MTFCA Forum

Filmed at the original site of the Henry Ford Birthplace at Ford Road and Greenfield (SE corner). Post-1919 after it's first renovation by Henry, moved to Greenfield Village in 1944.

I'm not quite sure those were actually period correct clothes. I think it was staged?
Norm

The communications tower, high voltage distribution power lines and train
in the background might lead one to think it was taken more recently.
Harry

Mid 30's I would say. That traction engine was maybe only 30 years old when that was filmed. But fun clip.

Harry Lillo wrote: ↑

Thu Oct 21, 2021 10:15 pm

The communications tower, high voltage distribution power lines and train
in the background might lead one to think it was taken more recently.
Harry

The "communications tower" is a windmill and the high-tension lines run down the middle of Greenfield Road (to this day, still) and as for the train that is the old D.l.&N. R.R. (Detroit Lansing and Northern) which was acquired by the Pere Marquette Railroad. Here is a link to a Plat Map from the Library of Congress that shows the Ford property in the upper right corner (cropped image below). https://www.loc.gov/resource/g4113wm.gl ... 76,0.799,0

It was quite normal around the world for men to dress in what today we would call 'formal attire' for their normal labours. A poor man would be seen in less formal dress, and it was a way for people to distinguish poor from slightly well heeled workers, be they farmers, road builders etc. Don't forget that railway employees, as an example had to always wear a uniform which involved a collar and tie.

Fun Video, thanks for posting. Some kind of promo, well dressed actors serving as rear ballast, and transplanted stumps, but very enjoyable, jb

Could that have been one of the grandkids? Possibly Henry II or Benson?

I’d agree the clothing looks more 1930s than early Ford-era. But it’s worth remembering that our idea of “period correct” dress is often simplified. In many rural or industrial settings, men did in fact work in jackets and ties, not always out of vanity but because it was still a social norm. Even railroad workers or road crews were expected to look “respectable” with a collar and cap.

Another layer here is that films like this were often promotional pieces for Ford. It wouldn’t be surprising if the company dressed the actors a bit better than the average farmhand to project a modern, professional image. You see the same thing in other industrial films of the time, a blend of reality and staged presentation.

So even if the clothes aren’t what every working man wore in the field, they do tell us something about how Ford wanted the public to see them. And that makes the footage just as interesting.

That communications tower looks much like the microwave towers used to boost telecommunications in country areas. I can remember such being erected in the 1960s along our interstate highways. They are still extant in some areas but are fitted out to serve more as mobile/cell phone towers these days.

Allan from down under.

The item in the center of this photo is not a communication tower. It is the Stover windmill that was original to the Ford property. The Stover is unique in that the directing vane is next to the fan blade and not behind it.

Ford Bryan donated the current Stover windmill that is at the Ford homesite. It is mounted on a shorter tower so it is more visible.

Greenfield Village Stover

TMiller6 wrote: ↑

Sat Sep 13, 2025 8:16 am

The Stover is unique in that the directing vane is next to the fan blade and not behind it.

Tom,

I believe that many windmills had this feature. The vane is meant to hinge in order to fair the fan during high winds or when the mill is meant to be stopped. The self-fairing windmill will adjust it's vane to govern the speed of the fan. Other windmills had the same feature, but done in different ways.

Thanks Jerry. I was misinformed.

I touched the current windmill after it was donated. They were rebushing the fan shaft in the A&S Machine shop across the road and had part of it in a vise.

The Title says "90 Years Ago! Pulling Tree Stumps With Steam Engine - Classic Tractor Fever" so that's mid 1930's
One women are wearing cardigan sweater - (Practical mix-and-match apparel secured the cardigan’s place in women’s clothing in the 1930s and 1940s, when the Great Depression and then wartime rationing limited wardrobe sizes.) Another indicator is the dress hem length, it crept up since then

Thanks Thomas for clearing this up. I did not think it was a windmill because the fan was seen from the side and the tail was in the "parked" position. Our mills worked the same way. The tail is used to keep the fan square to the wind when the mill is operating. It is drawn to the side to effectively take the mill out of action.
We had a T club member who was a windmill mechanic/serviceman. He built up a wonderful collection of old machinery and cars in his rounds. "You can see for miles from the top of a mill tower" he told me.

Allan from down under.