Greenfield Village Open-Air Museum

Every Memorial Day weekend the folks at Greenfield Village pull out all the stops to pay homage to our American heroes who fought (and are still fighting) in the armed forces. They do this by reenacting the battles and the homefront of the war from which Memorial Day actually has its roots, the Civil War. To give a brief history of Memorial Day: Memorial Day, originally called Decoration Day, is a day of remembrance for those who have died in our nation's service. There are many stories as to its actual beginnings, with over two dozen cities and towns laying claim to being the birthplace of Memorial Day. There is also evidence that organized women's groups in the South were decorating graves before the end of the Civil War: a hymn published in 1867, "Kneel Where Our Loves are Sleeping" by Nella L. Sweet carried the dedication "To The Ladies of the South who are Decorating the Graves of the Confederate Dead." (There is also evidence that these ladies also de...

Until I began frequenting the Benson-Ford Research Center, located on the grounds of The Henry Ford (where one can search for historical records and photographs of everything Greenfield Village), I had not given a second thought as to what went into the displays and presentations at the open-air museum. Much of what you are about to read in this chapter comes directly from the training manuals given to the presenters. Period-dressed presenters eating dinner at the Daggett Farm First off is the Mission Statement of The Henry Ford: "The Henry Ford provides unique educational experiences based on authentic objects, stories, and lives from America's traditions of ingenuity, resourcefulness and innovation. Our purpose is to inspire people to learn from these traditions to help shape a better future. " Authentic. This is the key word. Nothing is placed randomly inside the structures at the Village. The curators carefully consider every object before allowing it to b...

As a member of The Henry Ford, I visit Greenfield Village a few times a month. Sometimes I'll head there in the morning just to walk around for a couple hours to clear my head before heading off to work in the afternoon. I must say, I never return home without learning something new. And, because the events are broken down according to the season of the year, there are always opportunities to learn even more about life as lived. For instance, come mid-April, when the Village re-opens after being closed for the winter, one can enter the season of springtime of long ago. It's this time of year when the visitor can see just how folks of the 18th and 19th centuries awakened from their 'long winter's nap' and prepared their homes and land for the coming season. At Firestone Farm , for example, one will see that the wall hangings in the sitting room have been taken down for cleaning; the walls are wiped, and the rugs are beaten to rid them of months of dust and dirt. From...

This posting is about a near historic tragedy concerning this very important boarding house. If you would like to read about this historic home's history, please click HERE , otherwise read on to find how we very nearly lost a very important piece of not only American history but world history as well. The following is an article that I wrote for the February 2009 newsletter of the Civil War unit I belong to. I did not include the names of the workers as I would like to get their permission first. On Monday January 5, a fire broke out at the Sarah Jordan Boarding House in Greenfield Village and caused heavy damage to the duplex. Many of the original artifacts have been lost, although most were saved. The cause is suspected to be from some roof / gutter construction. All of us who love visiting the Village – whether as re-enactors or as patrons - have been greatly saddened by this awful occurrence. But, there is a bright side to this as well; fortunately, this 1870 duplex was...

With the Detroit, Toledo, and Milwaukee Roundhouse chapter completed, this blog, as far as I know, now includes every structure that stands (or stood) inside of Greenfield Village. But, that doesn't mean I am done with it - not by any means. My plans are to continue to up-date the information on the structures as more info becomes available. I also plan to add or switch photographs in other "chapters" when I am able to take better shots. As I wrote all of this out, I found that there are many great pictures awaiting to be taken! What will follow from here for future chapters will be on the different events that take place inside of the Village, including the Holiday Nights at Christmastime, Hallowe'en, the Civil War Remembrance weekend, and other specialties. I will also be writing about what takes place behind the scenes - the whys and wherefores that makes Greenfield Village more authentic in every historical sense and puts it far and away above other open-air museu...

In June of 2000, the Detroit, Toledo, & Milwaukee Roundhouse officially opened. Originally located in Marshall, Michigan, the structure is the only working educational roundhouse in the midwest region, and one of only seven working roundhouses in the United States. The original DT&M Roundhouse was built in 1884 and was demolished in 1989. The reconstructed roundhouse has been restored to look as it did in 1920 and includes many of the structural elements of the original. Visitors can watch from above as skilled mechanics service and repair the locomotives using 19th and early 20th century equipment and tools. That being said, this roundhouse is also the primary facility for the inspection, care, repair, and storage of a number of historic locomotives. The trains at the Village, on an average, require one day of service for every day of operation. Notice the caboose restoration taking place In the old days, virtually all of the roundhouse workers were male and they would learn t...

The Firestone Farm is a real working farm, and the presenters can be found working the land seasonally, just as it was done in the 19th century: tilling, harrowing, planting, and doing all of the other chores typical of the era. It is a living history re-creation of life on a farm of the 1880's in Eastern (Columbiana) Ohio, and the presenters who work the farm have done a marvelous job in their presentation of this life. At the end of this posting, click the link to see how hog butchering was done in the 1880's. Numerous livestock call the farm home, including draft horses, cattle, pigs, chickens, and the aforementioned sheep. Some roam about the barnyard freely, while the larger animals are fenced in. But, one can get close to them as they walk into the barn out back. Beware, however: the odors of a country farm are prominent! The barn is known as a Pennsylvania-German bank barn, one of the most common barns built before 1880. They are known as bank barns because one side of t...