Old Sturbridge Village facts for kids
Old Sturbridge Village is a special museum in Sturbridge, Massachusetts. It shows what life was like in rural New England between the 1790s and 1830s. It's the biggest living museum in New England, covering over 200 acres (81 hectares). The Village has 59 old buildings, three water-powered mills, and a working farm. People dressed in old-fashioned clothes show how people lived, worked, and farmed in the 19th century. Many tourists visit, and it's a popular spot for school field trips.
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How Old Sturbridge Village Started
In the early 1800s, the land where Old Sturbridge Village now stands was a farm owned by David Wight. It had a sawmill, a gristmill, and a millpond. The millpond was dug in 1795 and still helps power the mills today.
The story of the village really began with the Wells family. George Washington Wells started a small shop in Southbridge, Massachusetts, in the 1840s. This shop grew into a big company called the American Optical Company. His sons, Channing, Albert (called "AB"), and Cheney, joined the family business.
AB Wells loved collecting old things. By the early 1930s, he had filled more than 45 rooms in his home with antiques! His brothers also started collecting, with Cheney focusing on old clocks and Channing on furniture.
In 1935, the Wells family and others created the Wells Historical Museum. They wanted to take care of and show their amazing collections. In 1936, AB wanted to arrange the buildings around a common area. But his son, George B., had a different idea. He suggested creating a real village with working shops and water power.
Just a week later, the museum bought David Wight's old farm. They hired Malcolm Watkins as the first curator. They first called the museum Quinnebaug Village. An architect named Arthur Shurcliff helped design the village layout. By 1941, some buildings were already in place, and the Gristmill was working.
After World War II, George B.'s wife, Ruth, became the director. They changed the name to Old Sturbridge Village. It officially opened on June 8, 1946. More and more people visited, mostly by hearing about it from others. In 1950, a magazine called The Saturday Evening Post featured the village as "The Town That Wants to be Out of Date." By 1955, many more historic buildings had been moved to the village.
On August 18, 1955, a big storm called Hurricane Diane caused floods. The water broke dams and flooded the village. Fifteen staff members were stuck! The Freeman Farmhouse was flooded, and the covered bridge was moved off its base. Helicopters brought supplies to the staff for three days. Even though the damage was huge, village employees worked hard. They managed to reopen Old Sturbridge Village in just nine days!
Buildings and Things to See
Old Sturbridge Village has over 40 buildings. Many of these are real old buildings that were moved from other places in New England. Some are careful copies of old buildings. The whole village is split into three main areas.
Center Village
The Center Village is like the middle of an old town. It has a town green in the middle.
- Friends Meetinghouse – This was a meeting place for Quakers.
- Center Meetinghouse – Churches were often used for town meetings, elections, and talks.
- Tin Shop – Here, people made household items from tin brought from England.
- Salem Towne House – This was the home of a successful farmer.
- Law Office – A small office where a lawyer worked.
- Parsonage – The home of a minister and his family.
- Asa Knight Store – A country store moved from Vermont.
- Thompson Bank – This bank was originally in Thompson, Connecticut.
- Fenno House – A historic house showing how people made cloth at home.
- Fitch House – This house shows what family life and children's lives were like.
- Small House – A smaller home built from scratch, showing how less wealthy families lived.
- Printing Office – Where newspapers and books were printed.
- Cider Mill – A mill powered by horses to make hard cider.
- Shoe Shop – A small shop where shoemakers worked. These were tiny, often 10 feet by 10 feet.
- Town Pound – A place to keep farm animals that wandered away.
- Bullard Tavern – An early 1800s room where people gathered.
- The Stage Coach – A stagecoach that takes trips through the Center Village.
The Countryside
The Countryside section has farms and shops outside the main town area.
- Freeman Farmhouse – A typical New England farm with about 70 acres. It has a barn, other buildings, and fields.
- Blacksmith Shop – Where tools were made and fixed, and horses and oxen got new shoes.
- Bixby House – The home of the blacksmith.
- Cooper Shop – Where wooden barrels, buckets, and pails were made.
- Pottery Shop – Potters made useful items like milkpans and mugs from local clay.
- District School – A typical one-room schoolhouse.
- Covered Bridge – Covered bridges helped wooden bridges last longer in New England's tough weather.
The Mill Neighborhood
The Mill Neighborhood has buildings that use the millpond for power.
- Gristmill – Uses water power to turn a huge 3,000-pound millstone for grinding grain.
- Sawmill – A working copy of an "up-and-down" sawmill powered by water.
- Carding Mill – A water-powered place to prepare wool for spinning.
Collections
Old Sturbridge Village also has buildings that show off its many old American items.
- Firearms – Displays show guns from colonial times up to after the Civil War.
- Glass – You can see different types of glass, like blown, molded, and pressed glass.
- Lighting Devices – Old lamps from ancient oil lamps to whale oil lamps.
- Herb Garden – A garden with old kinds of plants used for cooking, medicine, dyeing cloth, and crafts.
Scenes from Interactive Exhibits
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A demonstration of cooking in an old kitchen
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A potter making things on an old-fashioned wheel
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A shopkeeper showing goods from the early 1800s
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A woman showing how to spin wool into yarn
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A lawyer in an office from before the Civil War
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A tinsmith showing how tinware was made
Programs and Events
The Village hosts many events based on history and the seasons. These include homeschool days, kids' summer camps, Christmas by Candlelight, Fourth of July celebrations, Halloween, and Thanksgiving.
Old Sturbridge Village often holds a special ceremony on the Fourth of July where new United States citizens are welcomed. In 2018, 152 people became new citizens there.
The Village is also a popular place for weddings.
Old Sturbridge Village in Movies and TV
Old Sturbridge Village has been used as a setting for many historical movies, TV shows, and documentaries. Some of these include:
- Hawaii (1966) with Julie Andrews
- Reading Rainbow (1984)
- Glory (1989)
- Slavery and the Making of America (2005)
- Fetch! With Ruff Ruffman (2009)
Filmmaker Ken Burns made an educational film at Old Sturbridge Village for his college project. It was called Working in Rural New England. Ken Burns still supports the museum. Old Sturbridge Village now gives out a "Ken Burns Lifetime Achievement Award" each year. This award honors people who have done a lot to save history through art. Past winners include Norm Abram, Cokie Roberts, John Williams, Tom Brokaw, Sam Waterston, Doris Kearns Goodwin, and Laura Linney.
Old Sturbridge Academy Charter School
In July 2017, Jim Donohue, the CEO of Old Sturbridge Village, announced a new school. He had started the first charter school in Rhode Island before. The new school, Old Sturbridge Academy Charter School, opened on the museum's grounds in the fall of 2017.
See also
- Living history
- Open-air museum
