Some Favorite Village Building Images

The shed at 58 Bagley Avenue, where Henry Ford built his 1896 Quadricycle, was long gone when Greenfield Village opened. But Ford’s old friend Charles Brady King tracked down the house — relocated but still standing then — and Ford removed some bricks to use in his Bagley Avenue Workshop replica. I love that added detail. — Matt Anderson, Curator of Transportation

When I first saw this photograph, I had just come back from a walk through Greenfield Village, where I had passed by Susquehanna House. The difference between the abandoned house shown here and the cared-for look the house has now made me pause. To me, this photograph serves as a reminder of the effort made here to preserve everyday history. — Jennifer O’Hare, Collections Specialist

I thought the dismantling photographs were the most interesting, and like that this one shows not only the basement, but also the interior condition of the Sarah Jordan Boarding House before being moved to Greenfield Village. — Laura Lipp, Collections Specialist

Antiquarian Mary Dana Wells purchased Daggett Farmhouse in 1951, moving it from Andover, Connecticut to Union, Connecticut. Wells lived in the house until 1977, when she donated it to Greenfield Village. These interior photos from Wells’s tenure show that along with colonial furniture, the house was also equipped with electric lights, a telephone, and a television! — Alison Greenlee, Librarian

Ackley Covered Bridge was the first "building" we tackled during the course of this digitization project, and the bored little boy at the dedication ceremony (seen here in the lower left) immediately caught our attention. Who hasn't been stuck someplace you'd rather not be? — Ellice Engdahl, Digital Collections & Content Manager

Another favorite of mine, Eagle Tavern, formerly Clinton Inn, from right here in Michigan! Though it was moved to THF’s campus long before my time, I love being able to drive past the original site on my travels up north. It’s also my go to lunch destination when I’m not working and visiting the Village! — Jillian Ferraiuolo, Digital Imaging Specialist

The Martha-Mary Chapel is an important part of my own history — my parents were married there, around the time this photo was taken. — Jim Orr, Image Services Specialist

I’m especially awestruck when visiting the Wright buildings in Greenfield Village because Orville Wright participated in their restoration. Wright, initially baffled that Henry Ford wanted such an “ordinary” structure, brokered the house’s sale. He then provided furnishings and books original to the home, and helped to locate remaining equipment used in the cycle shop. — Matt Anderson, Curator of Transportation

The layout of this photograph is what struck me the most, lying in the middle of the Village Green and you can still see glimpses of the buildings around the edge. It’s a neat way to take another look at the buildings and probably not a view most people would think to look at! — Jennifer O’Hare, Collections Specialist

Before the Dymaxion House came to Henry Ford Museum, it was home to a former Fuller Houses Inc. employee and his family. William Graham used Buckminster Fuller’s Dymaxion house prototypes to build this unique lakefront home. I love imagining what life was like for the Grahams, who inhabited their two-story hybrid into the 1970s. — Saige Jedele, Associate Curator, Digital Content

Hands down, one of my favorite pictures of the Sarah Jordan Boarding House, not only because I love the history behind the building (the temporary home for workers at Menlo Lab), but this photo was taken on the original site in New Jersey with Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, and others posing on the porch. — Jillian Ferraiuolo, Digital Imaging Specialist

Most of the photos Henry Ford had taken of his buildings on their original sites were less than artistic — they served sheerly documentary purposes, and look it. Some of the photos of the Farris Windmill strike me as a little different — the photographer played with light and fog to achieve something more than just documentation. — Ellice Engdahl, Digital Collections & Content Manager

Antiquarian Mary Dana Wells purchased Daggett Farmhouse in 1951, moving it from Andover, Connecticut to Union, Connecticut. Wells lived in the house until 1977, when she donated it to Greenfield Village. These interior photos from Wells’s tenure show that along with colonial furniture, the house was also equipped with electric lights, a telephone, and a television! — Alison Greenlee, Librarian