Daily events are subject to change.
Wednesday, September 20, 2023
Welcome to Old Sturbridge Village, a recreated 1830s rural New England town! Fall is an exciting time here. See if you can spot marigolds, autumn crocuses, and dahlias in bloom. See our Blacksmith, Potter, and Tinners at work, and food being prepared by an open hearth with the remains of last year’s harvest, anxiously awaiting the autumn harvest. Our farmers and gardeners are beginning to bring in the harvest, 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. Meet a 19th Century Midwife:
Learn about childbirth in the 1830s
(in the Salem Towne House Lower Kitchen, Building #15).
12:00 p.m. Tales of Long Ago: Popular Stories that New Englanders told in the 1830s (in the Gebhardt Barn, Building #13).
3:30 p.m. A Reading of New England Poetry: Poems by Longfellow, Emerson, and other early New England poets (in the Salem Towne House Garden, #15).
Music Performances
11:30 a.m. A Musical Performance in the Gebhardt Barn: Hear a sampler of early 19th Century music (Building #13).
2:00 p.m. A Musical Performance at the Mill Pond: Hear a sampler of early 19th Century music (behind Bullard Tavern, #3).
3:30 p.m. Musical Highlights, the “Hurdy Gurdy”:
Listen to this strange and unusual instrument
(at the Bullard Tavern, Building #3).
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.
Gardens
11:30 a.m. Children’s Gardening Chores:
Children of all ages can help with gardening chores
such as watering, weeding, and pest patrol
(at the Bixby Garden, #36).
2:00 p.m. A Tour of the Herb Garden: Herbs for the Novice Gardener: Tour the Herb Garden to learn how you can grow popular herbs like basil, oregano, parsley, sage, rosemary and others in your home garden (at the Herb Garden, #30).
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.
Blacksmith Shop (Building #37) Our smiths are hard at work making tools as well as more typical items.
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.
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).