I grew up here. ive been inside all those buildings. The general store used to sell penny candy and ice cream. We'd ride our bikes there. Man, those were good times.
I worked for Ford Motor Company 36 years before I retired . Old Henry set up a similar village outside of Detroit that’s still in operation today . It’s called Greenfield Village. It has period correct buildings and restaurants where they cook and serve food in dress of the day ,the place is a replica of an old village of the past. He also has Thomas Edison’s Original work shop there . He had it dismantled and reassembled there. Everything just as it was . He was good friends with Edison . Ole Henry was an eccentric man indeed .
Kids not riding bikes now is as disappointing as anything that has changed between my youth in the 50s and now. Why not have a place in this flat place to take kids out on bikes now? Probably too “dangerous.” I was wondering how there could be a story that would run 20 minutes but it did. A good one!
It was a thing in Japan centuries ago but I doubt anyone in the modern era would have them installed on purpose. Probably just squeaky. My stairs squeak and creak and definitely aren't supposed to.
@@JamesThomas-kx5sj That's how my stairs and floors are. I'll tell people the old PeeWee Herman, "I meant to do that." If I'm in my basement (where my TV room and office is) and somebody is upstairs looking to kill me, I'll hear them long before they get to me. Only a cat can walk quiet enough.
@@JamesThomas-kx5sj The houses my grandfather built all had a couple of steps on the stairs up to the bedroom level that he made deliberately squeaky. It's an easy trick. He showed it to me when I was ten or so. He was building houses up until the late seventies until the cancer took him. When you choose the boards to make the treads, you pick the ones that are bowed slightly. and install them bowed up in the center of the tread. Also used ungalvanized smooth finish nails to nail them down. the vertical travel of the boards is only a millimeter or three, but is enough.
@@terrencegibbons3351 yeah you ain't kidding. It actually breaks my heart because it was an awesome place to grow up. The drug thing was non-existent. If you smoked weed people would call you a junkie, nevermind dope. I owned a house there but I ended up losing it when I went to prison.
Very interesting, reminds me of Mr. Ford's Greenfield Village in Dearborn. I had no clue he tried to make something fairly similar but with full time residents. Thanks for the research and knowledge.
I immediately thought the same. Greenfield Village was apparently the runner up when this didn’t work, even down to the boys school on the premises. The chapel looks the same, the one room school house, the mill, etc
Ultimate irony: the very man who “wrecked” America with his polluting “automobile for the masses” running on a hard to maintain road network pines for the olden days. Definitely a monkey’s paw wish.
It's so interesting to see Ford's other projects. As a Michigander from the Detroit area, I've been to the Henry Ford museum complex a number of times over the years, but only in recent years learned and then briefly visited the company town area Ford operated in the Upper Peninsula for wood milling and iron mining.
Also go to Green Field Village outside of Detroit that Ole Henry had built. It’s still operating today a little replica village with restaurants where they dress and serve food from another time . He also has Thomas Edison’s workshop there .He had it deconstructed and reassembled there ,along with everything that was in it when Edison died .
Fordlandia in Brazil is another one. Tried carving a rubber plantation out of the Amazon jungle when scientific understanding of tropical diseases was rudimentary and effective therapies for most of them were non-existent. I believe it was abandoned by Ford before WWII but there are fascinating videos out there of people still living in the area.
@@Don-xc9yj my favorite ford estate is the pagoda house on grosse ile. you should check it out if you arent familiar, it was used for transporting alcohol during the prohibition. there was a tunnel that ran under west river dr to a small building in the woods across the street from the house that was perfect for bringing booze in and out of detroit
This is amazingly made, incredibly engaging content about an extremely interesting subject! Thank you for the literal and figurative distance you went to make this video!
I grew up in Bedford in the 60’s/70’s. My sister was married in that chapel. Been there many many times. It’s wonderful. Even took my wife’s parents there last year and enjoyed cocktails and appetizers out on the lawn. So peaceful. I would recommend a visit by anyone who can. All of you content is top notch! Thank you for that 🙏 Especially as I am a complete History Nut. Two of my friends I grew up with were direct descendants of Minuteman that fought at the Battle of Concord/ the Old North Bridge. Keep your videos coming. We all enjoy them very much!
Maybe his boss just gave him crappy orders, that could not work and never would? No machines, no cement mixer, and no digging allowed. Just make it work. Sounds like some IT jobs.
I grew up in Concord and went to this wall a few times in the 70's. I'm glad to see it open with safety fence on it. When I went it was closed and you had to sneak in, and that wall was sketchy at night. I never knew or heard about how it was made. I also went on School trips to the Wayside Inn and never heard the Ford story. Very interesting.
One of the most criminally underrated channels on yt. Each video regardless of the subject matter is full of well-researched information that's just a joy to listen to/watch for anyone who enjoys learning. Just letting you know, you may not get million of views/subs, but those of us that ARE here really appreciate you and what you do.
@@JohnCompton1 Underrated; adjective "not rated or valued highly enough." Fun, educational videos created by people who are passionate about niche subjects are not valued enough on this platform. (But you're allowed to disagree.)
I grew up in Sudbury. I lived on the other side of Nobscot Hill, but my best friend lived about 3/4 of a mile away from the dam. We would hike there through the woods from his house all the time, later riding mini bikes around the woods. It didn't have a fence on it at the time. During high school, I rode my Yamaha DT 175 across it faster then I should have. (Don't tell my mom!🤣) Great place to grow up.
In the early 90s I went to a wedding at the grist mill, later in the day I learned calligraphy at the little schoolhouse while writing Mary had a little lamb. I was 6(?)Thanks for unlocking a happy childhood memory!
This absolutely put me in mind of Greenfield Village in Dearborn! I grew up going there on field trips and it really was exactly like how you described Ford's goal. If I remember correctly, Greenfield is even connected to the Henry Ford museum. I had no idea about the first attempt!
I recently discovered your channel - I'm not from the USA, hailing from Glasgow, Scotland, but you put out wonderful content - well worth checking out.
@@bonniemoerdyk9809 Hi Bonnie - my immediate reaction was to think "I've never considered uploading any videos". However, I suppose there's no reason not to - I'd need to work out what to shoot, and how to go about it, which might take a bit of time. In the meantime, I will look out some Scotland specific channels for you, though I can't promise any Glasgow specific channels. I'll keep note of your comment, and if I can come up with anything I'll let you know. Where are you based yourself?
@@bonniemoerdyk9809 Hi Bonnie: Fandabi Dozi - very engaging presenter, with channel featuring many aspects of Historical Highland life. Scotland History Tours - great presenter visiting all over Scotland while sharing history lessons. Calum - bit different perhaps. Very good presenter from Raasay sharing a wide variety of eclectic content. Seanthesheepman - a shepherd sharing his life with his Border Collies. Beautiful scenery too. Sorry I can't provide actual links, as UA-cam will take down the comment, but if you type in the name of each, exactly as I've written it the search should yield the correct results. I'll try to find more. I'd maybe start with Scotland History Tours - loads of great stories.
Another great video. Your brand of story telling never gets old and I loved the image you painted of John Campbell. Legit could imagine being him going there every day and just being dumbfounded with that stream
This guy makes me feel smart just watching these videos. That wall goes on forever! My favorite part was when he ran to the Outhouse. Did not expect that. Something very "Monty Python" about him. He's having too much fun and I am jealous. I cracked up when he said, " I've got to go look up so and so and see what happened to him".
My dad grew up as a neighbor to Henry Ford in Dearborn, a suburb of Detroit, before he became rich. His father and Henry Ford would box in his basement. When we walked through Henry Ford's old house in Greenfield village my dad filled in some gaps they had about the houses history. Very cool, I am still a big Henry Ford fan.
We had the same Mill in Clarkston, MI. Henry Ford built that, too. The mill was torn down but the pond remains. You do great work, bro. Much talent! Thank you.
Yes, old Henry was a busy man in Clarkston, dam building and structures for teaching how to use his tractors. The old High School on M-15 was one of Henry's. Trails around Deer Lake are testimony to those students and their school super, Old Henry. Not a perfect man, but then again, those are rather rare, eh?
I live in Southborough and work in Marlborough, it's really cool to learn about my immediate area. Drive by there all thee time and never knew Ford had anything to do with it! Keep making videos on the area, I'll be watching it all!!!
Just went there today. The dam is around a mile away from the wayside inn itself. Look for Nobscot conservation/Fords Folly trail. The small parking area, which connects to the trail is on brimstone Lane… a very narrow hill of a road. When you park, cross the street and head on the trail going downhill, not up. There is good information on Google about it. From the car to the actual dam is about a 10 or 12 minute walk. Definitely worth the trip. Enjoy.
Sometime you should look up the giant Bosworth gravestone in Eastford CT at Westford/Church Rd. We had always heard that he hated his family so much that he put all his money into the headstone instead of letting them inherit his money. Always wanted to know if it was true....
I remember going to the Wayside Inn on a school field trip in 1973. I was in 3rd grade. After watching this, I realize what a waste it was to take such young children to such an historic place with such a colorful history. I was way too young to appreciate it. Thank you for the video. I live 3 hours away now, I think I'll revisit with an adult perspective.
Henry Ford was in some ways a simple man. Son of a farmer with a simple education. His mechanical ability was learned by doing and that was what he did best. He created the Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village in Dearborn Michigan. That is the largest collection of the historical artifacts and buildings of this Country. Henry Ford like most of us had some faults but he also had many good qualities. He saved many historic buildings and artifacts by purchasing them and moving them at great expense to a central location where future generations could visit them. You should visit the Henry Ford Museum and Greanfield Village to see the many original buildings such as the bike shop where the Wright Brothers built their first airplane. This and many other places and things would have rotted or rusted away had Henry not had the foresight to save them.
What an excellent piece! Great job researching and putting this together. As someone who lives in New England and loves its’ history - this was surprisingly new to me. Thank you for introducing us to this! Great job.
That's actually pretty cool, and i appreciate the farmers preventing some rich dude coming in and ruining the land even though he made a museum showing the old times
I love your videos! They fill me with a particular sense of exploration that I don't quite have the words to describe. In addition, the 3:4 aspect ratio is fantastic and makes me feel like I'm in a home video or a 90s PBS doc.
Sounds like Henry Ford wanted to create another historical living museum like Greenfield Village near Detroit. I went to a lecture there one time that told how Ford and Walt Disney used to discuss innovative design principles on how to set up and run an amusement park for a mass audience based on presenting America's small town history, how much Disneyland is shaped by Ford's ideas. Their influence even spread into the culture to the extent that neighborhood subdivisions in the expanding suburbs of the time started using the design idea of being a separate entity with limited access/entries and roads that avoid all of the the gridlike regularity used with most other streets in a city. Ford succeeded creating his living museum with Greenfield Village, but not so much in Massachusetts. Very interesting video. Thanks for posting.
I grew up in Framingham the next town over. Back in '86 my older brother and his friend were driving around in his jeep at night and found access to this dam. He came back to the house and grabbed me and some of my friends. We went back at 11 pm and drove all around out there. Walking across it at midnight was a blast. No fences at the time just a gate at either end. Made several trips over the years. It used to have hundreds of acres of wood around it. Unfortunately they built huge houses almost right up to it. Some good time drinking out there with friends.
Henry Ford's attempt to turn Sudbury into some sort of idyll-museum reminds me of Marie Antoinette and her "farm" at Versailles (Hameau de la Reine), or King Charles III's pet project, Poundbury. Funny how the absurdly rich always want _someone else_ to live in their rustic utopia.
lived in Sudbury my whole life. Never knew about the dam, or the outhouse. School trips and family visits mostly focused on the Inn, the mill, and the schoolhouse. The chapel is a popular wedding venue.
Very grateful for your wit and your willingness to look at things in the way that you do. This piece is a real gem and, for me, the first of your submissions that I have watched. Very much looking forward to watching your other submissions here. Next time I'm mucking about in the woods I'll take a sip with you in mind!
Great show! My Grandmother actually taught school in the Little Red Schoolhouse, and my father was one of her students. I went for a tour of the school when I was a student in nearby Wayland; she gave the tour, which I wasn't expecting!
Hey man, I appreciate this video. I hike around this area all the time. I knew the vague story but this really helped put everything in perspective. Not sure of you've covered the "witches" caves in Ashland MA, but that could make an interesting video. Keep up the good work.
Ford seems to have enjoyed taking important buildings to put in his museums. He also imported Edison's lab, a courthouse Lincoln practiced in, and the Wright Brothers' shop, home, and even garden shed to his museum in Michigan. It seems like he decided to focus on that instead. I think they even still have people acting out 19th century living.
In the mid 80s my wife played for a wedding in the chapel. It occurred in a huge snow storm, yet the sun came out for a while at just the right time. There was a grand Victorian horse-drawn carriage. The whole occasion was like something out of a storybook by Longfellow, one of my favorite poets. Ford, IMHO, was one of the greatest men whoever lived.
In 1978 I lived on Route 20 in Marlborough just west of the Wayside Inn. One day a friend and I decided to go for a hike on the trails across Rt 20 from the Inn. As we walked we came upon the stone wall and marveled at its random location and bewildering purpose. While walking across the top we met an older couple who told us the story of Henry Ford and the dam that wouldn't hold water. At that time there was no fence.
This reminds me of Ford's Greenfield Village Near Detroit, MI. (20900 Oakwood Blvd, Dearborn, MI 48124). A fantastic 'living village" outside the Henry Ford Museum. I made a special trip there to see the museum and village and still feel it was well worth it.
Good stuff! Those old capitalists were so eccentric. Ford was a fascinating man. Never knew about this. Now I have to take a trip up to see it! Thanx for a good history lesson.👍🇺🇸❤️
Ford trying to make a old time village is like a cross between Marie Antoinette with her pretend village crossed with Disney's desire for an Americana theme park.
He created one at The Henry Ford in Dearborn. He moved buildings from multiple historic sites to MI and reassembled them. The Wright Brothers' cycle shop in Dayton is a replica. The real one is in MI. Edison's lab isn't in NJ, it's in MI now. 😀
There are several in the Northeast that I can think of...and they're a wonderful idea. One near me, in Cooperstown NY is the Farmer's Museum. They brought in and reassembled all sorts of stone and wooden buildings...even an old carousel. It's not a theme park. It's actually a working farm and small town, complete with employees in period outfits. Wonderful place!
Plimouth Plantation is museum.in Plymouth run as a living museum but they got a new Exec Dir slhe decided employees were too expensive fired the native Americans and decided signs and interpretive hearing devices would be better for the visitors also changed the name so no one could find it looking it up. You can imagine attendance dropped due to COVID and the 400th anniversary of Pilgrim landing was a bust after all that planning.
$300, 000 in 1923 is worth $5, 381,508.77 in 2024. For 1½ acres of land, which works out at $3, 587,672.51 per acre. That's an astonishing price for any piece of land, never mind in a rural setting.
I really enjoy your well researched story telling. I hope that your water is filtered and that you’ve also researched the water quality ahead of time. I was just reading about a river in Massachusetts that has a problem with PCB’s.
I live in southeast Kentucky,the red bird national game preserve in the Daniel boone national forest, the land where red bird is was at one time owned by Ford ,people lived there long ago but now its a park and game preserve with trails and roads and campgrounds.
Nice history and keeps Henry Ford name living, hopefully J... dont burn it down. Also nice to learn that you can broke your ancle on the ice like a Finland.
The school and outhouse reminded me of a story my mother told. We moved to North Granby, CT sometime before I was born in 1950. My mom had been to teachers college, and there was an actual one room school there. She substitute taught occasionally. But here’s the funny thing. That part of Connecticut is on the Southwick Jog. If you look at the Massachusetts border, it’s a straight line except for one place where it dips south for a little. The outhouse was across the state line, and the kids, when they had to go, would say “Miss, I need to go to Massachusetts “.
Their dream of barging into a community, destorying their traditions, upending the ecology to fit their whims - all to implement a reenactment of colonization of indigenous lands. Glad billionaires dream so people can slave for them.
I grew up in Sudbury and me and my friends would hang out here, I had my first kiss in the grist mill. It’s a magical place, though the ticks are fierce. I miss it so much.
There are old one room schoolhouses, still standing, all over the northeast. We have a whole bunch of them in northeast Pennsylvania. In fact, you can actually visit one that still operates as a bar/restaurant a few miles north of Honesdale, PA(on Hwy 670). It's called The Red Schoolhouse. There have been some additions added over the years, but I still remember visiting with my grandfather in the 80s, when it was still just one room. It was an old country farmer bar, and we'd get lunch while out fishing. The food was really good though, and the restaurant business started booming, which is when the additions became necessary.
My grandpa knew Henry Ford, he was an engineer in Buffalo, NY where Ford built plants. He said Henry Ford sent Lincoln Towne cars to pick up his skilled workers like my grandpa. I was shocked by Ford's connection to 1920s & .30s Germans though!
It wasn’t just him a lot of industrial and celebrities such as Charles Limberg were pro German much like the Mega cult are pro Russian now . History repeat’s itself. Hopefully we’ll stop it before it goes full circle this time .
Lived in Wayland/Sudbury for 16 years, never saw that dam. Got married at Ford's Martha Mary Chapel with wedding pics at the Grist Mill (like everybody does). I think the Country Store is in nearby Marlborough. Thought I knew all of Sudbury's history, but I learned a lot listening to this
I grew up here. ive been inside all those buildings. The general store used to sell penny candy and ice cream. We'd ride our bikes there. Man, those were good times.
Years later, I had cocktails with my parents at the Wayside Inn. We ate some pumpkin - pudding sort of thing. Period style. That was fun times too.
I had the same experience. Really is something anyone would benefit from. I’d love to see kids these days have someone of that.
I worked for Ford Motor Company 36 years before I retired . Old Henry set up a similar village outside of Detroit that’s still in operation today . It’s called Greenfield Village. It has period correct buildings and restaurants where they cook and serve food in dress of the day ,the place is a replica of an old village of the past. He also has Thomas Edison’s Original work shop there . He had it dismantled and reassembled there. Everything just as it was . He was good friends with Edison . Ole Henry was an eccentric man indeed .
Kids not riding bikes now is as disappointing as anything that has changed between my youth in the 50s and now. Why not have a place in this flat place to take kids out on bikes now? Probably too “dangerous.” I was wondering how there could be a story that would run 20 minutes but it did. A good one!
We use to go up there and hang around in the 1970s before they built houses all around.
"Man's life is a battle against water, and water usually wins." A wise man once said, thanks for this video!
Was it a roofer?
Yeah, water has all day every day to figure out a way around you.
Yep. Water never gets tired and there’s always more.
Ask any structural engineer. Water is the true enemy.
Wasn't Moses 😁
I love the shot of the broken up old car, sitting in the stream next to Henry Ford's failed dam. Perfect irony.
It was a dodge 😂
@@Olds_GoldI know I bet they feel stupid 🤷🤣🤣
The stairs making "noise " is a true thing. They're called "nightingale" stairs. People install them to detect thieves and assassins.
"But Mr. Ford Sir, here in Sudbury?"
"Of course you haven't seen any you ignorant fools! They're NINJAS!"
"I'll get right on it Sir."
It was a thing in Japan centuries ago but I doubt anyone in the modern era would have them installed on purpose. Probably just squeaky. My stairs squeak and creak and definitely aren't supposed to.
Where do you find those?
@@JamesThomas-kx5sj
That's how my stairs and floors are. I'll tell people the old PeeWee Herman, "I meant to do that." If I'm in my basement (where my TV room and office is) and somebody is upstairs looking to kill me, I'll hear them long before they get to me. Only a cat can walk quiet enough.
@@JamesThomas-kx5sj The houses my grandfather built all had a couple of steps on the stairs up to the bedroom level that he made deliberately squeaky. It's an easy trick. He showed it to me when I was ten or so. He was building houses up until the late seventies until the cancer took him. When you choose the boards to make the treads, you pick the ones that are bowed slightly. and install them bowed up in the center of the tread. Also used ungalvanized smooth finish nails to nail them down. the vertical travel of the boards is only a millimeter or three, but is enough.
“People aren’t gonna do that, right?” You’d think that! I worked at Greenfield Village for 10 years, people are VERY into it lol
It’s gone now right?
@@swamp-yankeeno, it’s still open. Our family went 2 summers ago.
@@cherylschantz9893 ah, I thought of something called old greenfield village that used to be on the Mohawk trail
That's the kind of job I would LOVE! Other than being crippled and almost 70, I'd do it. Love me some History!!
South Park agrees with you.
I'm a Southie guy. I've always been nuts for local history. Your channel is PHENOMENAL, I'm so glad I found it.
Southie is soo gentrified
@@terrencegibbons3351 yeah you ain't kidding. It actually breaks my heart because it was an awesome place to grow up. The drug thing was non-existent. If you smoked weed people would call you a junkie, nevermind dope. I owned a house there but I ended up losing it when I went to prison.
@FrithonaHrududu02127 What’s up brother! Grew up in Southie also. Old Colony and East 2nd St
@@EdHealey88were you the inspections guy. I'm from o and third
Very interesting, reminds me of Mr. Ford's Greenfield Village in Dearborn. I had no clue he tried to make something fairly similar but with full time residents. Thanks for the research and knowledge.
I immediately thought the same. Greenfield Village was apparently the runner up when this didn’t work, even down to the boys school on the premises. The chapel looks the same, the one room school house, the mill, etc
Ultimate irony: the very man who “wrecked” America with his polluting “automobile for the masses” running on a hard to maintain road network pines for the olden days. Definitely a monkey’s paw wish.
It's so interesting to see Ford's other projects. As a Michigander from the Detroit area, I've been to the Henry Ford museum complex a number of times over the years, but only in recent years learned and then briefly visited the company town area Ford operated in the Upper Peninsula for wood milling and iron mining.
Check out the Haven Hill estate in Highland recreation area & the power plant in Milford.
Also go to Green Field Village outside of Detroit that Ole Henry had built. It’s still operating today a little replica village with restaurants where they dress and serve food from another time . He also has Thomas Edison’s workshop there .He had it deconstructed and reassembled there ,along with everything that was in it when Edison died .
@@donaldpiper9763 I grew up in Onsted but both parents were born and raised in Detroit. This was probably his first attempt at a greenfield village.
Fordlandia in Brazil is another one. Tried carving a rubber plantation out of the Amazon jungle when scientific understanding of tropical diseases was rudimentary and effective therapies for most of them were non-existent. I believe it was abandoned by Ford before WWII but there are fascinating videos out there of people still living in the area.
@@Don-xc9yj my favorite ford estate is the pagoda house on grosse ile. you should check it out if you arent familiar, it was used for transporting alcohol during the prohibition. there was a tunnel that ran under west river dr to a small building in the woods across the street from the house that was perfect for bringing booze in and out of detroit
The ice throwing at 16:30 is pretty satisfying, thanks for sharing that moment with us!
Sitting here in SW Florida in shorts and a T getting ready to go to work in February - it's REAL satisfying to see.
I think it is awesome that he built something that is still standing. I like it.
This is amazingly made, incredibly engaging content about an extremely interesting subject! Thank you for the literal and figurative distance you went to make this video!
Hey, thank you! Really appreciate such a nice comment!
I grew up in Bedford in the 60’s/70’s. My sister was married in that chapel. Been there many many times. It’s wonderful. Even took my wife’s parents there last year and enjoyed cocktails and appetizers out on the lawn. So peaceful. I would recommend a visit by anyone who can. All of you content is top notch! Thank you for that 🙏 Especially as I am a complete History Nut. Two of my friends I grew up with were direct descendants of Minuteman that fought at the Battle of Concord/ the Old North Bridge. Keep your videos coming. We all enjoy them very much!
Campbell was a genius for milking Ford for as long as he was able to lol. I believe he could have fixed that dam at any given time.
Like scraping the whole surrounding surface area clean and lining it with 6 inches of clay?
At least Ford was a literary genius. Some awesome books.
Maybe his boss just gave him crappy orders, that could not work and never would? No machines, no cement mixer, and no digging allowed. Just make it work. Sounds like some IT jobs.
@@solariss452that’s what I was thinking
@@solariss452 Just what I was thinking. Wyoming Bentonite would work best
I grew up in Concord and went to this wall a few times in the 70's. I'm glad to see it open with safety fence on it. When I went it was closed and you had to sneak in, and that wall was sketchy at night. I never knew or heard about how it was made. I also went on School trips to the Wayside Inn and never heard the Ford story. Very interesting.
One of the most criminally underrated channels on yt. Each video regardless of the subject matter is full of well-researched information that's just a joy to listen to/watch for anyone who enjoys learning.
Just letting you know, you may not get million of views/subs, but those of us that ARE here really appreciate you and what you do.
Hey thank you! very nice comment
Underviewed, for sure. Underrated not so much...
@@JohnCompton1 Underrated;
adjective
"not rated or valued highly enough."
Fun, educational videos created by people who are passionate about niche subjects are not valued enough on this platform.
(But you're allowed to disagree.)
I grew up in Sudbury. I lived on the other side of Nobscot Hill, but my best friend lived about 3/4 of a mile away from the dam. We would hike there through the woods from his house all the time, later riding mini bikes around the woods. It didn't have a fence on it at the time. During high school, I rode my Yamaha DT 175 across it faster then I should have. (Don't tell my mom!🤣) Great place to grow up.
I lived near there, too, on Bowditch Road. I wonder if we ever crossed paths.
In the early 90s I went to a wedding at the grist mill, later in the day I learned calligraphy at the little schoolhouse while writing Mary had a little lamb. I was 6(?)Thanks for unlocking a happy childhood memory!
Old Sturbridge village is Fords dream come true.
This and Plymouth Plantation
This absolutely put me in mind of Greenfield Village in Dearborn! I grew up going there on field trips and it really was exactly like how you described Ford's goal. If I remember correctly, Greenfield is even connected to the Henry Ford museum. I had no idea about the first attempt!
Me too. I am from Onsted
Love your content man. It's so atmospheric, it helps me escape a little from my everyday life.
Hey, thanks! Glad you like it
It's amazing the length of time of storytelling without any hesitation. It is great listening to you!
I recently discovered your channel - I'm not from the USA, hailing from Glasgow, Scotland, but you put out wonderful content - well worth checking out.
My ancestors are from Glasgow area, maybe you could do some videos from your area? I'd watch!! 😊💙🤍
@@bonniemoerdyk9809 Hi Bonnie - my immediate reaction was to think "I've never considered uploading any videos".
However, I suppose there's no reason not to - I'd need to work out what to shoot, and how to go about it, which might take a bit of time.
In the meantime, I will look out some Scotland specific channels for you, though I can't promise any Glasgow specific channels.
I'll keep note of your comment, and if I can come up with anything I'll let you know.
Where are you based yourself?
@@bonniemoerdyk9809 Off the top of my head, @Fandabi Dozi and @Scotland History Tours are both excellent channels.
@@bonniemoerdyk9809 Hi Bonnie:
Fandabi Dozi - very engaging presenter, with channel featuring many aspects of Historical Highland life.
Scotland History Tours - great presenter visiting all over Scotland while sharing history lessons.
Calum - bit different perhaps. Very good presenter from Raasay sharing a wide variety of eclectic content.
Seanthesheepman - a shepherd sharing his life with his Border Collies. Beautiful scenery too.
Sorry I can't provide actual links, as UA-cam will take down the comment, but if you type in the name of each, exactly as I've written it the search should yield the correct results.
I'll try to find more.
I'd maybe start with Scotland History Tours - loads of great stories.
@@ianmacfarlane1241 my bonnie lies over the ocean
Another great video. Your brand of story telling never gets old and I loved the image you painted of John Campbell. Legit could imagine being him going there every day and just being dumbfounded with that stream
This guy makes me feel smart just watching these videos. That wall goes on forever! My favorite part was when he ran to the Outhouse. Did not expect that. Something very "Monty Python" about him. He's having too much fun and I am jealous. I cracked up when he said, " I've got to go look up so and so and see what happened to him".
My dad grew up as a neighbor to Henry Ford in Dearborn, a suburb of Detroit, before he became rich. His father and Henry Ford would box in his basement. When we walked through Henry Ford's old house in Greenfield village my dad filled in some gaps they had about the houses history. Very cool, I am still a big Henry Ford fan.
We had the same Mill in Clarkston, MI. Henry Ford built that, too. The mill was torn down but the pond remains. You do great work, bro. Much talent! Thank you.
Yes, old Henry was a busy man in Clarkston, dam building and structures for teaching how to use his tractors. The old High School on M-15 was one of Henry's. Trails around Deer Lake are testimony to those students and their school super, Old Henry. Not a perfect man, but then again, those are rather rare, eh?
Another great video, keep 'em coming!
Thank you!
3:11 “A living, breathing recreation of how we used to live” is how the tourist attraction, Greenfield Village in Detroit, markets itself!
Sturbridge Village in western Mass has one also.
Mumford (spelling?) historical village in Western New York as well
not unrelated, apparently a second attempt at the same thing
Sounds like Old Sturbridge Village, also in Massachusetts.
I live in Southborough and work in Marlborough, it's really cool to learn about my immediate area. Drive by there all thee time and never knew Ford had anything to do with it! Keep making videos on the area, I'll be watching it all!!!
Loved this whole presentation. Excellent research. You won my subscription.
Great video. I live 50 miles away and will make a visit in March. Thanks
Just went there today. The dam is around a mile away from the wayside inn itself. Look for Nobscot conservation/Fords Folly trail. The small parking area, which connects to the trail is on brimstone Lane… a very narrow hill of a road. When you park, cross the street and head on the trail going downhill, not up. There is good information on Google about it. From the car to the actual dam is about a 10 or 12 minute walk. Definitely worth the trip. Enjoy.
This video was so incredibly informative and entertaining! I live locally and didn't know any of this history!
Sometime you should look up the giant Bosworth gravestone in Eastford CT at Westford/Church Rd. We had always heard that he hated his family so much that he put all his money into the headstone instead of letting them inherit his money. Always wanted to know if it was true....
interesting, thanks for the tip!
Thanks for leaving this comment, cuz we got a fantastic dimestore video out of it!!
@@LetsGoEV It was very good. ;-) I live right down the road from the grave stone.
I remember going to the Wayside Inn on a school field trip in 1973. I was in 3rd grade. After watching this, I realize what a waste it was to take such young children to such an historic place with such a colorful history.
I was way too young to appreciate it. Thank you for the video. I live 3 hours away now, I think I'll revisit with an adult perspective.
Henry Ford was in some ways a simple man. Son of a farmer with a simple education. His mechanical ability was learned by doing and that was what he did best. He created the Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village in Dearborn Michigan. That is the largest collection of the historical artifacts and buildings of this Country. Henry Ford like most of us had some faults but he also had many good qualities. He saved many historic buildings and artifacts by purchasing them and moving them at great expense to a central location where future generations could visit them. You should visit the Henry Ford Museum and Greanfield Village to see the many original buildings such as the bike shop where the Wright Brothers built their first airplane. This and many other places and things would have rotted or rusted away had Henry not had the foresight to save them.
Thank you for submitting this information. Ford was a great man.
@@StanEby1he was also pen pals with hitler…
Pfft!
Henry Ford done business with Hitler and the Nazis he wasn't that good of a man. Pos, his family came from my part of Ireland. Screw him
@@chrisrageNJ He also agreed to stop building cars and start building planes and tanks to fight Germany.
What an excellent piece! Great job researching and putting this together. As someone who lives in New England and loves its’ history - this was surprisingly new to me. Thank you for introducing us to this! Great job.
I’m so glad I found this channel!
I like your Chapter Breaks of shattering ice sheets across the frozen pond.
Rock wall looks like it belongs to the outer ramparts of a castle.
That's actually pretty cool, and i appreciate the farmers preventing some rich dude coming in and ruining the land even though he made a museum showing the old times
Very old New England. Just goes to show you can’t buy your way in to the community, and you aren’t really a local for at least a couple of generations
Sounds like that little stream's the real hero, glad it won. Great history and presentation.
I love your videos! They fill me with a particular sense of exploration that I don't quite have the words to describe. In addition, the 3:4 aspect ratio is fantastic and makes me feel like I'm in a home video or a 90s PBS doc.
Very interesting 👍👍. Thanks for sharing with us. Judy
Just discovered your channel, great stuff..you have an excellent sense of storytelling
Sounds like Henry Ford wanted to create another historical living museum like Greenfield Village near Detroit. I went to a lecture there one time that told how Ford and Walt Disney used to discuss innovative design principles on how to set up and run an amusement park for a mass audience based on presenting America's small town history, how much Disneyland is shaped by Ford's ideas. Their influence even spread into the culture to the extent that neighborhood subdivisions in the expanding suburbs of the time started using the design idea of being a separate entity with limited access/entries and roads that avoid all of the the gridlike regularity used with most other streets in a city.
Ford succeeded creating his living museum with Greenfield Village, but not so much in Massachusetts. Very interesting video. Thanks for posting.
Interesting, I was just thinking "he should speak to this disney guy" and I guess he did
Great video man, I’ve been to the Wayside Inn and around the area a few times, but I never knew about the dam.
Well done sir! Well researched, great production, very engaging!
Loving the variety in content! These sorts of videos are so interesting 😁
Your videos are really cool!!! And yes. My mom doesn't oil her front gate so that she can hear people coming in. LOL! It's a thing.
I grew up in Framingham the next town over. Back in '86 my older brother and his friend were driving around in his jeep at night and found access to this dam. He came back to the house and grabbed me and some of my friends. We went back at 11 pm and drove all around out there. Walking across it at midnight was a blast. No fences at the time just a gate at either end. Made several trips over the years. It used to have hundreds of acres of wood around it. Unfortunately they built huge houses almost right up to it. Some good time drinking out there with friends.
Henry Ford's attempt to turn Sudbury into some sort of idyll-museum reminds me of Marie Antoinette and her "farm" at Versailles (Hameau de la Reine), or King Charles III's pet project, Poundbury. Funny how the absurdly rich always want _someone else_ to live in their rustic utopia.
Except Ford didn't tax the shit out of people to build his dream.
Ford had projects in other Countries as well..had his hand in a lot of ventures.
lived in Sudbury my whole life. Never knew about the dam, or the outhouse. School trips and family visits mostly focused on the Inn, the mill, and the schoolhouse. The chapel is a popular wedding venue.
museums dont' typically have exhibits about themselves :)
I grew up in Sudbury and heard parts of all these stories. We use to ride our bikes down to the area and explore it. Great video.
Great video. Thank you!
Thank you for watching!
Very grateful for your wit and your willingness to look at things in the way that you do. This piece is a real gem and, for me, the first of your submissions that I have watched. Very much looking forward to watching your other submissions here. Next time I'm mucking about in the woods I'll take a sip with you in mind!
As a person in South Dakota I think this would be fun. And not far from how we already live
Nice video and historic review. You've got my attention!
Great show! My Grandmother actually taught school in the Little Red Schoolhouse, and my father was one of her students. I went for a tour of the school when I was a student in nearby Wayland; she gave the tour, which I wasn't expecting!
fun video. great sideline on ford showing he made mistakes too, just like we all do.
Who ever built it did a damn fine job!
That's dam nice of you to say!
This video was full of so much neat information, thanks for sharing!
The original John Brown Bell from Harper's Ferry, WV sits in a tower about 4 miles west of Wayside Inn on Route 20 in Marlborough, MA
Quality content....ahhhh refreshing. Keep it up. You spin a mighty web in short time my friend. Awesome new channel sub.
Hey man, I appreciate this video. I hike around this area all the time. I knew the vague story but this really helped put everything in perspective. Not sure of you've covered the "witches" caves in Ashland MA, but that could make an interesting video. Keep up the good work.
Glad you liked the video! and thanks for the tip!
I just found your channel. Very refreshing and interesting topics. You seem so relaxed in front of the camera. Great job , keep up the good work. ❤
I just learned something new today, thanks. Very well done video.
Thanks. I knew all about Greenfield Village, I’ve even been there. Had no idea Ford tried a similar thing in Sudbury, MA.
Ford seems to have enjoyed taking important buildings to put in his museums. He also imported Edison's lab, a courthouse Lincoln practiced in, and the Wright Brothers' shop, home, and even garden shed to his museum in Michigan.
It seems like he decided to focus on that instead. I think they even still have people acting out 19th century living.
Your video is very captivating and your research and knowledge base is excellent. This video is very down to earth and educational . 👍🇨🇦
In the mid 80s my wife played for a wedding in the chapel. It occurred in a huge snow storm, yet the sun came out for a while at just the right time. There was a grand Victorian horse-drawn carriage. The whole occasion was like something out of a storybook by Longfellow, one of my favorite poets.
Ford, IMHO, was one of the greatest men whoever lived.
In 1978 I lived on Route 20 in Marlborough just west of the Wayside Inn. One day a friend and I decided to go for a hike on the trails across Rt 20 from the Inn. As we walked we came upon the stone wall and marveled at its random location and bewildering purpose. While walking across the top we met an older couple who told us the story of Henry Ford and the dam that wouldn't hold water. At that time there was no fence.
This makes me think of the movie "the Village".
Thankyou for the video 🙏 I'm no engineer, but I think this place was created for a different reason than Ford implied.
Just a hunch.
I absolutely love this history!!! Great video!
John Blake Campbell , master of the water wheel,died age 97 in Pennsylvania and is buried in Virginia
The trick with the cellar stairs seems likely to be true. It’s the same concept as a nightingale floor.
Very interesting, great story.
This reminds me of Ford's Greenfield Village Near Detroit, MI. (20900 Oakwood Blvd, Dearborn, MI 48124). A fantastic 'living village" outside the Henry Ford Museum. I made a special trip there to see the museum and village and still feel it was well worth it.
Amazing what strange hobbies lurk in the hearts of the suddenly ridiculously wealthy!😄😊
Good stuff! Those old capitalists were so eccentric. Ford was a fascinating man. Never knew about this. Now I have to take a trip up to see it! Thanx for a good history lesson.👍🇺🇸❤️
still are. some have learned to keep their yap shut sometimes is all.
Ford trying to make a old time village is like a cross between Marie Antoinette with her pretend village crossed with Disney's desire for an Americana theme park.
He created one at The Henry Ford in Dearborn. He moved buildings from multiple historic sites to MI and reassembled them. The Wright Brothers' cycle shop in Dayton is a replica. The real one is in MI. Edison's lab isn't in NJ, it's in MI now. 😀
There are several in the Northeast that I can think of...and they're a wonderful idea.
One near me, in Cooperstown NY is the Farmer's Museum. They brought in and reassembled all sorts of stone and wooden buildings...even an old carousel.
It's not a theme park.
It's actually a working farm and small town, complete with employees in period outfits. Wonderful place!
Olde Sturbridge Village, and Colonial Williamsburg are similar ideas.
Plimouth Plantation is museum.in Plymouth run as a living museum but they got a new Exec Dir slhe decided employees were too expensive fired the native Americans and decided signs and interpretive hearing devices would be better for the visitors also changed the name so no one could find it looking it up. You can imagine attendance dropped due to COVID and the 400th anniversary of Pilgrim landing was a bust after all that planning.
Ford did make a historic village. It is called Greenfield Village and still runs
Great story. Learned something here. thanks 🙏
$300, 000 in 1923 is worth $5, 381,508.77 in 2024.
For 1½ acres of land, which works out at $3, 587,672.51 per acre.
That's an astonishing price for any piece of land, never mind in a rural setting.
maths
I really enjoy your well researched story telling. I hope that your water is filtered and that you’ve also researched the water quality ahead of time. I was just reading about a river in Massachusetts that has a problem with PCB’s.
Boy, he could get good and sick not boiling the water. He must be aware of that. It worries me. He seems like a bright guy though.
Boy, maybe educate yourself on the contagion myth.
He was using a lifestraw.
You're far more likely to die from natural bacteria than manmade pollution
“Ford’s climbing wall”Stup! Great climbing wall. Change perspective!
Missed opportunity on the "Pepperidge Farm remembers" joke.
I live in southeast Kentucky,the red bird national game preserve in the Daniel boone national forest, the land where red bird is was at one time owned by Ford ,people lived there long ago but now its a park and game preserve with trails and roads and campgrounds.
Nice history and keeps Henry Ford name living, hopefully J... dont burn it down. Also nice to learn that you can broke your ancle on the ice like a Finland.
The school and outhouse reminded me of a story my mother told. We moved to North Granby, CT sometime before I was born in 1950. My mom had been to teachers college, and there was an actual one room school there. She substitute taught occasionally. But here’s the funny thing. That part of Connecticut is on the Southwick Jog. If you look at the Massachusetts border, it’s a straight line except for one place where it dips south for a little. The outhouse was across the state line, and the kids, when they had to go, would say “Miss, I need to go to Massachusetts “.
Thankfully there are people that dare to implement their dreams. Fascinating.
Their dream of barging into a community, destorying their traditions, upending the ecology to fit their whims - all to implement a reenactment of colonization of indigenous lands. Glad billionaires dream so people can slave for them.
I grew up in Sudbury and me and my friends would hang out here, I had my first kiss in the grist mill. It’s a magical place, though the ticks are fierce. I miss it so much.
There are old one room schoolhouses, still standing, all over the northeast. We have a whole bunch of them in northeast Pennsylvania. In fact, you can actually visit one that still operates as a bar/restaurant a few miles north of Honesdale, PA(on Hwy 670). It's called The Red Schoolhouse. There have been some additions added over the years, but I still remember visiting with my grandfather in the 80s, when it was still just one room. It was an old country farmer bar, and we'd get lunch while out fishing. The food was really good though, and the restaurant business started booming, which is when the additions became necessary.
Well this is a pretty damn cool video.
My grandpa knew Henry Ford, he was an engineer in Buffalo, NY where Ford built plants. He said Henry Ford sent Lincoln Towne cars to pick up his skilled workers like my grandpa. I was shocked by Ford's connection to 1920s & .30s Germans though!
Yep, Ford & Hitler were chums! Ford's political views were not what most Americans adhered to.
It wasn’t just him a lot of industrial and celebrities such as Charles Limberg were pro German much like the Mega cult are pro Russian now . History repeat’s itself. Hopefully we’ll stop it before it goes full circle this time .
It's okay. You have lived your entire life propagandized
‘The victor is the little stream, bubbling along’. Perfect, Thanks
Lived in Wayland/Sudbury for 16 years, never saw that dam. Got married at Ford's Martha Mary Chapel with wedding pics at the Grist Mill (like everybody does). I think the Country Store is in nearby Marlborough. Thought I knew all of Sudbury's history, but I learned a lot listening to this
He did the same thing in Dearborn Michigan, it’s called Greenfield Village, a working town from the past. It’s really cool!
I’ve been to Dearborn MI several times and absolutely love the living history museum. Shame it didn’t work out over there