Carpenter Museum facts for kids
Carpenter Museum - Rehoboth Antiquarian Society - Rehoboth, Massachusetts
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| Established | 1976 |
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| Location | 4 Locust Avenue, Rehoboth, Massachusetts,  United States |
| Type | Local History Heritage centre |
The Carpenter Museum in Rehoboth, Massachusetts is a special place that tells the story of the town's past. It's like a treasure chest filled with items from local history. The museum started in 1976, around the time of America's 200th birthday. It was created to hold all the cool historical items collected by the Rehoboth Antiquarian Society, a group that began way back in 1884 to preserve the town's heritage.
Contents
How the Museum Started
The Carpenter Museum was built thanks to a generous gift of land and money from Elsie and E. Winsor Carpenter, who lived in Rehoboth. Many other people in the town also helped by donating money. This allowed the new museum building to be constructed.
The museum officially opened its doors in 1978. It took two years to get everything ready and build the new facility. The building itself looks like an old house from 1760, with a special type of roof called a gambrel roof. Inside, you'll find rooms for exhibits, a place to store old items, and a social room with a kitchen. The museum is home to more than 4,000 historical items. These artifacts tell the stories of the families who lived and worked in Rehoboth long ago.
Fun Activities and Events
The Carpenter Museum is a lively place that hosts many events for the community. They have a gift shop where you can find books and items about Rehoboth's history and its people.
For example, in 2011, they held an event called Tea with Emily. About fifty women and girls learned about the poetry of Emily Dickinson, saw hats from the 1800s, and enjoyed tea. A group called the Astronomical Society of Southern New England also meets there every month to talk about stars and space.
The museum also puts on several annual events, including:
- Arts in the Village Concerts – These are held with the Rehoboth Antiquarian Society.
- Fall Flower Show – This event happens in the fall with the Rehoboth Garden Club.
- Folk Arts & Artisan Show – A chance to see local crafts and art.
- Horror Stories Grounded in Rehoboth – A spooky event held in October.
- Ice Harvesting & Ice Cream – An event in November about how ice was collected long ago.
- Remembering Rehoboth School Days – A look back at what school was like in the past.
- Summer Clam Bake – A fun outdoor meal held in August.
The Carpenter Museum also has some very special collections. One of these is its collection of early needlework samplers made in the United States. These are pieces of fabric with stitched designs, often used to practice sewing skills.
The E. Otis Dyer Barn
Right next to the museum, there's a cool barn that looks like one from 1746. It was built in 1993 during a special "community barn raising" event. This was part of the celebration for Rehoboth's 350th anniversary.
The wood used to build the barn came from red and white oak and white pine trees. These trees were collected in the fall of 1992 from land owned by E. Otis Dyer. Mr. Dyer has been a big supporter of the Rehoboth Antiquarian Society for a long time, so the barn was named in his honor. Its official name is the E. Otis Dyer Barn.
Awards and Recognition
In 2013, the Carpenter Museum received a special award called the Gold Star Award from the Massachusetts Cultural Council. This award is given each year to artists and groups that do a great job of bringing art and culture into their community. The museum won for its "Remembering Rehoboth School Days" project, which helped people learn about what school was like in Rehoboth's past.
The museum and its staff are also mentioned in these books:
- Rehoboth, Swansea And Dighton, MA (Images of America) by Charles Turek Robinson and Frank DeMattos (published in 1998).
- Rehoboth Through the Ages by Frank DeMattos, which was privately published in Rehoboth, MA.
