Daily events are subject to change.
Wednesday, May 10, 2023
Welcome to Old Sturbridge Village, a recreated 1830s rural New England town! Spring is an exciting time here. See if you can spot crocus and snowdrops springing from the soil. See our artisans making handcrafted items from iron, tin plate, clay, leather, and wood. Watch as food is being prepared by an open hearth with the remains of last year’s harvest, anxiously awaiting the new spring growth. Our farmers and gardeners are industriously preparing the soil for the planting season, and of course, our farm animals, including newborn lambs, always enjoy a visitor too. Enjoy your visit!
Daily Activities
10:00 a.m. A Guided Tour of the Salem Towne House: Tour a prosperous farmer’s home with a costumed educator (meets in the hallway in the Salem Towne House, Building #16).
11:00 a.m. & 3:30 p.m. A pickle for the knowing ones: Learn about the eccentric life of “Lord” Timothy Dexter of Newburyport, MA (in the Gebhardt Barn, Building #14).
12:00 p.m. & 2:30 p.m. Excerpts From a Letter by 19th Century Activist Sarah Grimke: Her thoughts on women speaking publicly (in the Friends Meetinghouse, Building #6).
1:30 p.m. Uncomfortable Truths: A discussion about race in early New England (in the Friends Meetinghouse, Building #6).
Music Performances
10:00 a.m. & 3:00 p.m. Musical Highlights: The Rocking Melodeon – Listen to a selection of songs on one of the most unusual instruments of the 19th century. Learn about the people that would have played on this instrument, and how it works at the Fitch House, Building #21.
11:00 a.m. & 2:00 p.m. Musical Highlights, the “Accordion”: The accordion was a new and popular musical instrument throughout rural New England in the 1830s. Learn how this instrument works, and listen to a selection of songs at the Bullard Tavern (Building #3).
Trades
Blacksmith Shop (Building #39) Our smiths are hard at work making tools as well as more typical items.
Pottery Shop and Kiln (Building #34) Explore the world of pottery and see pots being made at the potter’s wheel.
Households
Bixby House (Building #38) The Bixbys, like many families, earned their income from several different sources. Visit to learn about the work of braiding straw, sewing shoe uppers and dairying the women of this family did from home.
Fenno House (Building #23) Despite the hundreds of textile mills across New England, some families continued to process wool at home. Visit the Fenno house to see wool being spun into yarn on a great wheel, and yarn knitted into clothing.
Community
Asa Knight Store (Building #11) Country stores brought in goods from all over the world, through seaports like Boston and Providence. They also bought locally produced goods such as butter, cheese, and handwork for sale in those urban commercial centers.
The Carryall (weather permitting)
We offer a horse-drawn carryall ride included with the price of admission. From 10:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. you can board behind the Bullard Tavern (#3) or in front of the Blacksmith Shop (#39) about every 20 minutes for a ride around the Mill Pond. There is no carryall operating outside of this time.
Dining & Shopping
Bullard Café (Building #3) (on the Ground Floor)
11:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. A variety of lunch options and beverages.
Miner Grant Store & Bake Shop (Building #19)
9:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Stop in to buy our famous chocolate chip cookies, Joe Frogger cookies, and treats. Shop for Village-made wares, heirloom seeds, historical children’s toys and gifts, too!
Ox & Yoke Mercantile (Building #1)
10:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Take home a traditional rural New England treasure or locally made gift. Village-made crafts and kits, home décor, books, and more await!
The Environmental Point of View
Woodland Walk (#47) A short hike along Pogus Brook to a wooded viewing platform.
Pasture Walk (#49) Takes you to the top of Powder House Hill, offering views of the pastured landscape.
River Walk (#50) Best views of the Wight Dam and a peaceful setting to enjoy the Quinebaug River.
New England on Parade
Learn about the long history of parades in this region, and their many purposes. Visit both of the exhibitions’ locations in the Visitor Center (#2C), and Armed & Equipped Militia Exhibit (#26).
Old Sturbridge Village’s new exhibit
Needle and Thread: The Art and Skill of Clothing an Early 19th Century Family highlights the responsibilities held by rural New England housewives in constructing new garments, patching, mending, and darning worn items, and repurposing old items into new wardrobes. The exhibit features over a dozen garments and accessories, along with other textile and clothing objects from the Old Sturbridge Village Museum Collections (in the Dennison Building, #28).
Upcoming Event
Wool Days: May 27 – May 29
Discover how New England farmers used the wool from their sheep in the 1830s at Old Sturbridge Village’s annual Wool Days. Farmers will give the sheep their annual “haircut” while costumed historians demonstrate the entire wool textile process from scouring and carding the wool to dyeing, spinning, and then knitting the dyed yarn.