Daily events are subject to change.
Saturday, September 9, 2023
Welcome to Old Sturbridge Village, a recreated 1830s rural New England town! Summer is an exciting time here. See if you can spot snapdragons, zinnias, and phlox in bloom. 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. Our farmers and gardeners are tending to the gardens and seasonal chores, and of course, our farm animals always enjoy a visitor too. Enjoy your visit!
Daily Activities
10:00 a.m. & 1:30 p.m. A Guided Tour of the Salem Towne House: Tour a prosperous farmer’s home with a costumed educator (meets in the hallway of the Salem Towne House, Building #15).
11:00 a.m. & 2:30 p.m. An Excerpt From a Letter by 19th Century Activist Sarah Grimke: Her thoughts on women speaking publicly (in the Friends Meetinghouse, Building #5).
12:00 p.m. & 3:30 p.m. Let’s Talk About the Weather: Weather anecdotes and history of the year “without a summer”
(in the Gebhardt Barn, Building #13).
Gardens
11:30 a.m. Food Safety in the 19th Century: Should you be eating that? Even two hundred years ago, some people wondered if the foods they were eating might not be good for them. Learn about Sylvester Graham, who traveled the East Coast, alerting people to the dangers in their foods, and the benefits of a simple life without stimulants and food adulterants (at the Bixby Garden, #36).
2:00 p.m. Better Gardens Need Better Soil: Learn about different 19th century manures for healthier soil in your garden (at the Freeman Garden, #34).
Civics & Religion
11:30 a.m. Banks Then and Now: What is a banknote? Was this bank ever robbed? What is legal tender? What’s in the vault? Visit the Thompson Bank and talk to the Banker to find the answers to these questions and learn more about banks then and now (in the Thompson Bank, Building #19).
Music Performances
10:30 a.m. Parlor Music: Listen to a selection of parlor songs (at the Fitch House, Building #20).
11:30 a.m. & 2:00 p.m. Unusual New England Instruments: Listen to and learn about a selection of the more unusual instruments used during the Village period (at the Bullard Tavern, Building #3).
3:30 p.m. Musical Highlights, the “Hurdy Gurdy”: Listen to this strange and unusual instrument (at the Bullard Tavern, Building #3).
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.
Trades
Blacksmith Shop (Building #37) Our smiths are hard at work making tools as well as more typical items.
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.
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.
10:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. Ride the Stagecoach|$4.00 per person
Hundreds of stagecoaches linked most towns in early New England, carrying passengers and mail on set schedules. Today the stagecoach circles our historic common. Purchase a $4.00 token at the Visitor Center or the Miner Grant Store. Picks up outside the Bullard Tavern. Please note tokens are nonrefundable. Unused tokens can be redeemed on a future visit.
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 Café (Building #1)
10:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. Featuring scrumptious sweet and savory baked goods made right on-site, along with freshly ground coffee, beer and wine, maple water, and more.
Enjoy pies, focaccia, cheesecake, or a “flight” of cookies!
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!
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).
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 Sturbrige Village Museum Collection
(in the Dennison Building, #27).