Sunday, December 4, 2016

A Night In The Village

Greenfield Village.
In all of its finest holiday glory.
For those lucky to live in Michigan,
we have a 90 acre living museum,
which features actual homes from the 1600,
1700, 1800 and early 1900's.
It is also home to Menlo Park,
which was Thomas Edison laboratory,
which was moved from New Jersey.
The Firestone farm is a working farm,
This home was Harvey Firestone's grandparents.
 (founder of Firestone Tire)
 The home was moved from the Columbiana, Ohio area.
Bob and I went to the village Friday night for my birthday.


Holiday Nights at Greenfield Village
features the homes that were brought to the village
all decked out in Christmas for their time period.


The homes either have candle light,
or replicas of the Edison bulb lightning.
Some do have regular lighting for safety purposes.
We can thank our German ancestors for bringing
the Christmas tree to the U.S.
Table top trees were the first trees to be brought 
into homes.


Santa and two of his reindeer also
made an appearance.
Did you know that reindeer keep their antlers 
all through the Winter months and shed them in Spring.


Model T car rides and early cabs were available
to those who wanted to stand in line for the ride. 


Some of the homes Bob and I saw had covelets for rugs.


I put my flash on to show this gorgeous one off.


The Wright Bros. family tree is now a part of their
holiday home. The village came upon an actual
photograph of the family tree and replicated it this holiday.
Near the tree was the actual black and white photo enlarged
for all to compare. It was amazing how they were able
to pull this off. 


We visited the Susquehanna plantation.
This home was moved from Maryland and was built in 1860.
65 slaves provided the original labor for this
700 acre plantation which grew tobacco, and wheat.
Here the plantation was setting up for a Christmas wedding.


The menu was bean soup and ham with biscuits.
Slaves would have occupied the kitchen at the time.


The plantation daughters wedding dress & veil on the chair.
This rug was amazing as well!


Another home was ready for a fancy Christmas feast,
with red and green paper bells above.


This was a replica of Noah Webster's library.
He created the first dictionary.


A child's sled and skates lie on the floor.


Noah Webster's sitting area.


A rope bed with a bed warmer on top of the coverlet.


We were told by the reenactor in this home,
that if the handle of a pitcher were to break,
it was normal for the tinsmith to create a make do one.
Wish I had this blue and white beauty.


Another bedroom.


Orange pomanders were made to keep the home
smelling nice in the Winter as families lived in close 
quarters during the cold months.


The reenactor's had most of the fireplaces lit,
and those in the kitchens had meat cooking in them.
The smells of beef, turkey and ham were wonderful! 


This one room home is the oldest in the village.
I wanted to take everything here home with me.
Gorgeous early red paint furniture.


This dessert table was the bomb.

We spent 3 hours strolling around.
Lanterns lit the way along the roads.
They even had a large outdoor movie screen
playing the silent movie of a Christmas Carol.
We watched it for a few minutes..reading the subtitles.
There was even a police officer dressed from the 1930's
in the center of Main Street.
When a model T was coming, he would blow his whistle
for everyone to get out of the street.

For those of my friends who live here,
I strongly recommend you to go.
It is an amazing experience, and we never tire of visiting.

Do any of you have a similar place in your home state
to visit like this?

Christmas Village Blessings To All!
Janice

7 comments:

  1. It was nice to go through the village with you. I've been hearing the fireworks lately and I know how beautiful it is out there at Christmas. The last time I was there it was for the Titanic exhibit, it's a lot of walking for me. I also love going to the Henry Ford home at Christmas and maybe I can do that this year. It never gets old. My favorite house was the Webster one.

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  2. Happy Birthday Janice!! What a fantastic museum and way to spend your birthday celebration. I love all of the photos of interesting things you got to see. Its especially neat about the Wright Christmas tree as well. I know I would have loved to stand in line for a ride in the Model T as it has been a fantasy of mine since watching Downton Abby.

    I am so glad you had such a lovely evening and thanks for sharing all of the wonderful photos!!

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  3. we have a place called strawberry banks in Portsmouth NH. It was one of the first settlements in the new world and is amazing to tour as they have homes from all eras. they have carolers, a skating pond, and a bonfire. All the houses are decorated like they would have been in the time they were built. very inspiring to tour homes like that.
    Cathy

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  4. Hope your birthday was the best ever. Greenfield village is one of my favorite spots. Have a best ever tear to come.

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  5. Happy Birthday! This looks like a wonderful adventure! Thanks for taking us along.
    Robyn

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  6. Hi Janice,
    Happy Birthday!! Sounds like the perfect spot to celebrate!! I went to Greenfield Village when I was very young and did not really appreciate it then! So happy to revisit it with you now and loved seeing it through adult eyes!!
    Hope you have a wonderful week!
    Heart Hugs~
    Julie

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  7. Thanks for sharing. Going to Greenfield Village is on my bucket list - sounds and looks wonderful.

    Merry Christmas, Charlotte

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