Daily events are subject to change.
Saturday, May 13, 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!
19th Century Ball Programs
9:30 am – 12:00 p.m. Visit the Richardson House to learn about the dangers people associated with going dancing in the 1830s (in the Richardson House, Building #13).
9:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. No outfit is complete without the perfect hairstyle. Stop by the Towne House Ballroom to see how a lady might decorate her hair for a fancy occasion such as ball (in the Salem Towne House, Building #16).
10:00 a.m. & 2:00 p.m. A Modern Dance and Tune, The Waltz: Listen to a selection of historical waltzes and learn how this popular music changed the way people dance. (At the Bullard Tavern, Building #3).
11:00 a.m. Ballroom Etiquette: Learn about the forms of ceremony or decorum used in the entertainment of dancing during the 1830s (in the Bullard Tavern, Building #3).
1:00 p.m. Attend the Ball: Your company is requested at the Bullard Tavern to amuse yourself in the civil recreation of dancing, Building #3.
3:00 p.m. Musical Highlights, the “Hurdy Gurdy”: Listen to this strange and unusual instrument at the Bullard Tavern, Building #3.
Daily Activities
10:00 a.m. & 1:30 p.m. A Guided Tour of the Salem
Towne House: Tour the home of a prosperous farmer
with a costumed educator
(in the hallway of the Salem Towne House, Building #16).
11:00 a.m. & 2:30 p.m. Fashion Delights: Find out what’s in style in the 1830s (in the Asa Knight Store, Building #11).
12:00 p.m. & 3:30 p.m. Meet the Schoolmistress:
Learn about school in the 1830s with a costumed educator
(in the District School, Building #33).
Trades
Pottery Shop (Building #34) Explore the world of pottery and see pots being made at the potter’s wheel.
Households
Small House (Building #5) Costumed interpreters are here to help you understand the past as it relates to the present. Make this your first stop to say “good day” and orient yourself to our 1830s Village.
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.
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.