Day 5: 9/11/14  Old Sturbridge Village.

Today we traveled back to 1838 and life in rural Massachusetts.  The highlight of the day for us was the stagecoach ride.  We just couldn’t imagine nine people crammed in there for twelve hours.  The road was fairly smooth but we still bounced and shook the whole time.  Not anything like in the movies where they just kind of rock back and forth! 

Typical small farm house.

 

Quaker Meeting House

Central Meeting House 

Inside Central Meeting House

 

Asa Knight's General Store

 

The Parsonage

The Parson welcomed
us into his home

The Parson's wife prepares
Caraway Cakes (cookies).  

Their almost done.
This is a reflector oven

The caraway cakes looked and smelled so good we were both hoping she would offer us a taste.  But I guess they were for the lady's of the church who would gather there for sewing sessions later in the day.  Doing menial tasks like darning socks went much better when in the company of friends.

Most of the craftsman of the village would have been farmers who earned extra money by using their skills in other lines of work.

The Cooper's Shop

Tinsmith Shop

Bullard Tavern 

The River Ride

The Grist Mill

The sawmill was in operation hile we were there.  They can cut timber at the rate of 3 feet per minute.

The carding shop is where wood is processed for weaving or stuffing for mattresses.

The Blacksmith Shop
was one of the few buildings
made of stone.  (Fireproof?)

The Freeman Farm

The Shoemakers Shop

The Potter starts with a lump of clay

It becomes a cup with handle
(a coffee mug )

The Kiln for firing the pottery.

 The cup he made in only a few minutes would have sold for 3 cents in 1838.  Today you can buy one in the gift shop for $14.95!

The School

The house of Salem Towne, merchant/farmer.
The largest house in the village.

The well was conveniently located in the cellar

I hope you enjoyed the trip through Old Sturbridge Village.

We spent so much time there we were too late to head for Cape Cod.  We returned to Yogi Bear's Jellystone Park.  They kindly gave us a site near the wifi hotspot so I could catch up on the blog.  It was right next to the office! It's nearly 11PM so l''ll say good night all...zzzzzz

Old Sturbridge Village:42°06’32.06” N     72°05’55.90” W