Croft Collection: Reel 11, Greenfield Village 1944

This home movie, part of the Croft Collection, was filmed in 1944 at Greenfield Village in Dearborn, Michigan, likely in Kodachrome by an amateur filmmaker named Croft. Capturing a family outing during WWII, the silent reel showcases the open-air museum founded by Henry Ford, a living snapshot of American history. The footage likely opens with the Croft family—perhaps parents and kids in 1940s attire—strolling past restored buildings like the Wright Brothers’ cycle shop or Thomas Edison’s Menlo Park lab. Vintage Model Ts rumble along dirt paths, driven by staff or caught in candid motion, while horse-drawn carriages clip-clop by, evoking a pre-industrial past. Scenes might include kids peering into a blacksmith’s forge, adults admiring a steam locomotive, or a picnic near the village green, with wartime rationing subtly hinted at in modest lunches. The camera pans across clapboard homes, windmills, and craft demos—pottery or glassblowing—reflecting Greenfield’s mix of nostalgia and education. A personal, vibrant record of a wartime escape into America’s roots.