Bring your
imagination and your most comfortable shoes; you are going to be taking a walk
back into the world of 1830. Old Sturbridge Village (OSV) is a non-profit living
museum founded in 1946. The buildings were brought to this site from all over
the country. This is not a real village but rather a recreation of a village of
1830.
Your first stop may be the Friends Meeting House. Here you can sit and view an orientation
video. This will help you to understand what to expect from your visit. There
are 40 structures on over 200 acres of property. This is not a stagnant place,
there is always something changing.
This is a great
place to visit with children. There are plenty of farm animals and, in warm
weather, there is a boat ride on the little lake. They were in the process of
setting up a skating rink on the green in this picture.
I love visiting
the church. Families purchased their box seats in the church; they are all
decorated a little differently with carpet, cushions, and small stools. You
needed small comforts to survive an religious service that were hours long.
The village has
several exceptional shops. A great bookstore is available and they have a catalogue
for their regular shop, which includes items made by the characters in the
village. Wrought iron items made by the smithy, pottery from the potter,
barrels from the cooper etc. are all for sale. Everything made from authentic material in an
authentic fashion.
This is truly a
living history museum. You will be tantalized by the smells of cooking in many
of the homes. We watched as a seed cake was cooked in the fireplace and in
another kitchen, they were using the leftovers from the Thanksgiving feast to
make a pie. If you want more modern baked goods, there is a bakery that makes
one particular cookie each day, our day was chocolate chip. You can also get a
cup of hot coffee as you walk around.
You needed a whole
day to appreciate OSV and if you have your ticket validated when you leave, you
can return free within 10 days. Walking around the village involves a great
deal of exercise. We did see someone in a wheel chair but it will not be easy
to cover the whole grounds. Depending on which season you visit you may see the
fields being plowed, the seeds being sown, vegetables being planted or picked.
Every season has its own interesting work going on, just as it would have over
170 years ago.
Children will
particularly enjoy the schoolhouse. Here the teacher will discuss the
curriculum as well as the timing of school. Many children in 1830 only attended
during the very dead of winter when they were not needed on the farm to help.
