
Cabinetmaking On the Common
The Cabinetmaking Shop is NOW OPEN!
Sturbridge and the surrounding region were home to some of the foremost rural cabinetmakers of the early 19th century, including Nathan Lumbard and Oliver Wight. These craftspeople, as well as others like them, were integral parts of the story of rural communities. The Village is currently constructing a new Cabinetmaking Shop on the Village Common, and we are looking forward to opening the shop and bringing the stories of the region’s early 19th-century cabinetmakers to Old Sturbridge Village in the fall of 2021.
The Village is using both historic and modern building methods in the construction of the Shop, which is patterned after period structures operated by early 19th-century New England craftsmen. The building will include a wood-burning stove, as did many free-standing shops of the period, and a small external woodshed.
Many elements of the final Cabinetmaking Shop will be created by craftsmen and interpretive staff working in the Village, including reproduction period tools, doors, shelves, and the box stove. The large timbers for the construction of the shop were even cut by the Village Sawmill.
Old Sturbridge Village is grateful to The Americana Foundation and Robert E. Roemer for their generous support of the Cabinetmaking Shop.
Opening Day
The grand opening of the Cabinetmaking Shop occurred on October 9, 2021, as a part of Woodworking weekend.
Building Status September 25, 2021
We Have a Roof! Building Status September 2, 2021
Current Status of the Building Project | July 2021
Woodworking Demonstrations on the Common | July 2021
Our master cabinetmaker has already started working in costume! While the shop building is still a work in progress, he has been working on creating farm tools, kitchen utensils, basket handles, and other small but needed woodworking projects on the Village Common.
Naming the Frame | March 2021
In early 19th-century New England, it was tradition to name the frame of new buildings and christen the structure with rum. In the spirit of early 19th-century frame raising naming ceremonies, Village staff involved in the raising wrote and recited the following poem and broke a bottle of 1985 OSV Orchard White apple wine. Since 1985 was the year that the old Cabinetmaking Shop on Gallery Row at the Village closed, we thought it fitting to christen the new shop’s frame with this apple wine.
Raising the Frame | March 2021
Watch a time-lapse of the frame raising below.
Preparing the Timbers | Summer & Fall 2020
During the Village’s open hours, costumed historians worked on preparing the large timbers for the frame of the shop. Shown here is one interpreter using a saw, firmer chisel, slick, and auger to create mortises and tenons.
A Ready Foundation | Early Fall 2020
Breaking Ground: Preparing the Site | Summer 2020
A Temporary Cabinetmaking Shop | Summer 2018 – 2019
A temporary Cabinetmaking Shop opened in the former Hands-On Craft Center on Gallery Row in May 2018. It featured demonstrations on select days as well as a variety of historical artifacts.
A Model Plan | 2018
Below is a picture of a scale model of the shop, built by Old Sturbridge Village Trustee Bob Roemer.
A Long History of Cabinetmaking at the Village
For approximately 40 years, Old Sturbridge Village operated a craft shop dedicated to woodworking techniques. The Cabinet Shop ceased operation in the mid-1980s, and the building was repurposed for broom making and other craft demonstrations.
The Cabinetmaking trade is so vital to the story of early 19th-century rural New England life, so Village staff and Trustees began working on a plan to bring cabinetmaking back to the Village permanently around 2017.
Below is a photo from a previous iteration of the Cabinet Shop at the Village