An ordinary day on an “ordinary” bike

If you’ve been to Greenfield Village during the summer season, chances are you’ve seen the high wheel bicycles gliding gracefully through the streets – and then you’ve probably immediately asked yourself (or your travel companions), “How the heck does he get up there?!” 

Well, ask no more, my friend; Greenfield Village cyclist Jim O’Hagan will put your mind at rest.

These unique bicycles, properly known as “ordinary bikes” (although “ordinary” by whose standards?), came about around the turn of the century and were a luxury item to most.

So sit back and watch this video as Jim explains and then demonstrates how to ride these unique bicycles…and if you want to see them in person, hurry out to Greenfield Village – the summer season with all its old-fashioned games on the green, period-clothed strollers and ordinary bicyclists ends this Sunday, August 22!

Learn the One Step with our Ragtime Street Fair dancers!

Marie Stawasz, our intern in the Media & Film Relations department, recently learned a few ragtime dance steps to prepare you for this weekend’s big event in Greenfield Village, the Ragtime Street Fair, and Marketing intern Jacquelyn Piechotte compiled a fun video to show you, too! This dynamic event celebrates the food and fun of the era that defined ragtime music, a precursor to the jazz era. Whether the music sweeps you onto the dance floor, or the scent of freshly baked cherry crisp whisks you to the food tent, there are plenty of exciting things to enjoy this weekend at the Ragtime Street Fair!

“People can say what they like about rag-time. The Waltz is beautiful, the Tango is graceful, the Brazilian Maxixe is unique. One can sit quietly and listen with pleasure to them all; but when a good orchestra plays a ‘rag’ one has simply got to move.” – from Modern Dancing by Mr. & Mrs. Vernon Castle, 1914

This weekend, join our costumed presenters for a spin on the dance floor during Ragtime Street Fair.

As I walked up the main stairway of Lovett Hall into the Grand Ballroom, I could feel the pulse of dancing feet above. Nearly 50 members of The Henry Ford’s staff joined Nira Pullin, movement coach and musical theater choreographer at Wayne State University, for an evening of ragtime dance lessons in preparation for the fourth annual Ragtime Street Fair, held this weekend, July 24-25 in Greenfield Village.

Pullin taught them the basics of the most popular dance of ragtime – the One Step – so that they can teach our visitors as well during the event. This simple and popular dance requires each participant to take only one step to each count of the music, making it easy to stay in time with the tune.

Deemed as America’s original popular music, ragtime music can be described as having an uneven or ragged rhythm. Musicians such as Scott Joplin and Charles L. Johnson integrated European music with syncopated African and Latin American rhythms to create a unique sound that became popular in the 1890s and paved the way for music of the swing and rock & roll eras.

Now that you know your history, click on the link here to watch a video teaching the One Step – then join us this weekend at Ragtime Street Fair and show off your fancy footwork!

Historic Video of the Month: May Festival on the Village Green, Greenfield, Michigan, May 24, 1930

May is on its way out, and spring has finally established itself in this neck of the woods. Let’s close out the month with a May Festival held at Greenfield Village back in 1930.

In this celebration at Greenfield Village, approximately 250 children participate in versions of traditional May Day festivities. Some children carry arches of flowers, some are in costume, some are part of the queen’s court. We witness the crowning of the Queen of the May. Various old-fashioned dances are performed for the queen and her court, as taught by dance instructor and head of Greenfield Village Schools, Benjamin Lovett. (My favorite is the Jockey Dance!) Dances are also performed around a Maypole, and all participants take part in dancing the quadrille. The film closes with older children dancing in the Lovett Hall ballroom and an aerial view of Greenfield Village.

Noting that the festival was May 24, this archivist was somewhat surprised at finding it not uncommon for May Festivals to be held later in May, rather than on May Day, May 1 (having nothing more to go on than vague memories of elementary school Maypole dances–not to mention different connotations of the day, such as observances for the Labor movement and disaster preparedness for libraries, archives, and museums). Presumably this timeframe was built around when the weather got nicer in northern climes? Or perhaps it was the influence of the Dutch and later African American observances of Pinkster celebrated in late May or early June, some of which included Maypoles, and which, though tied linguistically to the church year–Pinkster deriving from the Dutch for “Pentecost”–were quite obviously also linked to the seasons and growing conditions. On the other hand, May Day and May Festival observances in Europe seem not to have been rigidly fixed to May 1. Did they party the whole month long? Sometimes they did, it would seem (with a translation into modern English courtesy of Wikipedia), or perhaps mixed and merged practices with other similar festivals.

Although the upcoming Memorial Day is a time of reverent, even somber, remembrance for many, let us also look to the joys of spring and warmer weather.

Doc Howard

Ever heard of Alonson Bingley Howard Jr.? Well he’s actually someone we know quite well here at The Henry Ford. We call him Doc Howard and his office and garden are located in Greenfield Village.

Doc Howard practiced in Michigan around the time of the Civil War. He was, as we say now, a homeopathic doctor – creating his own concoctions and medicines from natural sources such as herbs, spices, elixirs, poultices, pills, waters, chemicals and minerals.

Historic Video of the Month: “Ford at Greenfield Village and Ford Engineering Laboratory”

Every month, we feature a video from Film Source, The Henry Ford’s online collection of historic motion picture film shorts. The films were originally produced by Henry Ford’s motion picture department at Ford Motor Company, which began in 1914. These clips illustrate the impact of the automobile, industrial manufacturing and design, and many other aspects of American culture and everyday life, as well as glimpses of Henry Ford and his family and activities and scenes from Greenfield Village and the Henry Ford Museum. Staff at the Benson Ford Research Center continue to digitize, catalog, and upload more of these clips to our online catalog and to YouTube in order to make them accessible to a wider audience.

In just a little over two weeks, Greenfield Village opens for the season. In celebratory anticipation, let’s look at a film featuring the Village.

In this film from 1937, we see Henry Ford visiting with people in various historic buildings in Greenfield Village. He is shown passing by Cotswold Cottage–my personal favorite among the Village buildings ever since my childhood visits–which was then called Rose Cottage, and visiting Cotswold Forge to watch blacksmiths at work.

Next we see Ford discussing a circle of stones on the grounds with Edward Cutler, chief architect of the village, and examining a rare book (careful with that binding, please, Henry!) with two young women, probably Edison Institute students.

Also shown are Henry Ford and Robert Boyer in the Dearborn Engineering Laboratory, located in the Engine and Electrical Engineering Building (or “EEE Building”), adjacent to The Henry Ford, with a wooden pattern of a machine. The machine, unidentified, was probably related to soybean research. Boyer spent many years working on soybean-related products for Henry Ford.

When you arrive at Greenfield Village (since this clip has surely gotten you ready to visit as soon as it opens on April 15!), you’ll see, to the left of the fountain in the Josephine Ford Plaza, the Benson Ford Research Center (BFRC). Housed at the BFRC is the Greenfield Village Building records collection. Commonly known as the “Building Box” collection, it contains archival information, including text and photographs, about Cotswold Cottage and the other Greenfield Village buildings. In addition, the BFRC holds Ford Motor Company’s historic records, including other archival collections having to do with Henry Ford’s interest in and experimentation with uses for soybeans.

Curried Pork

Here’s another great recipe from our Executive Chef, Nick Seccia. Enjoy!

Curried Pork
Serves six

3 lbs. cubed lean pork from the shoulder or leg (we think pork from a local farmer works best)

Marinade
1 Tablespoon ground cumin
1 Tablespoon ground coriander
1 Tablespoon ground sumac
1 Tablespoon ground tumeric
1 Tablespoon ground oregano
1 Tablespoon dark chili powder
1 Tablespoon ground black pepper
1 Tablespoon kosher salt
2 Tablespoon brown sugar
¼ cup honey
¼ cup water
1 Tablespoon minced garlic
1 large yellow onion peeled and diced

1. Warm all of the spices together in a dry sauté pan over medium heat until a good aroma develops but do not burn.
2. Combine the rest of ingredients with the spices and mix in with the pork, coating completely
3. Cover and refrigerate for 48 hours

Sauce
2 cups chicken stock
1 cup plain low fat yogurt
Lime juice from 1 lime
½ dried whole cayenne chili crushed or 1 Teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 Tablespoon fresh cilantro chopped fine
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Drain pork, heat a deep pot on high heat and add 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil then add the pork sear the pork until browned on all sides
2. Add the chicken stock and simmer for about thirty minutes or until the meat is fully tender
3. Add the remaining ingredients, reduce heat to low and simmer for about ten minutes or until the sauce is thick and coats the pork

Pork and Apple Pie

This recipe comes from our Executive Chef Nick Seccia. Enjoy!

Pork and Apple Pie
As served at the Eagle Tavern, Greenfield Village
The Henry Ford
Serves six

3 each Bacon slices diced
1 Tablespoon of butter
3 Tablespoon of flour
4# Pork diced 1 inch by 1 inch
3 Apples peeled cored and cut into wedges
1 cup carrot diced
1 cup onions diced
1 cup celery diced
As needed Kosher salt
As needed White pepper ground
1 teaspoon thyme fresh chopped
1/8 cup sherry
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon ground
1 Quart apple cider
2 Quart pork or chicken stock or broth
1 each Baked nine inch pie shell

• Season the pork with salt and pepper and set aside
• Starting with a cool pan, add bacon and place over medium heat. Cook until the bacon is crisp and the oils are rendered out
• Add the pork to the bacon fat and cook until the bacon is golden brown
• Add the butter, carrot, onion, celery and thyme; cook until the vegetables are tender. Add in the flour and cook while stirring for about 2 minutes
• Add the sherry, cider, cinnamon and broth, reduce heat to low and simmer for about 20 minutes until the pork becomes tender and the broth has thickened. Season with salt and pepper if needed
• Serve in a deep bowl with crumbled pie shell on top.

We use Michigan raised apples, cider, and locally raised natural pork in our pork pie and recommend anyone who cooks this recipe to do the same for best results.

Get ready for “the most wonderful time of the year” at The Henry Ford!

The 25-foot Christmas tree is up and sparkling…wreaths and garlands are draped over everything that will stand still…and the carols are ringing through the air – it must be holidays at The Henry Ford!

This Friday, November 27 kicks off two of our seasonal daytime celebrations – the Holiday Homes Tour in Greenfield Village, and Holidays in Henry Ford Museum. Both offer a bevy of holiday delights for the senses, so here’s a quick run-down of what you can expect to experience during your visit to The Henry Ford this season.

Throughout the season, each weekend day until the end of December, the homes of Greenfield Village are filled with the sights and sounds of Christmas past. Of course, everything is decorated to the appropriate period of the home, so look for the subtle differences between each abode.

But one thing you can’t miss is the delectable scent of freshly-baked goods wafting through the homes – stop in and chat with some of our costumed presenters to find out how the home’s inhabitants prepared meals for the holiday season. They can’t offer you a taste, but to borrow a phrase, smells are free!

(By the way, there’s only one more week until one of our most popular programs, Holiday Nights in Greenfield Village, opens; make sure to get your tickets now – dates do sell out!)

On your way in to Henry Ford Museum, you’ll find freshly-cut greens for sale – everything from roping to wreaths to Christmas trees of every shape and size. You’ll probably notice the scent of these greens almost as soon as you see them; we work with a Nova Scotia tree grower raising balsam firs, so everything has that classic spicy scent.

And for some tips on how to decorate with all that gorgeous greenery, check out our video for creating a simple yet beautiful doorway entrance.

Henry Ford Museum is completely decked out for the season, including two huge can’t-miss elements: Our 25-foot Christmas tree in the Museum Plaza, completely covered in lights and American-made ornaments, and a model train circling a massive LEGO train display of Detroit’s downtown area, built by the Michigan LEGO Users Group.

And it isn’t really the holidays until you visit Santa! He’s in a new location this year, near the entrance to the Pewter aisle, so make sure you stop by and tell him your Christmas wish list. But, if you happen to miss him (he is a busy guy this time of year, you know!), don’t worry – you can always drop a letter to him in a mailbox made of LEGO bricks.

From all of us at The Henry Ford, we wish you a wonderful and warm holiday season – we hope to see you here soon!

Murrini Glass Process

This is a guest post by Glass Shop artisan, Marc VandenBerg.

New this year at The Henry Ford’s Glass Shop, we’ve been creating Murrini vases. A much more involved process compared to daily production. “Murrini” refers to pulled cane, when cut the cross section reveals either a picture or pattern. Historically, glassmakers created geometric patterns, similar in our product, or even detailed portraits of noblemen and scenes depicting places such as the canals of Venice.

What’s cooking at the Daggett Farmhouse?

I grew up next door to my grandparents on a small family farm. I remember my grandmother spending the latter part of her mornings in the kitchen fixing dinner for my grandfather and herself. The midday meal was their main one — usually a stick-to-your-ribs, meat-and-potatoes menu that filled the gap since breakfast and stayed with my grandfather until evening.

Turns out my grandparents’ meal routine in many ways resembled that of colonial farm families: a small, cold breakfast, followed by a big midday spread with lots of protein, and then a small evening meal. But colonial meals, such as those prepared in the Daggett Farmhouse in Greenfield Village, were much more dependent on the calendar.