On the Greenfield Village Green

I am splitting the Village into two posts because there is a lot to cover- the first will be the NON Edison & personal Ford stuff and the second will focus on the two key players in the themes of the outdoor museum-

Here is an outdoor view of the Eagle Tavern where we dined midday on historic fare... (see prior post)

It sits on the Village Green - the top of which is occupied by the village church

During the day we see many families out riding in their early model Ford cars- and later we will see the shop where Ford came up with his first sketches for the automobiles he would eventually use to build an empire.

When he decided to open Greenfield Village the driving force seemed to be his adulation of Edison, who he knew quite well (they lived in the same compound in Ft. Myers FL) but the workshops of others he admired were also incorporated into this open air historical museum - the most notable being the Wright brothers but below is a log cabin replica of the one where George Washington Carver was born and raised.  Carver even spent a night here in this cabin on this property immediately after the dedication ceremony honoring him and his work. (We doubted the original was as well landscaped)

a courthouse where Lincoln actually rode the circuit before holding elected office-

scenes from the local doctor's office (he studied medicine but never graduated- close enough, in those days I guess)

the village theater- opposite the Church on the Village Green... some message there I think- LOL

a carousel of sizable proportion - unlikely to have been found in a town the size of this one but nevertheless saved from the scrap yard and lovingly restored to grandeur.

the local jewelry shop now sells chocolates and "penny" candy

Then we visited a jewelry shop where Henry Ford actually shopped before and after he became a famous and wealthy man- the jeweler was a friend and Ford, as a youth, had asked his assistance in putting back together a pocket watch Ford had taken apart but couldn't get to work again upon rebuilding it... a decades long relationship ensued.  Upon his death, the man left his shop (lock, stock and barrel, as they say) to Ford.

The Wright's shop and home are both located here -

the shop below - the home above-

the town milliner - who had been married to the town haberdasher before his untimely demise left her a widow-

from Main Street we went to the industrial and workshop area of town- first stop was a machine shop that did milling and fabrication of all kinds of metal - brass milling demonstrations were held for the younger visitors and they could make their own tiny candle stick holder-

on to the mill that ran power for milling grains-

then to the workshops which showed historical phases of weaving on looms -

then a print shop-

a tin shop which fabricates lanterns and other useful items-

from here we went to the area dominated by the Ford personal and automotive history and the Edison laboratories of Menlo Park - brought here complete with the dirt from under the foundations!

follow along in the next post!

Road to the Past

so off we went the next day to Greenfield Village - the outdoor museum of the Henry Ford Museum complex... I had been there back in the same era as I was eating my long lost favorite pizza (the early to mid 70s- which was also the era of my prior husband who was born and raised in Detroit - which is how I came to visit it the first time... we divorced more than 30 years ago so you can figure I had little memory of my first visit) Phil had been here more recently with his kids but weather had kept them in the museum for the better part of their visit and so we both had lots to discover in the outdoor collection amassed here.

The first challenge was deciding what tickets combinations to buy- if you buy the Village and don't get the combo with the Ford Museum then you can present your ticket the same day and get into the museum for half price- OK... next choice an all day transportation ticket? offering vintage buses, steam trains, horse and buggy rides along with Model T and A car rides (real ones not replicas!) or you could buy each mode separately - we took the train for an additional $5 each - private museum no AAA discount :-(

so off we went under clear blue skies to the Village entrance- our first stop was a bench to check out the map and circle which buildings (of many many choices) we did not want to miss.  Then we headed to the train - intending to take it to the stop nearest the Tavern where we wanted to have lunch before starting out on our explorations.

the tavern in the Village is highly rated on Trip Advisor as a place to eat in Detroit (not merely the Village) so we headed there first... via the train-

We passed bucolic sheep in  meadows views- along with gazebos and windmills and farm gardens - even spying a family out for a drive in their NEW FORD! - before arriving at our stop (which included the Western Union station)

on to the Tavern- the building was an old stage stop before the railroads came in and was located in Clinton MI -

the bill of fare was posted outside-

the front room (for gaming) was unoccupied at lunch time- and the dining room was only partially full (I think families opted for the cafeteria nearby housed in a building well camouflaged with landscaping- LOL)

the menu is also a take away item so here is a scan of the back side of the bill of fare-

the fare is designed to evoke the past (like the taverns in Colonial Williamsburg) and you sit at communal tables and are served recipes from old cook books from the era-

We chose the veal cutlet and the perch to share- the bread basket came with several excellent bread choices (I preferred the cinnamon spice bread but all were good) - I ordered Sarsaparilla (and thought of Raw Hide) and Phil ordered the cherry soda- 

both entrees were well prepared (the cuts of meat and fish pieces reflected the period of the tavern) and tasty but even Phil commented that these were outstanding mashed potatoes and the beans were flavorful as well! Another WIN!

so from here we are off on our exploration of the full (and vast) acreage of the Village but that will be another post.... stay tuned...