Troy Historic Village

There's something about a brand new year that has us feeling like things are looking up.

Do you know where this stairwell is located?

?

📸 Image: Picture is pointing upwards in the space between stairs.

Only a few spots left to join these mischief makers tomorrow morning!

Hi, Cheddar's Friends!

We hope you'll join us tomorrow for this year's first Cheddar's Preschool Story Time on January 3 at 10:30am. This month we're reading Corduroy by Don Freeman, and our theme is Teddy Bear Invasion!

We'll read the story, sing songs, make crafts, and most importantly - play games!

Sneak peak of what we'll be doing:

🐭 Learn about a very old teddy bear modeled after President Roosevelt
🐭 Make teddy bear art using tweezers and cotton balls
🐭 Snack on Teddy Grahams and fruit
🐭 Use play dough and do other fun hands-on activities like sort buttons by shape and color, and help line up all of our stuffies shortest to tallest!

Ms. Laura and Cheddar can't wait to see you! Find out more and register on our website!

"We like to celebrate ringing in the new year with a big delicious supper... this year, mouse is the main course!"

"WHAT! Digger you said if I sat in this pot you would push me like I was on a swing!"

"I'm just joking, Cheddar, we're going to forage the human kitchen for yummy treats! See you all next year!"



📸 Cheddar the Mouse sits in a cast-iron pot near a fireplace while Digger the Groundhog giggles in the foreground.

"Hi, everyone! Cheddar the Village Mouse here inviting you to join me and Ms. Laura for our Preschool Story Time next Wednesday January 3rd! I'm having so much fun with Digger and our friends while the humans are away, but my most favorite time of the month is when all my friends join me for a story, songs, crafts, and most importantly - games!

This month we're reading Corduroy by Don Freeman, and our theme is Teddy Bear Invasion!

🐭 Learn about a very old teddy bear modeled after President Roosevelt
🐭 Make teddy bear art using tweezers and cotton balls
🐭 Snack on Teddy Grahams and fruit
🐭 Use play dough and do other fun hands-on activities like sort buttons by shape and color, and help line up all of our stuffies shortest to tallest!

Digger told me to tell you to click this link to register now, whatever that means: https://www.troyhistoricvillage.org/programs/cheddars-preschool-story-time/

I can't wait to see you! Now, back to the no-humans-allowed fun!" 🐭

"'Jingle Bells' is the secret the humans left us to decode with the cipher from Spies, Lies, and Mysteries, Cheddar."

"Are you sure it's not supposed to say 'Digger Smells'?"

"Very funny, Cheddar! Maybe it's supposed to be 'Cheddar laid an egg'!"



📸 In between remixing their favorite holiday songs, Cheddar the Mouse and Digger the Groundhog use a cipher to decode a secret message in the Poppleton School. "Jingle Bells" with a backwards s is written on the chalkboard behind them.

"Hey, Blossom, how are you so fast? I thought you said you had bad knees?"

"No, Digger, I said I'm the bees-knees as sack races!"

"Less talking, more hopping, Digger and Blossom! You'll never catch me!"



📸 Cheddar the Mouse leads the line of puppet-sack-racers with Blossom the Bee right behind him in second place. Digger the Groundhog is in third place.

"I think if we try hard enough, we can tip the brand-new outhouse over! Make sure to use your wedge as a lever, Digger & Mr. Gray."

"Thanks for joining our fun, Mr. Gray! The humans will never suspect our hijinks to have gone OUTSIDE, too!"



📸 Image: Cheddar the Mouse, Digger the Groundhog, and Mr. Gray the Gray Squirrel try their best to tip over a wooden never-before-used outhouse. The outhouse is easily twelve times the size of the puppets, but many paws make hard work seem easier.

"Hey, Cheddar, listen to the song I've been working on:

🎼 I ain't nothin' but a groundhog,
smilin' all the time,
I ain't nothin' but a groundhog,
playin' all the time" 🎼

"Wow, Digger! That's so good! But, it definitely needs MORE cowbell!"



📸 Cheddar and Digger ignore our "Please Don't Touch" sign on the piano in the church and are sitting on the keys with a few other instruments (most importantly, a cowbell).

"Is your Subzero Chillibrator running?.... Well then you better go catch it!!"

"Good one, Digger! While the humans are away we can stay up late and watch all the movies we want as many times as we want! And get some fun ideas like telephone pranks from the Grinch."

📸 Image: Digger is speaking and telling jokes into the mouth piece of our General Store's Western Electric telephone while Cheddar is listening to the ear piece.

“Great idea to mix the puzzles, Cheddar! Let’s swap game pieces from ‘Peter Coddle’s Trip to New York’ and ‘Commerce’ next!” 🐭

📸 Image: Cheddar the Mouse and Digger the Groundhog spread holiday cheer and puzzle pieces all over the Parsonage.

“Roasting marshmallows is s’more fun in an 1800s log cabin! Thanks for getting the fire started, Digger. Using flint and steel is a lot harder than using matches!” 🐭

📸 Image: Digger the Groundhog and Cheddar the Mouse roast marshmallows over a lit candle inside the Log Cabin, probably making a big sticky mess.

“It’s the last week of December, Cheddar. And you know what that means. The museum humans are gone until January 2. We can take over!” 🐭

📸 Image: Digger the Groundhog and Cheddar the Mouse sit by the Christmas tree inside Niles-Barnard House, contemplating a week’s worth of shenanigans.

When you visit Caswell House at the Village nowadays, you step back in time to the 1860s. But some of Solomon Caswell's descendants lived in the home well into the 20th century! Pictured here is Inez Caswell, Solomon's granddaughter, in the living room of the Caswell House at Christmastime.

📸 Image: View of Miss Inez Caswell, seated in a rocking chair in the living room of the Caswell House next to a small Christmas tree.

Don't forget to add cast iron piggy banks and bisque-made dolls with leather hands to your gift list! We would add them to ours, but we already have some!

Do you know where today's is located?

📸 Image: From left to right- a cast iron piggy bank, picture frame with a nature scene, bisque-made doll, and lamp sitting on top of a wooden desk. In the background is floral lavender-colored wallpaper.

We ❤️ fan mail! Last year 9,660 students spent a day with us at the Village. Many found themselves seated at a desk inside Poppleton School, where they were transported from their regular classroom to a 19th-century one-room schoolhouse—an experience that enabled them to understand the perspective of others.

Those experiences are made possible with your support! Your annual gifts support staff salaries and the supplies needed to provide field trip experiences at affordable rates to our schools. If you wish to make a donation, please visit https://www.troyhistoricvillage.org/donate-now/

📸 Image: A letter to Village staff from some of our 3rd grade friends and their wonderful teacher! It says: "Dear 'Miss Post' and Carolyn, Thank you for the education on pioneers. We liked when we heard about how students were punished back in the 1880s. We enjoyed making butter in the log cabin. We had fun at the log cabin and the schoolhouse, and we learned words like the 3 R's, pioneer, chinking, and yoke. Thank you for having us! Your friends, The third graders."

Today’s the last day to experience the magic of Victorian Christmas at the Village!

Doors are now open, and our costumed reenactors are waiting to share the festive activities of the season with you! Our docents will take you to the first three stops where you’ll spend time with reenactors as they perform activities of the season like playing games, decorating, exchanging gifts with each other, and calling on friends.

We also have lots of fun old-timey goodies for sale in our General Store. Purchase your ticket at the door with cash, credit card, or Apple Pay.

Make sure to get here before our last entry at 2:15pm, or wait until next year!

Doors are now open for Victorian Christmas!

Come by the Village tonight for a festive evening with costumed reenactors. Docents will guide you to our first three stops where you’ll get to experience the sights, sounds, and smells of the era. You can expect to spend 1 - 1.5 hours here for the program.

You can visit our website to purchase tickets, or pay at the door. Cash, credit card, and Apple Pay are accepted!

Make sure to get here before our last time slot at 7:15pm. 🎄

📸 Two gentlemen dressed in Victorian era clothing are opening the door of the church welcoming you inside.

Find out what Laura Ingalls Wilder got for Christmas, learn some new recipes, and create a fun family tradition during our Victorian Christmas program this weekend!

Costumed reenactors will perform activities of the season like playing games, decorating, exchanging gifts, and calling on friends. After spending time with them on our tour, you can explore the Village to make your own pomander craft, shop our General Store for goodies, view our Christmas traditions mini-exhibit with not-so-often-displayed artifacts, and sip on some hot cider or cocoa. Even if you've joined us before, we've got brand-new stories to share- plus, we've rearranged the Parsonage House!

Saturday we're open from 10am - 1pm and again from 5pm - 8pm. You can purchase your tickets in advance on our website, or in person when you arrive with cash, credit card, or Apple Pay. Check our website for suggested arrival times!

Visit our website for more info: https://www.troyhistoricvillage.org/programs/victorian-christmas/

Did you know that Troy once had a Junior Fire Department? This photo was taken in 1954. A young Jim Halsey is holding a sign that says "No Hunting in Troy Township." Hunting was outlawed in Troy in 1951 because the increase in the city's population made it unsafe.

📸 Image: A group photograph of part of the Troy Township Junior Fire Department. Sitting in front is John C. Truesdell. Standing left to right are: Jim Halsey, Kenny Teasdale, and Jack Gill.

Happy ! Do you know where you'll find this Detroit Stove Works kettle on display?

📸 Image: An iron kettle with the words "Detroit Stove Works" and an image of a bird and a crown on its lid. The kettle is sitting on an iron step stove, with a braided rug and brown wooden floor visible in the background.

What makes a house a home? Could it be a warm fire to curl up in front of, children playing and laughing in the hallways, the aromatics of holiday decorations, a delicious home-made treat waiting at the table for us, friends join in festive celebrations? There are, of course, endless ways of tailoring the comfort of your own home to your own preferences. And, just like we do today, the Victorians also took pride in the space they called home.

At the end of the week, we are welcoming costumed reenactors to call the houses in the Village home for the weekend during our Victorian Christmas program. They'll decorate for the holidays, prepare period-inspired dishes for themselves, and demonstrate other activities of the season like games, exchanging gifts, and calling on friends. Join us in celebrating the season and seeing the Village in a new (candle)light.

To find out more and register now, visit our website: https://www.troyhistoricvillage.org/programs/victorian-christmas/

📸 Image (from top left and clockwise): a table decorated with traditional holiday decorations like popcorn and dried orange peels; a person in a red dress is removing a pot from the fireplace; close up of a decorated tree; two costumed reenactors dressed in Victorian era clothing await guests' arrival; seven dishes with various seasonal meals on a table; one person is standing and styling the hair of the person sitting in front of them.

Jane Austen is best known for her writing, but she was a pretty talented quiltmaker, too! Pictured here is a quilt made by Jane, her sister Cassandra, and their mother. It is made of at least 64 different fabrics, and is on display at Chawton House in England. The pattern is made up of over 3,000 diamond-shaped pieces of fabric, handstitched together.

You can see a reproduction version of this large, beautiful quilt made by Troy Historic Village volunteer Susan Lindsey at our Tea program this Thursday! Join us on December 14 at 2pm, when Barb Gulley of Barb's Tea Service presents "A Jane Austen Christmas." Sign up today! https://www.troyhistoricvillage.org/programs/teas-at-two/

Thursday Teas are sponsored by Oakmont Manor Senior Community and Oakmont Sterling Senior Community.

📸 Image: The lower half of the Jane Austen quilt, on display behind glass inside Chawton House. Photo credit: Kevin and Susan Lindsey.

The word “Advent” comes from the Latin word adventus, meaning “coming” or “arrival.” The tradition of counting down the days until Christmas goes back to mid-19th century Germany, where Protestants made chalk marks on doors or burned candles to count the days. Gerhard Lang is credited with producing the first Advent calendar in the early 1900s.

Here at the Village, we're counting down the days until our Victorian Christmas weekend (December 15-17)! Experience Christmas during the 1850s-60s. Costumed reenactors will perform activities of the season like playing games, decorating, exchanging gifts, and calling on friends. Also enjoy music, kids’ crafts, Christmas traditions mini-exhibit, and hot cider and cocoa.

Details and registration: https://www.troyhistoricvillage.org/programs/victorian-christmas/

📸 Image: A group of costumed reenactors from last year's Victorian Christmas event pose in front of Caswell House.

Did you know? Before the Secretary of State issued driver's licenses, uniformed employees of the Oakland County Sheriff, including Norine Ballentine, performed this job. Ballentine came to Troy each week to distribute licenses.

📸 Image: Sharlene Hooper (standing) & Norine Ballentine (sitting) in an office, circa early 1960s. Ballentine is wearing an Oakland County Sheriff's Deputy uniform. Caption "Sharlene Hooper & Me" is written in red ink along bottom margin.

Guess what day it is?! !

Any idea where these spines can be found?

📷 Image: A row of more than ten McGuffey Fourth Reader books sit on a shelf. The binding is a deep maroon color.

🍳 Ham, fried potatoes, oysters, corn meal muffins, waffles, omelets...breakfast is served, Victorian style! Yum!

Join us inside Niles-Barnard House for "Breakfast with the Victorians" on Sunday December 17. Eat period-inspired dishes, chat with reenactors, and enjoy some mid-1800s entertainment as you immerse yourself in the Victorian Christmas season!

This small and intimate gathering is only available for the first 25 guests. Register: https://www.troyhistoricvillage.org/programs/breakfast-with-the-victorians/

📸 Image: A simple but tasty table setting from last year's Victorian Christmas event. This year, you're invited to join the reenactors for a full and delicious meal!

December was a special time for Jane Austen, a time to celebrate both her birthday and Christmas! Join us on December 14 for our next Thursday Tea when Barb Gulley of Barb’s Tea Service will discuss Jane’s life, residences, novels, and how the Austen family and characters in Jane’s books celebrated Christmas during the Regency era.

Register: https://www.troyhistoricvillage.org/programs/teas-at-two/

Thursday Teas are sponsored by Oakmont Manor Senior Community and Oakmont Sterling Senior Community.

📸 Image: Barb Gulley at one of Jane Austen's houses, Chawton Cottage, in Hampshire, England.

Today's the last day for Cocoa & Crafts with Santa at the Troy Historic Village! Come tell Santa and Mrs. Claus all your biggest and brightest holiday wishes, craft a bunch of keepsakes, and play a bunch of fun games!

You can purchase tickets at the door with cash, card, or Apple Pay. Last admission is at 1:30pm, so see you soon! Come experience the magic yourself!

Find our more information by visiting our website: https://www.troyhistoricvillage.org/programs/cocoa-crafts-with-santa/