MICHIGAN
A Stroll Through American History
By Amanda McIntosh
Archive Stories:
Founded Oct. 21, 1929, in Dearborn, Michigan, Greenfield Village provides over 90 acres of an American time vault, taking visitors to an era of historic baseball, classic Main Street USA, and the heart of the Model T industry.
Greenfield Village was inspired by the birthplace of Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company and creator of the assembly line and Model T automobile. The village allows friends and family to step out of the 21st Century and experience life during various periods of American history. Hands-on activities, re-enactments, and actors dressed in costumes of the era are just a few of the things that help set the atmosphere.
As visitors pull into the southeast parking lot, the first thing to catch the eye is the Henry Ford Museum. Inside, visitors will experience many of America’s important historical artifacts, such as Thomas Edison’s incandescent light bulb, President Kennedy’s limousine, Abraham Lincoln’s rocking chair from the night he was assassinated, and the bus ridden by Rosa Parks in 1955 that launched the Montgomery Bus Boycott.
A walk into Greenfield Village leads to its very own Main Street. There, visitors can experience the busy industrial life in the late 1800s with Model T and carriage rides winding through the streets. Everything from the post office to the chapel, which holds weddings throughout the year, offers visitors a chance to interact with the past.
Along Main Street are several shops, including the J.R. Jones General Store and the Wright Brothers Bicycle Shop. The pottery, jewelry, weaving and glass shops offer on-the-scene demonstrations with original work on sale for visitors to purchase.
Past Main Street is the Ford Motor Company, a replica of the original Ford Motor Company located in Detroit. Inside, visitors can receive hands-on experience building a Model T automobile and working on the assembly line.
In the midst of all the shops and homes, visitors find several restaurants and food stands meant to replicate dining from the past. Eagle Tavern, originally made for stagecoach travelers, provides authentic dining with costumed servers. Mrs. Fisher’s Southern Cooking lives up to its name with items ranging from fried chicken to sweet potato pie.
Other attractions that illuminate the industrial era in the village are the Railroad Junction, Thomas Edison’s Menlo Park Laboratory, and the home of Robert Frost.
The village has opened its doors to the public by hosting breakfast, lunch, and dinner banquets, wedding receptions, children’s summer camps, and educational field trips.
For more information visit www.thehenryford.org and click on Greenfield Village’s section or call (800) 835-5237.
A walk through Greenfield Village will not only educate the young and old about the industrial heights made by America’s greatest inventors, it will allow them to experience it first hand.
Amanda McIntosh is a Franklin College junior majoring in journalism with a focus on public relations and a minor in leadership.