The Greenfield Village Experience

One of my favorite places to go is Greenfield Village. There's so much to do, so much to learn, you can never take it all in with one visit.

There's nothing like walking down the street and hearing a steam engine chugging along, a Model T putting down the road, or the rattle and clomping of horses pulling a carriage. Mix that in with music from the 1912 Herschell-Spillman Carousel, and the smell of freshly baked bread wafting from the Firestone Farm and it makes the perfect day.

The Wright Brothers Shop and Firestone Farm

It's not just a collection of old buildings, Greenfield Village is an experience. When you walk in to the Wright Cycle Shop you're looking at just as it was when they were working on their flyer that changed the world. The pictures you see on the wall? They were there a hundred years ago. Those bicycle tires hanging on the other side of the glass? They were there too.

Go next door to the Wright family house where Orville and Wilbur grew up and nurtured their love of flight. They did most of the wood work you see, including the book case. By the way, those books in that case were owned and read by the Wright family, they're not just props to fill space. You may even get the chance to go upstairs, a rare treat to those of us that go there often, and see the bedrooms. It's been a while since I've been up there, but I'm pretty sure most of that's original to the Wrights as well, including clothes and shoes from the brothers.

And that's just one small example of the detail that Henry Ford took when he created Greenfield Village. His attention to detail is stunning. Go into the Firestone Farm, past the ladies cleaning or cooking some delicious smelling food, and into the sitting room. In the next room, the one you can't go in, everything is original from the Firestones. Everything. From the wallpaper to the family bible. That is literally how it looked in 1880.

Thomas Edison's Menlo Park Complex and Other Buildings

I haven't even touched Edison's Menlo Park complex, where Edison perfected the electric light bulb. One of the presenters was telling a story of the first time that Ford had Edison in the work shop. Ford stood there proudly, confident that he had everything down to a tee, and asked Edison if he had it correct. Knowing that his friend was a perfectionist, with a wry smile Edison said, "You have it 99% right." Of course Henry Ford protested that he knew he had everything just right. Edison, with that wry smile still on has face replied, "It was never this clean."

Each building, each house has a ton of stories. Talking with the presenters really brings home the fact that these people that changed our lives weren't a whole lot different from us. I think that's what Henry Ford  wanted to us to see. He wanted to inspire us and move us to do amazing things like these people did. People like Noah Webster and Robert Frost. People like Harvey Firestone and the Wright Brothers. People like Henry Ford.

Immersed in History

As you walk through the house Henry Ford grew up in or the Susquehanna Plantation house, learn what life was like back then but enjoy the experience. Think how it would have been to live in the William Holmes McGuffey birthplace, which is a log cabin, or the Hermitage Slave Quarters, which is a one room brick building.

As you watch the dramatic presentations, imagine being Orville or Wilbur coming back from Kittyhawk for the first time, brimming with excitement. Or think about how it would have been to be a slave just set free by Union soldiers. Have you ever thought of the real hardships the slaves faced after being freed in a time of war? It wasn't all sunshine and lollipops.

Take a break from the walking and ride a hundred year old Model T. You can also take a trip around the village in a genuine steam engine. Prepare for the soot that will get on you. If you want to feel like a kid again, take a spin on the 1912 Hershell-Spillman Carousel. Where else can you live history like this?

Win Free Tickets to The Henry Ford!

As you can tell, I really enjoy going to Greenfield Village. I haven't even mentioned The Henry Ford Museum, which is equally as amazing. If you've never been, it's something you have to do. If you've been but want to take another visit, I may be able to help you with that.

I have a two pack of tickets that one of my followers will win. If you would like to be in the running, simply follow my blog. You can use Networked Blogs or Blogger. I will be picking the winner Friday, September 14. As you can see you have pretty good odds to win.

If you want, leave a comment about a Greenfield Village memory. It won't give you more chances to win, but we would all enjoy reading it.