Women’s History Weekend

How did early 19th-century women see themselves? How did society view the woman’s sphere? How do we view their lives today? Join Old Sturbridge Village as we acknowledge and celebrate extraordinary and everyday women in the early 19th century. Visit the historic houses of OSV to learn about how women ran their households, managing the essential work of clothing construction, cooking, laundry, and more. Join interpreters in the gardens for talks on Indigenous plants, medicine, and discussions on the roles of women and children in gardening. Beyond the domestic sphere, we will explore issues surrounding gender, freedom, and rights occurring during the 1830s through readings of first-person accounts of the 19th century.

Highlights include:

• Listen to a debate between 19th-century activist Angelina Grimke and author Catharine Beecher on a woman’s sphere
• Hear the stories of early women missionaries like Sarah Joiner Lyman and Hannah Moore
• See demonstrations of a wide variety of tasks including hearth cooking, spring cleaning, and dressmaking
• Take a Fashion tour at the Asa Knight Store and also check out our exhibit Needle & Thread: The Art of Clothing a Nineteenth Century Family, with some recently added objects
• Listen to samples of 19th-century poetry from authors like:
  • Sarah Louisa Fortern (“The Slave Girl’s Address to her mother” (1831) and “A Slave Girl’s Farewell “(1835))
  • Elizabeth Maragaret Chandler (“Think of our Country’s Glory” (1831), and “Gloom” (1831)
  • Ann Plato (“The Natives of America”)
  • Sarah Josepha Hale
  • Margaret Fuller
  • Jane Johnston Schoolcraft (“To the Pine Tree” and “Invocation”)
• On Sunday only, listen to spoken word artist Ashley Wonder

  

  • About Ashley Wonder: Ashley Wonder has been writing for over ten years. She performs with dynamic passion to give hope to her audiences. She started out performing in black churches in Worcester and then became a part of the Slam Community in 2014. Repping Worcester her hometown, in Oakland 2015, Decatur, GA 2016. She has had the opportunity to perform at the National Education Support Professional Conference (a part of the Massachusetts Teacher Association) in 2021 which had an audience of 2,000 people! She also had the honor to be apart of the “Still I Rise” Toni Morrison tribute Festival. She has participated in the discussion Black Creative Voices in Worcester 2021 Performed 2019 Women Of Consequence City Hall in Worcester. She has been featured in Troy, New York at Poetic Vibe, all around MA, Boston (Hard Rock Cafe), RI including many colleges and universities such as Holy Cross, and Wheelock among others. She enjoys teaching poetry workshops to youth of all ages to show how fun and interactive Spoken Word can be. She also believes in the power of tea and naps.
• Learn about the inspiring stories of Prudence Crandall and her students on Saturday and the life of Lydia Maria Child on Sunday
• See a quilting frolic demonstration and chat with women of the community who have come together to work on a collaborative quilting project
• Join a discussion on whether or not to form a maternal society
• Pick up a copy of our new book Needle & Thread in our shops. On Saturday only, join us for a 1:00 p.m. discussion in the Stephen M. Brewer Theater with authors Rebecca Beall and Derek Heidemann and a book signing immediately after
• On Sunday, join us for a curatorial display and discussion about straw-braided items from the OSV Museum Collection

Tickets

Click here to purchase/reserve tickets for Saturday, March 25, 2023

Click here to purchase/reserve tickets for Sunday, March 26, 2023