Daily events are subject to change.
Monday, May 29, 2023
Welcome to Wool Days at Old Sturbridge Village! Discover how New England farmers used the wool from their sheep. 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. 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. Enjoy your visit!
Wool Days Programming
9:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. Knitting – Knitting has been described as both a useful employment and a source of never-failing amusement. Learn about the skills needed to clothe a family and the charitable knitting women did for others in the community (in the Richardson House, Building #12).
9:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. & 2:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. Making a Quilted Petticoat (at the Fitch House, Building #20).
9:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. & 2:30 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Making a pair of Worked Mittens – Beautifully decorated, cozy mittens can be made by a technique called shagging, working, or yarn sewing. Visit to see how loops of woolen yarn are sewn into knitted mittens for cold New England winters
(Small House, Building #4).
9:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. Sorting, Picking, and Scouring Wool: Spring is the perfect time to process wool in preparation for spinning (outside the Fenno House, Building #22).
9:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Llamas & Alpacas: Other Wool Fibers (by Dennison Building, #27).
10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. Dyeing with Local Dyes (near the Herb Garden, #30).
10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. & 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Operating a 1917 Tuttle Hand-Crank Sock Knitter
(in the Bullard Tavern, Building #3).
10:30 a.m. & 1:30 p.m. Sheep Shearing Demonstration – See how the fleece is taken from the sheep using traditional hand shears (on the Common near the Towne House, #15).
11:00 a.m. & 2:00 p.m. Dye Plants in the Herb Garden (Tour meets at the Herb Garden, #30).
1:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. Knitting for a Cause: Help to Knit Scarves for Soldiers (in the Richardson House, Building #12).
Daily Activities
10:00 a.m. A Guided Tour of the Salem Towne House: Tour the home of a prosperous farmer and his family with a costumed historian
(in front of the Salem Towne House, Building #15).
11:00 a.m. A Dentist Comes to Town: Hear about the tools and practices of dentistry in the 1830s from a costumed role-player
(in the Bullard Tavern, Building #3).
12:00 p.m. Uncomfortable Truths: Race in early New England Explore how early rural New England society struggled with the issue of race through true stories of its people
(begins in front of the Small House, Building #4).
1:30 p.m. A Guided Tour of the Salem Towne House: Tour the home of a prosperous farmer and his family with a costumed historian
(in front of the Salem Towne House, Building #15).
2:30 p.m. Phrenology: The Science of the Mind:
Learn about the hot new “science” of the 1830s and what your head says about you (in the Gebhardt Barn, Building #13).
3:00 p.m. Bell Tolls for our Fallen Heroes (at the Center Meetinghouse, Building #6)
3:30 p.m. Tales of a Yankee Peddler: An 1830s peddler tells stories from his life on the road (in the Gebhardt Barn, Building #13).
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, 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 (#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).