Hello, hello, hello! I have gone to an awesome place recently – Old Sturbridge Village. Old Sturbridge Village is a museum-town where you can find out what life was like back in the early 1800’s! And yes, I will include photos.

Well, anyways, we had found ourselves here because our friends had a meeting for six whole hours. Meaning we got to trek the park for six hours straight! Our first stop was the Small House, and we learned from the lady inside that it was a starter home of sorts. Old Sturbridge Village is set in the early 1800’s, so it wasn’t exactly Rich & Famous inside. Only three rooms. You heard me right. Only three. There was the main living room, a bedroom with one bed stuffed with hay, which was actually quite comfortable, and an attic which was blocked off. That was what a starter home was considered back then. Crazy, right? Here’s some photos.

By the way, these are from the entrance to the village, not the Small House. These next ones are, though.

So after that, we checked out a field full of grazing sheep and goats – even a tiny lamb – and then decided to investigate something that looked like an extremely large basketball with writing on it. Reading the sign, we found out that it used because there was a presidential election, and it was Martin Van Buren vs. William Henry Harrison. Supporters of Harrison wanted some way to attract attention and to sway folk to their side, so one of their techniques was to make a large colored ball, put quotes from Harrison on it, and roll it down the street slowly, so that you could read a quote no matter what angle the ball was at! In the same area, there was also an old horse-drawn carriage. Here’s some pics.

We then headed over to the Asa Knight Store, a country store selling all sorts of goods, including liquor, kettles, and kitchenware. Then, we walked over to a garden, which we found out was part of the Parsonage, so we browsed in there too. The Parsonage was home to a minister, who didn’t seem to be there at the time, but a lady was there who I’m guessing was his wife. Photo time!

We then found ourselves in the Tin Shop, where a worker was making a metal candleholder. To make it, you had to mark the pattern that you wanted to put on it on a piece of paper (?) with dots, and then put the paper (?) on the metal sheet, and then just poke through the dots, make a few adjustments, roll it into a cylinder, and you’re done! After that, we traipsed over to the Salem Towne House. Now THIS was the Rich & Famous. On the first floor, three parlors. Second floor, three bedrooms and a huge living room. Basement, a kitchen and barn. The barn also contained many activities, like milking a cow, and a twist on the classic ball-and-maze game, where you had to transport cargo then and now, with each hole representing a different reason why you might not make it to your destination! Here are the pics.

Afterwards, we traveled to the Blacksmith Shop, where the blacksmith was crafting a heart-shaped trivet, which are used for keeping hot dishes off the table. It’s a stand for hot food on hot plates, basically. Sometimes restaurants use them. I think. Anyways, after that, we got hungry, so we decided to take the horse and wagon – rides are free – to the Bullard Tavern. Here are the pictures of those exciting events!

After we stuffed ourselves full of food, we went over to the Printing Office, which – obviously – specializes in printing. Right at that moment, they were printing a document for marriage laws and rights, using a huge printing machine to, well, print it. Our last stop before we hit the six-hour mark was the Glass Exhibit, with a collection of glass objects from the early 1800’s and other times. Check out the last pictures of the day!

Unfortunately, that is all for this post. I hope you enjoyed it. Check out other posts, and don’t forget to comment!