Sturbridge Things to Do

4 more images

The Salem Towne House is of outstanding craftsmanship, and the flower garden a symmetrical and formal one. There are two kitchens, an upstairs formal dining kitchen, and a downstairs one for making soap, butter, cheese, and so on. There is a formal dining room, a formal parlor, and a master bedroom, all with antique furniture from the period. But, there are also informal bedrooms that children of the master often shared with hired help.

3 more images

One of most prosperous citizens of the village would have been Salem Towne, Jr. who inherited his house from his father, and continued to manage a productive farm and dairy, often working with and boarding his hired labor, and who regularly furnished for the community the best of dining and dancing. This house was built in Charlton, MA in 1796 and moved to Sturbridge in 1952. The barns are reconstructions of period architecture, while the Cider Mill (c. 1835) originally came from Brookfield, New Hampshire. We enjoyed petting a calf, that we were assured would not end up being butchered at a meat packing plant, but would rather be used as a draft animal on the farm.

1 more image

During the Jacksonian period, which began around 1830, the power of European banks centered in New York and Philadelphia was demolished in favor of local institutions that printed their own paper based upon locally held gold and silver reserves. There was no formal central bank within the United States until the formation of the Federal Reserve in the 20th century. Chartered in 1833 in Thompson, Connecticut, this building dates back to 1835. There are iron doors on front, a rather primitive safe, a stove, and clerk desks. The exterior Greek revival architecture is most impressive and provides the basis for bank architecture commonplace later in the 19th century, and indeed until very recently.

4 more images

Another old home is devoted to a display of family life. Originally built in 1737 in Willimantic, Connecticut, and later restored to this location in 1939, Fitch House is a home that was expanded over the years, providing ample first floor living for a large family. Each room is restored to the furnishings and belongings typical of a middle-class New England family, including original antique furniture and children's toys from period. The formal adult parlor, where children weren't allowed, is roped off to protect the carpet and collection of antiques, but beds in the children's room are made available so visitors can experience the comfort, or lack thereof, of a 19th century mattress. Nearby is the Corn Barn, originally from North Scituate, Rhode Island, and built circa 1790-1820, and rebuilt by OSV in 1965. The house grounds includes a flower garden and a wood shed.

2 more images

Originally built in 1832, this church was dismantled, moved, and reconstructed from within Sturbridge itself, yet provides a vivid example of the prototypical white church and steeple found throughout New England, and indeed a good part of the eastern and central United States. The period after the American Revolution witnessed a growth in church membership as the deist Enlightenment Period receded in popularity, and new denominations spun off from the Puritan roots within New England and to elsewhere in the USA, including various Baptist, Pentecostal, and Mormon denominations. Twice daily worship was common in this building during its tenure, but the building also dually served the secular function as town hall in many communities. The Baptist denomination that occupied it rebuilt a newer structure and swapped this old building for a new church organ. During restoration the museum rebuilt the clock mechanism, installing the clock movement and three wooden dials from the Whittington Mill of Taunton, Massachusetts in the steeple. This steeple clock was made by the Howard Clock Company, circa 1870. The steeple bell is struck on the hour, but can also be rung manually. Pews inside reflect the customized seating of the day, whereby families donated for an upgrade in comfort for the wooden pew where they sat twice or three times per day. Wealthier families had better positioned pews and more ornate improvements.

4 more images

Fenno House is the oldest building at Old Sturbridge, originally built in 1704 in Canton, MA, well before the American Revolution. By the period of 1830, this home, old even by standards of early 19th century, was occupied by a widow and her daughter, and was in typical fashion devoted to small in house textile production. Time devoted to this labor was spent disproportionately on carding fibers and spinning thread, in preparation for a rather short period of weaving or sewing. Thus, their business struggled to compete with the newer factory textiles being produced, and important part of their work increasingly focused upon custom knitting of gloves, blanket weaving, and artful quilt sewing. The house has many original artifacts for such textile production, as well as for life within the sparsely decorated home. Explanations of various fibers, cotton, silk, wool, and flax, are included as well as a display about fashions of the period. The nearby barn is a reproduction built in 1988 to demonstrate the lifestyle of the widow and her daughter from the early 19th century, and there are surrounding vegetable gardens showing how these villagers supplemented their diet and lifestyle. Today, authentic textiles are made on the equipment and used elsewhere in the museum.

1 more image

A few steps past the entrance to the village, and just down the road from the simple home, is the Bolton Friends Meeting House, is an authentic building once occupied by the Quakers in Bolton, MA. The simple lines and natural light of the all wood interior architecture are particularly beautiful and can't be missed, despite the unimpressive exterior grey appearance. Initially built in 1796, this building served the original New England community of Quakers for 130 years, until its move and restoration at Old Sturbridge. Although the building had been expanded to meet the needs of a growing 19th century congregation, the restoration work involved reducing the structure back to its original 30 by 35 foot dimensions. The building had been deeded over for preservation to the Sturbridge Museum after the shrinking congregation choose to abandon the building and share space in another protestant church building.

One of the last contributions to the village is a home found nearest the entrance. The museum had difficulty finding a simple worker home from the 1830 period, since most had disintegrated or been greatly modified into a newer structure. However, in a village nearby, an intact severly deteriorated house was found that served as a architectural model for the newly constructed house at Old Sturbridge. The home was originally built by costumed workers who roleplayed the process for the entertainment of visitors. Though poor by standards of the day, the heavy beams and wide plank floors would be the pride of most any neighborhood home today. Outside is a hand dug well with bucket.