Old Sturbridge Village, Part 1

In late September 2025, I enabled my mild obsession with Old Sturbridge Village (OSV), a living history museum in Sturbridge, MA. In this five-part series, I will cover the forty antique buildings depicting rural New England life during the 1830s, exhibits showcasing artifacts from the period, and an art installation featuring cows decorated by local artists.

A small clapboard sided house with a blue cow sculpture in front. A light blue 19th century wooden building Three sheep with long tails graze by the tree with 19th century houses in the background.

After entering through the Visitor Center, I stopped at the Small House. While the building looks antique, it was actually constructed by experts in historic construction methods and materials about twenty years ago between 2003 and 2007. This tiny home is about 400 square feet, about half the size of my own condo, and was considered appropriate housing for people of lesser means. Down the path was Friends Meetinghouse formerly of Bolton, MA. Built around 1796, this light blue building was the worship center for members of the Religious Society of Friends or Quakers, once a common belief system in New England. OSV uses this space for programs. During my visit, I saw a talented musician play Revolutionary War era military music on a wide range of historic instruments. Across the path, sheep with natural long tails grazed placidly in a meadow. These may have been the same sheep or the cousins of sheep I saw at Coggeshall Farm in Bristol, RI earlier that year, as the Farm is owned by OSV.

An early 19th century whitewashed classic neoclassical style New England church A three-story whitewashed early 19th style wooden building Wooden shelving holding 19th century goods including books, pewter, and food.

Next door to Friends Meetinghouse was Center Meetinghouse, which has stood in Sturbridge since 1832 but was moved to its present location in 1947. The church looks much like the many other whitewashed neoclassical buildings I have seen during my many stops in New England towns. This particular church was built by Baptists, and I thought it likely the result of a schism from the congregational church. Double checking town records revealed that the schism took place in 1749, so the construction of this building must have been construction after the original building burned down. The current congregational church is called Federated Church of Sturbridge and Fiskdale, combining Congregational Church of Sturbridge, Baptist Church of Fiskdale, and Unitarian Church of Sturbridge. Meanwhile, my next stop was Asa Knight Store formerly of Dummerston Vermont, which was regularly expanded during the early 19th century. This general store was a place to buy goods produced locally or imported from around the world.

A two-story, whitewashed, early 19th century building with a saltbox style roof A canopy bed with blue and white fabric An unpainted wooden structure with a sliding door.

Richardson House of East Brookfield, MA, was a whitewashed Greek Revival style building with a saltbox style roof, as the roof on one side of the building ended about seven feed above the ground. The house contained stenciled wallpaper and furniture from the 1830s, although the house was built around 1748. The plain little Tin Shop allowed visitors to watch a craftsman teach a pair of children learn to make tinware. The children attend the nearby Old Sturbridge Academy, a free Charter Public School.

A red and white striped metal ball covered with hand-written campaign slogans A two-and-a-half red-painted building attached to a two-story building with a saltbox roof A wooden sign with the words Bullard Tavern with a picture of a yellow sun, a deep blue sky, and green grass

Behind Richardson House and Tin Shop is Gebhart Performance Barn. Besides a somewhat loud electrical sound, the barn was quiet, as no performances were going on that day. Stored in a loft was a Giant Ball, a replica of a political campaign tool used by General William Henry Harrison from a now-defunct American political party known as the Whigs. Supporters would roll the Giant Ball down the street and tell voters about their candidate. The may have stopped at places like Bullard Tavern, built in 1947 and inspired by local taverns like the Publick House Inn and Restaurant. Here, we watched the musician play one-popular instruments like the melodeon or lap organ, a keyboard instrument in the same family as the accordion and concertina. A game of nine-pins was set up just outside the Tavern, and I was reminded that my talents lie elsewhere.

A two-story whitewashed house with green shutters and an herb garden in front. A two-story whitewashed late 18th century house with green shutters A metal handpump across a lawn in front of a two-story whitewashed house with green shutters

My final stop was Salem Towne House and Garden, constructed in Charlton, MA around 1796 and moved in 1952. (I happen to know someone who I believe is the last surviving resident of this house, which makes this stop extra exciting.) A costumed interpreter described her life as a boardinghouse mistress in Lowell, MA during the 1830s. Her job was eliminated in 1836 after a pair of strikes led by woman workers due to pay cuts and unfair termination of leaders. I was impressed by her ability to speak for forty-five minutes without notes and answer questions from visitors.

Location: 1 Old Sturbridge Village Rd, Sturbridge, MA 01566, USA