Travel: Day 2, Greenfield Village, part 2
In my first post about the visit to Greenfield Village, I talked about the great demonstrations they have there. And this is one of the most magical things about this mecca. They do not treat history with kid gloves. They don’t treat it like it is some removed, sterile, wisp of a time gone by.
History happened and happens. History is about people, about life.
All these gorgeous artifacts, from Edison’s original residential electric plant to the Wright Brothers’ family home to a traditional potato harvester, are thrown open to the public. It’s not climate controlled. It’s not bug and animal protected. It’s accessible and real.
When you step into the doctor’s office, you can picture him there. You can picture the townspeople coming in with ailments. Amidst his tonics, herbs, and minerals, you feel the energy and the life of the building.
Several times through the day, my eyes popped out as they just turned on a hundred year old machine like it was nothing. Everything works, and they let them work, often at ten minute intervals.
Intellectually, I know it is important to preserve the past. But after experiencing history like this, it will be hard pressed to think of anything else as better. History should live!
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