Yesterday I spent the day with my youngest daughter, her friend, one of my sisters and her husband. We traveled to Michigan and back in time to visit Henry Ford’s Greenfield Village.
The very first thing we did was ride a Model T. Our group had to split into two and we road in two separate vehicles. The one I rode in was one of 6 historic reproductions made by Ford. ( I can’t remember the year these were made — Sorry) The driving tour on the Model T was a history of the car itself. The number of cars made, number of years in production. Location of the gas tank (I was sitting on it in the front seat). And how people differentiated their cars from all the other Model Ts on the road (mainly with special radiator caps and maybe a blanket or throw on the seats (no heat in these cars, so winter travel almost demanded a blanket). Top speed of the car 30-35.
We then road on a 1913 Carousel. I was able to ride on a frog. I’m sure I would have missed out on this if my recently married daughter had been with us.
We saw skits of the Wright Brothers, and a Waterford general Store. As an community theater actor, I was impressed by the way the period actors stayed in their roles. They told a good story and gave an insight into the times and life of the periods.
The afternoon continued with a horse drawn Omnibus ride and and also a ride on a steam locomotive. We had lunch after getting off the locomotive and walked to a 1860’s rules Base Ball game. The home team La Di Dahs were playing the Nationals. The pitching was underhand and they players wore no gloves. Foul balls caught on one bounce were outs. Players were warned if they did not keep their caps on their heads. Very interesting to watch ball played by the old rules.
Of course we walked around the Village. We went into a variety of buildings that exist. There was no way that we would be able to tour the entire village in 1 day, and we didn’t even try. It was a very enjoyable day.
Sounds like fun! The older I get, the more interest I have in history.
Vintage baseball seems pretty cool; I haven’t actually gotten to see it being played. If it’s something that interests you, you might want to follow the link:
http://wiki.vbba.org/
Weren’t the original baseballs bigger too, hence no need for the glove which as you said they didn’t wear?
The auto part sounds like a much better version of our own Volo auto museum- I definitely don’t recall rides in vintage (replica or not) automobiles.
Taylhis — We did have a lot of fun that day. I’m not sure how your kids would like it. I’m sure there is enough to keep the oldest one interested, but it may be a bit much for the younger set. I don’t remember seeing too many younger than 7 or so. If you’ve been to Sauder’s Village, try tripling the size and scope.
derek — The ball they used was about the same size as the current baseball. It was a little softer, but not by much. I noticed most of the throws had a bit of an arc to them. No high speed fastballs. The infielders seemed to stop more with their bodies than hands. I think it looks like a lot of fun.
(Actually CAC)
Sauders sometimes has had vintage games , I think one group is called the Muffins.
Another good place for vintage baseball is the Tiffin Heritage Fest. It’s at Hedges/Boyer Park, but I can’t find the dates. It’s in mid-September, I think.