Daily events are subject to change.
Thursday, September 14, 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 the home of a prosperous farmer 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 Richardson House, Building #12).
12:00 p.m. & 3:30 p.m. Quakers in New England: Learn about the small but influential Society of Friends (in the Friends Meetinghouse, Building #5).
Gardens
11:30 a.m. Curious Plants & Native Plants: Take a closer look at several 19th century “curious” plants grown in the Center Village. We also will view a few native plants, discussing their value in the 19th century and today (at the Fitch Garden, #20).
2:00 p.m. Earth Friendly Gardening Practices: Learn about eco-friendly practices for your garden and yard that support pollinators, birds, and other wildlife. We will compare and contrast 19th and 21st century gardening practices to learn about keeping a beautiful, bountiful garden while supporting the environment! (at the Bixby Garden, #36).
Households
Fitch House (Building #20) Summer is exciting for everyone, farmers’ and mechanics’ families alike! Stop by here to see how a non-farming family might change how they feed their family as the weather continues to warm.
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.
Trades
Tin Shop (Building #14) Experience our tinners creating authentic reproductions of household items made from tinned sheet iron.
Pottery Shop and Kiln (Building #32) Explore the world of pottery and see household vessels being made at the potter’s wheel.
Printing Office (Building #17) Small printing offices often worked for publishers in Philadelphia, New York, or Boston, printing and binding books for sale anywhere in New England. They often also did smaller printing jobs for local people.
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. 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 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 Sturbridge Village Museum Collections (in the Dennison Building, #27).