HISTORICAL HIGHLIGHTS
Events: Gleaner has Greenfield Village history
Upcoming events include the Indianapolis Zoo, Cedar Point, a Chicago cruise, and Greenfield Village. Gleaner members’ first glimpse of Greenfield Village was in 1930 — more than two years before the outdoor museum opened to the public. On Sept. 24, members will have a chance to return at discount prices for one of this year’s remaining Gleaner Life Family Day events. The Gleaner Society came of age in the same era as Henry Ford’s automotive transformation. It’s no wonder Society members enjoy the twin museums Ford created to preserve America’s history of invention and progress. You can ride in a Model T at Greenfield Village, a historic community showcasing 400 years of life. Artisans use 1900s-era techniques, farmers and animals demonstrate work on the Firestone Farm, and a railroad runs through Main Street. It includes famous buildings such as Thomas Edison’s workshop, Ford’s birthplace and his Mack Avenue factory, the Wright brothers’ bicycle shop, a replica of Independence Hall, plus the homes of ordinary Americans back to the 1760s. You can also shop for historic foods at the Village Store or the Farmers Market. A complimentary lunch is included with each $20 ticket. Gleaner employee Mabel Clare Ladd was connected to Ford’s wife Clara through the National Farm and Garden Association. Ladd received a 1930 tour to see the village’s progress. She described each of the buildings, and quoted Henry Ford describing it as, “A living textbook of human and technical history.” She also described lunch at the Clinton Inn, built in 1831 as the first hotel on the Detroit to Chicago road. It was the first building moved to the village in 1927. The village opened to the public in 1933, and has hosted many Gleaner events. Next door to Greenfield Village is The Henry Ford museum, where visitors can see and experience thousands of items. Trains, planes, and automobiles. Modular homes and microprocessors. Historic clothing, furniture, and 12
\ Spring 2022 \ Forum Magazine
The December 1930 edition of The National Gleaner Forum included a sneak peek at the unfinished Greenfield Village, more than two years before it opened to the public.
farm equipment. Items showcase American freedom from the revolution to modern civil rights events. Visitors also have hands-on opportunities such as sitting in the seat of an overland touring car, cranking up electricity, or learning in the Mathematica exhibition. Gleaner members attending Greenfield Village on Sept. 24 also will receive a ticket for The Henry Ford museum that they may use one time, any day. That allows them to return another day at their convenience if they choose, while focusing on Greenfield Village’s attractions on Gleaner’s Family Day. The day coincides with a special extra, the Fall Flavor Festival, which is jam packed with local vendors and their wares. Even with hundreds of years of progress, there’s always something new and interesting at Greenfield Village.
The Sunrunner, a 1990 solar-powered car that raced in the U.S. and Australia, was added to Henry Ford Museum. It was built and raced by University of Michigan students including John Hensler, who had received a Gleaner student loan. It is located today at the museum’s Welcome Center. www.gleanerlife.org
