Old Sturbridge Village
Encyclopedia
Old Sturbridge Village is a living museum
located in Sturbridge, Massachusetts
, in the United States, which re-creates life in rural New England
during the 1790s through 1830s. It is the largest living museum in New England, covering more than 200 acres (80 hectares). The Village includes 59 antique buildings, three water-powered mills, and a working farm. The museum is a popular tourist and educational field trip destination. Costumed interpreters speaking in modern language help visitors understand 19th century life.
colonization, the Nipmuck
people inhabited the Quinnebaug region of which OSV is a part.
In the early 19th century, the land on which Old Sturbridge Village now stands was a farm owned by David Wight. The farm included a sawmil, gristmil and a milpond which survives to this day. The milpond, which still powers the mils, was dug in 1795.
In 1795, David Wight's son went to Boston to conduct some business on behalf of his father. While in Boston he bought some tickets to the Harvard Lottery, which was set up as a fundraising technique for then Harvard College (now Harvard University). He won $5,000 (roughly $63,000 in today's money). He gave his father money to pay off the mortgage on his farm and logged the timber of the cedar swamp which today is the millpond. After the logging was complete, they dug the pond with a team of oxen and a scoop. This entire process took two and a half years.
in the 1840s which became the American Optical Company. His three sons—Channing M, Albert B ("AB"), and J Cheney Wells—followed him into the business, which continued to expand.
In 1926, AB began to shop for antiques. This influenced Cheney to collect early American timepieces and Channing to collect fine furniture. By the early 1930s AB had more than 45 rooms full of antiques in his Southbridge home.
In 1935 AB, along with his brothers, family members and associates, formed the Wells Historical Museum. The Museum was given title to the various collections and charged with the care and exhibition of the artifacts. In July 1936 the Museum's trustees met to determine the how the collections would best be presented to the public. AB wanted to create a small cluster of buildings in a horseshoe around a common. His son George B proposed "a revolutionary idea."
AB later said of George, "He pointed out that the historical value of the things I'd been collecting was tremendous, provided that it could be put to proper usage... He suggested that to make this material valuable it would be necessary to have a village, a live village, one with different shops operating... it was essential to have water power." J. Cheney Wells pledged his clocks and other items and to help "in every way I can to develop a village along the lines that George suggests." It is believed that various members of the family had visited European folk museums, including Skansen
in Stockholm
, Sweden
, which led to the genesis for what was to become Old Sturbridge Village.
Within a week of the meeting, the Museum purchased David Wight's farm and within a few months hired Malcolm Watkins as the museum's first curator. Architect Arthur Shurcliff was called in to help lay out a suitable country landscape. By 1941, the Fitch House, the Miner Grant Store and the Richardson House (now the Parsonage) were on the common and the Gristmill was in operation.
After a pause for World War II, Ruth Wells, George B.'s wife, became Acting Director of the Village. Quinnebaug Village became Old Sturbridge Village and it opened on June 8, 1946.
, OSV was featured as "The Town That Wants to be Out of Date".
, the Fenno House, the Friends Meetinghouse, the Pliny Freeman House, the Printing Office and the District School.
created flood waters that broke dams in surrounding towns and flooded the Village.
Fifteen staff members were stranded by the rising waters. The Freeman Farmhouse was flooded and the Covered Bridge was swept off its foundation. Helicopters kept staff members supplied for three days until the waters receded. The damage was estimated to be $250,000 in 1955 dollars. With great effort, Village employees managed to re-open the Village in just nine days.
changed its presentation of history. Gone are the "movie set" displays with a fixed range of dialog. In their place, interpreters engage visitors in a more personal and interactive process, encouraging them to actively participate.
The museum continues to add interactive exhibits such as a wintertime ice rink, baseball
games and a Christmastime celebration.
and some authentic reconstructions.
The village is divided into three main sections. The Center Village represents the center of town, with the town green as its focal point. Countryside consists of outlying farms and shops. The Mill Neighborhood features various commercial structures that rely upon a millpond for their power.
The Center Village contains the following structures:
Image:Sturbridgeloom.jpg|A loom found in the Fenno House.
Image:SturbridgeMeetingHouse.jpg|The Meeting House.
The Countryside features the following structures:
Image:Sturbridgemill.jpg|The Gristmill's mid-breast waterwheel.
Image:Old-sturbridge-village-carding-mill.jpg|One of the carding machines in the carding mill.
Living museum
A living museum is a type of museum, in which historical events showing the life in ancient times are performed, especially in ethnographic or historical views, or processes for producing a commercial product in terms of technical and technological developments are shown, especially the craft...
located in Sturbridge, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, in the United States, which re-creates life in rural New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
during the 1790s through 1830s. It is the largest living museum in New England, covering more than 200 acres (80 hectares). The Village includes 59 antique buildings, three water-powered mills, and a working farm. The museum is a popular tourist and educational field trip destination. Costumed interpreters speaking in modern language help visitors understand 19th century life.
Before the village
Prior to EuropeanEuropean ethnic groups
The ethnic groups in Europe are the various ethnic groups that reside in the nations of Europe. European ethnology is the field of anthropology focusing on Europe....
colonization, the Nipmuck
Nipmuck
The Nipmuc are a group of Algonquian Indians native to Worcester County, Massachusetts, some parts of Northeastern CT, and NW RI, and the Northwestern and Western parts of Middlesex County, Massachusetts.-Name:...
people inhabited the Quinnebaug region of which OSV is a part.
In the early 19th century, the land on which Old Sturbridge Village now stands was a farm owned by David Wight. The farm included a sawmil, gristmil and a milpond which survives to this day. The milpond, which still powers the mils, was dug in 1795.
In 1795, David Wight's son went to Boston to conduct some business on behalf of his father. While in Boston he bought some tickets to the Harvard Lottery, which was set up as a fundraising technique for then Harvard College (now Harvard University). He won $5,000 (roughly $63,000 in today's money). He gave his father money to pay off the mortgage on his farm and logged the timber of the cedar swamp which today is the millpond. After the logging was complete, they dug the pond with a team of oxen and a scoop. This entire process took two and a half years.
Inception
George Washington Wells started a small spectacle shop in Southbridge, MassachusettsSouthbridge, Massachusetts
The Town of Southbridge is a city in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 16,719 at the 2010 census.-History:...
in the 1840s which became the American Optical Company. His three sons—Channing M, Albert B ("AB"), and J Cheney Wells—followed him into the business, which continued to expand.
In 1926, AB began to shop for antiques. This influenced Cheney to collect early American timepieces and Channing to collect fine furniture. By the early 1930s AB had more than 45 rooms full of antiques in his Southbridge home.
In 1935 AB, along with his brothers, family members and associates, formed the Wells Historical Museum. The Museum was given title to the various collections and charged with the care and exhibition of the artifacts. In July 1936 the Museum's trustees met to determine the how the collections would best be presented to the public. AB wanted to create a small cluster of buildings in a horseshoe around a common. His son George B proposed "a revolutionary idea."
AB later said of George, "He pointed out that the historical value of the things I'd been collecting was tremendous, provided that it could be put to proper usage... He suggested that to make this material valuable it would be necessary to have a village, a live village, one with different shops operating... it was essential to have water power." J. Cheney Wells pledged his clocks and other items and to help "in every way I can to develop a village along the lines that George suggests." It is believed that various members of the family had visited European folk museums, including Skansen
Skansen
Skansen is the first open air museum and zoo in Sweden and is located on the island Djurgården in Stockholm, Sweden. It was founded in 1891 by Artur Hazelius to show the way of life in the different parts of Sweden before the industrial era....
in Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, which led to the genesis for what was to become Old Sturbridge Village.
Within a week of the meeting, the Museum purchased David Wight's farm and within a few months hired Malcolm Watkins as the museum's first curator. Architect Arthur Shurcliff was called in to help lay out a suitable country landscape. By 1941, the Fitch House, the Miner Grant Store and the Richardson House (now the Parsonage) were on the common and the Gristmill was in operation.
After a pause for World War II, Ruth Wells, George B.'s wife, became Acting Director of the Village. Quinnebaug Village became Old Sturbridge Village and it opened on June 8, 1946.
Word of mouth
Attendance climbed, mostly through word of mouth. In a 1950 article in The Saturday Evening PostThe Saturday Evening Post
The Saturday Evening Post is a bimonthly American magazine. It was published weekly under this title from 1897 until 1969, and quarterly and then bimonthly from 1971.-History:...
, OSV was featured as "The Town That Wants to be Out of Date".
Adding buildings
By 1988, OSV acquired the Meetinghouse from the Fiskdale neighborhood of Sturbridge, the Salem Towne House from CharltonCharlton, Massachusetts
Charlton is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 12,981 at the 2010 census.- History :Charlton was first settled in 1735. It was established as a District separated off from Oxford on January 10, 1755, and became a Town in 1775 by a law that made all...
, the Fenno House, the Friends Meetinghouse, the Pliny Freeman House, the Printing Office and the District School.
The hurricane
On August 18, 1955, gale-force winds and a torrential downpour from Hurricane DianeHurricane Diane
Hurricane Diane was one of three hurricanes to hit North Carolina during the 1955 Atlantic hurricane season, striking an area that had been hit by Hurricane Connie five days earlier...
created flood waters that broke dams in surrounding towns and flooded the Village.
Fifteen staff members were stranded by the rising waters. The Freeman Farmhouse was flooded and the Covered Bridge was swept off its foundation. Helicopters kept staff members supplied for three days until the waters receded. The damage was estimated to be $250,000 in 1955 dollars. With great effort, Village employees managed to re-open the Village in just nine days.
OSV today
In response to declining attendance, shrinking endowments and rising operating costs, OSV haschanged its presentation of history. Gone are the "movie set" displays with a fixed range of dialog. In their place, interpreters engage visitors in a more personal and interactive process, encouraging them to actively participate.
The museum continues to add interactive exhibits such as a wintertime ice rink, baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
games and a Christmastime celebration.
Structures and exhibits
Old Sturbridge Village has over 40 structures, including restored buildings purchased and relocated from across New EnglandNew England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
and some authentic reconstructions.
The village is divided into three main sections. The Center Village represents the center of town, with the town green as its focal point. Countryside consists of outlying farms and shops. The Mill Neighborhood features various commercial structures that rely upon a millpond for their power.
Center Village
- Friends Meetinghouse - a meetinghouse of the Religious Society of FriendsReligious Society of FriendsThe Religious Society of Friends, or Friends Church, is a Christian movement which stresses the doctrine of the priesthood of all believers. Members are known as Friends, or popularly as Quakers. It is made of independent organisations, which have split from one another due to doctrinal differences...
, also known as Quakers - Center Meetinghouse - churches often served as a location for town meetings, elections, lectures, and political events
- Tin Shop - tin, purchased from England was used to make a variety of household goods
- Salem Towne House - a prosperous farmer's home
- Law Office - a small, free-standing office of a lawyer
- Parsonage - the home of a CongregationalCongregational churchCongregational churches are Protestant Christian churches practicing Congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation independently and autonomously runs its own affairs....
minister and his family - Asa Knight Store - a country store, transported from its original location in Vermont.
- Thompson Bank - a bank that was originally located in Thompson, CT
- Fenno House - an historic house with exhibits that highlight domestic textile production
- Fitch House - the residence with exhibit elements that highlight children and family life
- Small House - a small home based on those of less affluent families, people of color, newlyweds, and renters
- Printing Office
- Cider Mill - a horse-powered mill for the production of hard cider
- Shoe Shop - an historic ten footer, which was a small backyard shop structure built in the 18th and 19th centuries in New EnglandNew EnglandNew England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
to serve as a shoemaker's shop. The name came from the fact that it was usually 10 feet (3 m) by 10 feet (3 m) in area. The ten footers were forerunners of the large shoe factories that developed in New England later in the 19th century. - Town Pound - for the confinement of livestock wandering around town or on other farmer's property
- Bullard Tavern - an early 19th century tavern room
- The Stage Coach - On May 23, 2008, a stage coach marked "Hartford & Worcester" started making trips through Center Village. Guests can ride in the stagecoach for $3.00 per rider.
Image:Sturbridgeloom.jpg|A loom found in the Fenno House.
Image:SturbridgeMeetingHouse.jpg|The Meeting House.
The Countryside
- Freeman Farm - A typical New England farm of 70 acres (283,280.2 m²) or so, with barn, outbuildings, and fields
- Blacksmith Shop - a shop where farm implements and other hardware were made and repaired and horses and oxen were shod
- Bixby House - the home of the blacksmith
- Cooper Shop - many farmers had part-time trades such as coopering - making wooden barrels, buckets, and pails
- Pottery Shop - New England potters made utilitarian items such as Redware milkpans, mugs, crocks, flowerpots, and mixing bowls out of local clay
- District School - a typical publicly funded one-room school
- Covered Bridge - Covered bridges extended the longevity of wooden bridges in the harsh New England weather.
The Mill Neighborhood
Mill Neighborhood features the following structures:- Gristmill - uses water power to turn a 3,000-pound millstone for grinding grain
- Sawmill - a working replica of an "up-and-down" sawmill powered by a reaction-type waterwheel
- CardingCardingCarding is a mechanical process that breaks up locks and unorganised clumps of fibre and then aligns the individual fibres so that they are more or less parallel with each other. The word is derived from the Latin carduus meaning teasel, as dried vegetable teasels were first used to comb the raw wool...
Mill - a water driven facility to prepare wool for spinning
Image:Sturbridgemill.jpg|The Gristmill's mid-breast waterwheel.
Image:Old-sturbridge-village-carding-mill.jpg|One of the carding machines in the carding mill.
Collections
Old Sturbridge Village has several buildings devoted to displaying their assorted collections of early American antiques.- Firearms - many displays feature firearms from colonial America through the post-Civil War era
- Glass - three distinct categories of displays: blown glass, molded glass and pressed glassPressed glassPressed glass is a form of glass made using a plunger to press molten glass into a mold. It was first patented by American inventor John P. Bakewell in 1825 to make knobs for furniture....
- Lighting Devices - early lighting devices from ancient oil lamps and candles to whale oil, camphene and argand lamps
- Herb Garden - a living collection of native and heirloom varieties of ornamental plants and those used for cooking, medicine, dying cloth, and making traditional crafts