Travel: Day 2, Greenfield Village, part 1
After studying the local weather report, my friend and I decided that Day 2 was the best day to spend outside. It would be a cooler day, but it shouldn’t rain until the afternoon. It turned out to be a beautiful day and the rains stayed away.
So after a great breakfast (see future hotel review), we headed out to Greenfield Village, “America’s Greatest History Attraction.” The reason the place exists is that Henry Ford decided, once upon a time, to buy and transport significant historical structures so they can all be preserved in one place. They have the Wright Brothers’ Bicycle Shop (pictured), Harvey Firestone’s family farm, Thomas Edison’s workshop, Robert Frost’s home, and many many more. I think one of the guides said there are eighty-three structures in all.
Normally, the one time ticket would be $20 with a $5 parking fee, but we purchased a Henry Ford Vacation Package so we didn’t have to pay for anything. Parking was also included.
And we had allotted an entire day for it.
There are those who say it can be done in a couple of hours, but they must have dedicatedly select attention spans. There was so much to see, learn, and do. The grounds themselves are huge.
Almost all of the sections are plentifully staffed by costumed interpretors. They speak in the present and not in the first person as they do in Indiana’s Conner Prairie. These interpretors know their stuff. I didn’t stump one the entire day.
One of the most rewarding aspects of Greenfield Village is that the interpretors don’t just stand around spouting information. They are carrying out different tasks while conversing with you. You learn where you are (for example, the Firestone Farm) and what the person is doing (prepping potatoes for the noon meal, aka dinner, or harnessing work horses).
My favorite area was Liberty Craftworks where they had demonstration shops for weavers, printers, glass blowers, and tinsmiths. I knew about weaving wefts and warps, but for all the different depictions of looms I’ve seen through the ages, I’ve never been able to figure out how they worked. The interpretor went through it, step-by-step on an authentic loom from centuries ago. And now the machine makes perfect sense.
My favorite demonstration was not in this area though. It was in the Edison section. The interpretor showed one of Edison’s early recording machines and then explained that she was going to scream into it so it could engrave her voice. To hear the volume she needed to achieve with her recitation of “Mary Had a Little Lamb” just drove home how difficult the process of sound recording is. When she played it back, we heard her ghost of a voice, amidst the crackles and pops, and I got goosebumps all over.