Gary-Summer: October 19, 2018 - Old Sturbridge Village

Friday, October 19, 2018

October 19, 2018 - Old Sturbridge Village

Title: October 19, 2018 - Old Sturbridge Village
Hike Info : Description : Background : Extra Photo's

Hike Info:

Type: City

Description:

Field plowing

Got up at 730. Both Bob and Diane are up. Read and wrote some while waiting for Sherri to get up, which she does around 8:15. Diane fixes us a meal of apple trat and eggs, along with some conversation. They are going off to visit their son for the first time since he went away to school and we are going back to Boston via a place called Sturbridge.

When we say our good byes after a good, but short visit, we tell Google we would like to go to Sturbridge without highways and toll roads. So we get to see more rural Connecticut at 35-40mph rather than more the citified portions at 55-65 mph. We enjoy the softer side of the world. The greens seem subdued, as would be appropriate this time of year, but this brings out the reds, oranges and yellows. The road winds around, going up a hill and down into another creek. At times it seems like we enter into a tunnel of leaves and trees.

Pottery Kilm

There are times I wonder why does it take so long to get from state to state out here. That is more because the roads are not conducive to higher speed travel. Even though it seems like the same 40 mph road out here would be a 55 mph in California. But this may speak more to a state of mind in these parts. Why rush? Why not go a bit slower and enjoy the journey? Something to remember. (I do observe that not all these states are this way as later on I get cut off a few times. But this is closer to the cities.)

After driving for two hours, we arrive the backway into the Old Sturbridge Village. It is a $26 a senior person(over 55 which we clear that hurdle with no problems). The Village is a mostly authentic village with only a couple of buildings being built “new” but after similar buildings of its age. By the way, that age is around 1830. There are people re-enacting the people of that period, but I think that they look too “fresh” for authentic people of the era. We go and mosey around the area-as it turns out, our wanderings is an all day affair. We visit the following:

Congregational Church

Field plowing: When we first stepped inside the village area, there was this guy with two ox yoked together, leveling a small fields
Old house with a woman tending to it-she was making a few household things.
Friends meeting halle - a meetinghouse of the Religious Society of Friends, known as Quakers
Congregational church - churches often served as a location for town meetings, elections, lectures, and political events
Asa Knight Store - a country store, transported from its original location in Vermont. Store was stocked with items from that period.
kilm-not in use, but sometimes used by the pottery shop
Pottery Shop - New England potters made utilitarian items out of local clay, such as milk pans, mugs, crocks, flowerpots, and mixing bowls. A person was throwing mud and fashinging some raw vases before firing them.
shoe shop - a historic ten footer, which was a small backyard shop structure built in the 18th and 19th centuries in New England to serve as a shoemaker's shop. Such structures were usually 10 feet (3.0 m) by 10 feet (3.0 m) in area. They were forerunners of the large shoe factories that developed in New England later in the 19th century. The person in there was showing how one person would make the tops, another person the sole and a third might put them all together. The shoes did not seem very comfortable.
Freeman Farmhouse - a typical New England farm of approximately 70 acres (280,000 m2) with barn, outbuildings, and fields
Blacksmith's in their shop

Blacksmith Shop - a shop where farm implements and other hardware were made and repaired and horses and oxen were shod. By far, this was the most exciting shop where two smith’s were fashioning other tools.
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
Carding Mill - a water-driven facility to prepare wool for spinning
Covered Bridge - Covered bridges extended the longevity of wooden bridges in the harsh New England weather.
Firearms - many displays feature firearms from colonial America through the post-Civil War era
Glass - there are three categories of displays: blown glass, molded glass, and pressed glass

Sherri and Gary at Covered Bridge

When we walked down to the covered bridge, we came to the Quinebaugh River. It had been dammed so that a pretty nice size pond formed in back. With the autumn colors, the scene was so peaceful. We loitered around there for awhile, then traveled down a path till we got to the covered bridge. Not being a devotee of covered bridges, I will say I enjoyed, but not particularly impressed. We learned a bit of water rights and how some companies in the area were able to wipe out farmers downstream by releasing water, destroying their livelihoods. This was in the Wolcott Woollen Manufacturing Company v. Upton case. Upton lost.

We continue on down our little trail, hoping to hit another trail. But our trail petered out and disappeared, leaving us in some plants with thorns which looked very much like berries, but without the fruit. So we backtracked while in site of our objective. Now before you feel too sorry for us, our whole day of walking outside of the village was probably about ⅝’s of a mile. We got to a junction and went down the trail we originally saw to a bridge crossing the Quinebaugh. Here we turned around and went back into the village. By now, it was 4pm and the air was getting crisper and the shadows longer.

Quinebaugh River Pond

So we made our way back into the main part of the town, visiting a few places like the gun exhibit and probably the best house in the area. We then saw a building called the Beehive, which naturally they told about making honey there. But it was too cold for the bees, so nothing functional there. Then our final stop was the gift shop. We bought some fudge-good stuff and then headed back to the car.

Quinebaugh River Dam

We had asked in the gift shop about places to eat. One place which the lady talked about was the Cedar Street Grill. So we headed off there. Sherri had the Grilled Pork Tenderloin. while I looking things over, much of their menu was Mac and Cheese, so I ordered it Buffalo style-not expecting much. Sherri’s came with an order of Brussel sprouts. Which soon came out. While Sherri was eating that, the waitress came out and realized that the Brussel sprouts was her personal order, not what came with the meal. Not much she could do with that. Our food came out and we ate it up. Sherri’s pork was wonderful. My Mac and Cheese was definitely not out of a Kraft’s box. Pretty enjoyable meal, particularly since we did not have lunch.

Now it is time to get back to Malden. But first we stop at REI for some warmer clothing. We get into Malden around 8pm and get unpacked. We then drop the keys and car off at the rental and walk back. A bit tired so off we go to bed.

Background

Reviews posted on TripAdvisor.

Old Sturbridge Village. This village is a recreation of buildings and times in the late 1700’s to early 1800’s. If you are interested in something “historic” such as where a battle was fought or a famous person slept here, you will be better served someplace else. If you are interested in the lives of ordinary people of that era, this is a good place to learn how common people fared in New England during that time. There are re-enactments of everyday life from field ploughing to pottery making to smithing to straw weaving. Be prepared to spend at least half a day-we spent most of our day there.

Center Village

The Center Village contains:

Friends Meetinghouse - a meetinghouse of the Religious Society of Friends, known as Quakers
Center Meetinghouse - churches often served as a location for town meetings, elections, lectures, and political events
Tin Shop - tin imported 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 Congregational 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, Connecticut
Fenno House - a historic house with exhibits that highlight domestic textile production
Fitch House - a residence exhibit that highlights children and family life
Small House - a small home based on those of less affluent families and renters
Printing Office
Cider Mill - a horse-powered mill for the production of hard cider
Shoe Shop - a historic ten footer, which was a small backyard shop structure built in the 18th and 19th centuries in New England to serve as a shoemaker's shop. Such structures were usually 10 feet (3.0 m) by 10 feet (3.0 m) in area. They were forerunners of the large shoe factories that developed in New England later in the 19th century.^[2]
Town Pound - for the confinement of livestock found wandering loose
Bullard Tavern - an early 19th-century tavern room
The Stage Coach - a stage coach marked "Hartford & Worcester" which makes trips through Center Village

The Countryside

The Countryside section contains:

Freeman Farmhouse - a typical New England farm of approximately 70 acres (280,000 m²) 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 - where wooden barrels, buckets, and pails were made
Pottery Shop - New England potters made utilitarian items out of local clay, such as milkpans, mugs, crocks, flowerpots, and mixing bowls
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:

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
Carding Mill - a water-driven facility to prepare wool for spinning

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 - there are three categories of displays: blown glass, molded glass, and pressed glass
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

From WIkipedia

Cedar Street Grill. We were hungry when we got here and content when we left. This restaurant is a bit off the main drag, but worth finding. We were ready to eat. When I saw many plates of Mac&Cheese, I was wondering what kind of place is this? But this is no Kraft out of the box meal. I had the Buffalo dish and it was certainly tangy-maybe a touch much, but good. My wife had the Grilled Pork Tenderloin-it may have been the best meal she had on the trip. Definitely a place to stop and eat.

Extra Photo's