Here you can learn about some of the artifacts from the Old Sturbridge Village collection. Please check back as the featured item will change periodically.

Freeman Family Register May 2008 Printed and freehand family registers became popular during the early 19th century, evolving from notations in the family Bible. Hanging a framed family register on the wall allowed families to keep track of births, marriages and deaths. Decorative family registers were often displayed in a family’s parlor. The Freeman family used this register as a practical record as well as a decorative piece. It was updated by various family members through 1894. This register was designed and printed by Kellogg and Comstock, a company with offices in New York City and Hartford, Connecticut. The company offered at least eight other family register designs. A reproduction of the original Freeman family was printed and hung in the Freeman parlor to protect the original from sun damage and wear. The Freeman Farmhouse re-opened in April 2008 after a chimney fire in June 2007. Though some things were kept the same, it was also an opportunity to bring in some fresh changes, like brand new wallpaper for the front rooms. Be sure to visit Freeman soon!

Bird Cage - Fishbowl April 2008 Parlor gardeners often added caged songbirds, most commonly canaries, to their indoor gardens. Goldfish were also popular houseplant companions. The double glass globe on top of this mahogany birdcage is designed so that the birds and fish can be kept together. This bird cage and fishbowl combination is made of mahogany and glass and was probably made in England circa 1800-1820. From the diary of William Bently, 1791: "(June) 12. Was politely received at dinner by Mr. Barrell, & family, who showed me his large & elegant arrangements for amusement, & philosophic experiments. His birds played in a globe surrounded with a globe of water in which the fish play."

Wallpaper in the Small House March 2008 This reproduction wallpaper was chosen for the Small House because it very closely resembles the first layer of wallpaper found in the Rice House, upon which Small House was modeled. This wallpaper is a block-print reproduction on hand-joined paper. Like its original, it was printed by hand using carved wooden blocks measuring about 19 inches square. The pattern is an exact copy of a wallpaper found in several houses and lining several trunks in Otsego County, NY. It is undoubtedly American and was probably produced in New York State although New England is a possibility. The original wallpaper dates about 1820, but may have been used as late as 1840 or 1850. It has only been found with a creamy ground or background, but at least two different blue variations were block-printed. The brilliant Prussian blue ground on this reproduction was produced especially for Old Sturbridge Village, to more closely match the first layer of wallpaper found in the Rice House.