Daily events are subject to change.
Thursday, May 25, 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 the home of a prosperous farmer with a costumed educator (meets in the hallway in the Salem Towne House, Building #15).
11:00 a.m. Nature Myths: Fanciful stories about how things came to be (in the Salem Towne House Garden, Building #15).
11:00 a.m. – 11:45 a.m. Play Historic Games
(on the Common)
12:00 & 2:30 p.m. Meet a 19th Century Midwife:
Learn about childbirth in the 1830s with a costumed educator (in the Salem Towne House Garden, Building #15).
1:30 p.m. A Reading of Floral Poetry: Learn about the language of flowers with a costumed educator
(in the Salem Towne House Garden, Building #15).
Gardens
11:30 a.m. & 2:00 p.m. Gardening Then and Now: What can we learn from 19th century gardening techniques to promote healthy, environmentally-friendly gardens today? Join an OSV gardener to discuss best gardening practices (at the Freeman Garden, #34).
Trades
Shoe Shop (Building #9) Find a shoemaker “bottoming” men’s and boy’s work shoes for wholesale to the Southern and Western states. Some of the shoes for the South were meant for enslaved workers.
Households
Small House (Building #4) 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 #10) 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 (#37) 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 #18)
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, 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 (#44) A short hike along Pogus Brook to a wooded viewing platform.
Pasture Walk (#46) Takes you to the top of Powder House Hill, offering views of the pastured landscape.
River Walk (#47) Best views of the Wight Dam and a peaceful setting to enjoy the Quinebaug River.
Exhibitions
For the Purpose of Illumination: This new exhibit draws upon OSV’s large collection of lighting devices and prompts us to examine the impact that artificial lighting had in the early 19th century and continues to have on our lives today (in the Countryside Gallery, Building #38).
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 (#2G), and Armed & Equipped Militia Exhibit (#25).
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, #27).
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.