House,  built near the same time as Daggett:  mid-1700s.

Norm returning from the bedchamber above stairs.

Norm stepping into the McGuffey Cabin,  built around 1789.

Here is the opposite wall of the McGuffey Cabin.

As per our usual when we visit the Village while wearing period clothing,  we had to go to the Eagle Tavern for some lunch.

I'm not a drinker,  but there is a bar and barkeep at the tavern.

Myself and Norm.
The barroom,  where the tavern-owner generally served as the bar-keeper  (the term  'bartender'  was not common until at least the 1860's - barkeeper  was the appropriate term before that time),  was the primary place for men to get a drink and to socialize as well as have discussions that could be too harsh for feminine ears.  

The non-denominational church,  Martha-Mary Chapel,  based on New England churches.

From Phoenixville,  Connecticut came the building of the local apothecary,  

originally built in 1825. 

This building also became the town post office in November of 1850.  

It remained an apothecary while serving as a post office.

Greenfield Village shows the two together.

I was walking along the front of the Firestone Farm field and saw this scene.
That's the Ford House in the distance.

I came upon the Ford House just in time to see the horse and carriage - the mode of transportation Henry Ford made obsolete - move past.

This is actually a farm house and originally sat upon 60 acres.
The land may be gone,  but the kitchen garden remains.

Two lovely Ford House presenters.

Still the Ford House there in the background on the right.
But there on the left we see the red William Ford Barn built by Henry's father, 
William,  in 1863 - the same year Henry was born. 

Here is a photo I posted for Henry Ford's 162nd birthday on July 30.  It is an image of the replicated Ford Motor Company building with a Model T putt-putt-ing passed...I thought it would be the perfect way to celebrate the birth  (in 1863)  of the founder of not only Ford cars and trucks - the Ford Motor Company - but also the founder of the amazing Greenfield Village and the Edison Institute/Henry Ford Museum.

Oh!  And look!  I see the house he was born in there in the background!

The Cotswold Cottage from England - built near the end of the Renaissance period.
I find that very cool~~~

A horse and carriage clip-clops near the grove of mulberry trees next to Hank's Silk Mill.

So now we can head into August.

I planned to visit on August 1st - Lammas Day - but I had my own Lammas Day celebration going on  (click HERE),   so I visited the Village a few days later,  during that first week of August:

Standing at the doorway leading into the Firestone dining room, 
I saw this wonderful scene directly out of the dining room window. 
Luckily I was able to capture it clearly.

So what to my wondering eyes should appear,  but a horse and cart with farmers spreading manure!
I love that the Firestone Farm is a real working 1880s farm~

This almost looks like the beginning of fall - a hint of change in the leaves - but it was actually taken August 29.  This is why I follow the meteorological seasons I spoke of at the beginning of this post.
Fall is nigh...

From the inside of the Richart Carriage Shop.

To get to the Daggett House from Firestone Farm,  I need to pass through Greenfield Village's Main Street district,  showing a downtown of the turn of the 20th century..

Looking through the 1832 Ackley Covered Bridge.
Once we cross through this bridge,  we can see colonial America spring up.

I've often been asked,  "Why are you obsessed with the Daggett House?"

If I'm obsessed with anything,  it would be history itself,  and particularly,  colonial American history,  and the Daggett House  (and the family that once lived there)  are smack-dab in the middle of it all.

But I have to giggle at those who think that way about me.  I mean,  I've seen and heard of people who have real obsessions,  like some who watch football:

"I watch two games on Sunday.  I tape three,  then I watch the Monday game;  Tuesday I watch one of the three I taped,  Wednesday I watch another one...I watch the Thursday night game,  then Friday I watch the Sunday night game.  Saturday I watch college football."

Bill Burr  (comedian)

Now,  I would say that  is a bit obsessive.

But it's cool - it's what he loves.

My point is,  no one blinks an eye at sports obsessions,  but me visiting the Daggett House once a week or so,  researching the family,  and perhaps writing blog posts about it is somehow extreme?

For me Samuel Daggett,  his family and his life,  just seems to fit the criteria of me if I had lived back in those mid-18th century days.

Daggett presenters who work inside the house...

But,  as for my passion  for this house:

A)  The house is an authentic historical artifact that was built around 1750  (my favorite time-period)

B)  It is restored to look as it may have during the last half of the 18th century  (yes!!)

C)  As it sits inside Greenfield Village,  period-dress presenters work in and around the house,  doing chores and activities of those who actually lived in it when it was first built  (I,  myself,  have watched and learned and then researched)

D)  This more than likely would have been my life had I'da'  lived back then  (and I'm sort of experiencing it by way of living history every visit to the frontier cabin)

E)  It is the only historical house of its kind in all of Michigan,  and I even know of a husband and wife who replicated this house on their own property!

Since they eat seasonally here,  they use the same ingredients that would have
been available depending on the season of the year it is,  in this case,  later August. 
Summer apples!

Norm and I fit in very well with our Daggett friends.  In fact,  with Norm portraying a preacher here,  this was probably more accurate than not at this very religious house,  for the Daggetts were very religious people.

18th century gathering of friends:  Diane,  Norm,  Gigi,  and me~

We always take a few moments to check out the back kitchen garden.
There's so much history involved in it.

Colonial families would have grown such a variety of necessities back here - not just vegetables,  but plants for medicinal purposes as well.
Say hello to Sarah.

Generally,  when I'm dressed in my 18th century clothing,  I try to stay in the colonial part of the Village,  over near Daggett,  Giddings,  Plympton,  and the like,  for I am way out of time anywhere else  (except the Tavern).  But every-so-often I may take a peep at what's going on at Firestone Farm.

That's 1775 Ken looking about 110 years into the future.
I do so wish they would utilize the Daggett Farm House closer to the same manner as they do the Firestone Farm.  Oh,  I realize they don't have room for fields the size of Firestone,  but they can still do more planting and plowing,  showing an 18th century farm,  and in this way they can show the slight differences between the two time periods. 

Pumpkins throughout what's known as Peter's  (Firestone)  Field.

That red building off in the distance is the Martinsville Cider Mill.  It is directly across the way from the Firestone apple orchard,  where heirloom apples trees are planted  (on the left).  Such apple varieties as Belmonts,  Rambo,  Maiden's Blush,  Orange Pippin,  Baldwin,  Roxbury Russett - popular in the 18th and 19th centuries - are utilized in traditional ways.
This is where I first learned and gained an interest in heirloom apples and how they played a role in our great nation's history  (click HERE).

Two working in the kitchen garden and one on her way out to the field with a horse and cart.
Real working farm indeed!

Off to the field to do that job of jobs,  manuring!

In the 1880s,  manuring was critically important for American farmers,  serving as the primary source of fertilizer for sustaining crop yields.

Summer apples for,  perhaps a pie,  a stroodle,  sauce,  or to be added as part of the main meal.

As the month of August neared closer to September,  the harvest yield grew larger and larger.  With the wheat that was threshed a month earlier now turned into flour,  the Firestones would have a hearty autumn season ahead.
That's called being prepared!
This is in the cold room part of the basement of Firestone Farm.
Yes,  the presenters use the footstuffs seen here.

Across  "Peter's Field"  at Firestone Farm we see the Loranger Gristmill.

Here is another angle of the Gristmill.
During the 1880s,  gristmills were a pivotal part of American life,  serving as the central hub of many agricultural communities despite the rise of industrial milling technology.  While industrialization began to consolidate flour production,  local gristmills continued to maintain their importance by meeting the immediate local needs of farmers and also serving as vital social information centers. 

Norm was hoping to get pick up woven fabric for a new garment from the Weaver's Shop.
Alas,  no one answered.

Here we have the JR Jones General Store next to the Eagle Tavern.
I'm sure any general store next to a tavern would be busier than normal,  for this would give the travelers a chance to pick up a newspaper,  perhaps a book,  or possibly other provisions they might need on their long journey. 

While sitting on the Mattox porch,  I could see the slave houses.

In 2022,  Greenfield Village added a new historic structure:

The Detroit Central Farmers Market originally built in Detroit in 1861.

It’s one of the buildings where,  back in the later 19th century,  vegetables were primarily sold.

Something else I learned,  which sort of ties together the overall story Greenfield Village is the telling of the Ford family’s possible ties to the market:  it is quite likely that Henry’s family would have used the central market,  as did the rest of the large extended Ford family.  

I snapped so many more pictures,  but the ones here were my brightest and best.  So now it's time to head into meteorological fall,  for Labor Day Weekend and the beginning of September was at our doorstep.

I plan to do another blog post about Greenfield Village in the fall,  which will probably be more picturesque .

Until next time,  see you in time.

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