Daily events are subject to change.
UPDATED MAY 30 at 5:00 PM DUE TO WEATHER FORECAST
Welcome to Old Sturbridge Village, a recreated 1830s rural New England town! Today is Muster Day. To supplement the meager armed forces, most early 19th century farmers and craftsmen were required by law to serve in local militia units – the forerunner of today’s National Guard. Twice a year, these citizen-soldiers were “called to muster” for the day of training in their town. Old Sturbridge Village re-creates a typical Muster Day and celebrates our local military history. Demonstrations will include marching, musket and cannon firing, and target practice. Enjoy your visit! Please Note: The Woodland and Pasture Walks are closed today.
Muster Day Programming
◈Gingerbread for sale at the Miner Grant Store -
While supplies last! A winter treat today, gingerbread was traditionally enjoyed on muster days in the early 19th century (Building #18).
◈United Stitches: Visit the Richardson House as a new thirteen-star flag is sewn together. Discover how village residents celebrated the events of 1776 in the 1830s (in the Richardson House, Building #12).
9:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. Make a Paper Militia Hat
(in the Visitor Center, Building #2).
9:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. The Militia in Context: Visit the Bullard Tavern to learn about the militia system, who served, and its connection to social reform movements in the 1830s (the Bullard Tavern, Building #3).
9:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. & 2:00 – 5:00 p.m.
Making Uniforms for the Militia
(at the Fenno House, Building #22).
9:45 a.m. Flag Raising with Fife and Drum Music
(on the Common, indicated by “C” on the map).
10:00 a.m. The Militia Musters: Every spring, a town’s militia would gather to ensure that each man had the arms and equipment that were required by
law for anyone serving in the militia. Spring musters were much smaller than the musters in the fall, but were still filled with marching and field music (next to the Center Meetinghouse, Building #6).
10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. & 2:00 – 4:00 p.m.
Painting Militia Knapsacks
(at the Fitch House, Building #21).
10:30 a.m. Fife and Drum Music Performance
(in the Gebhardt Barn, Building #13).
11:00 a.m. The Militia Practices Target Shooting:
Firing balls at targets was a common training activity during muster days. See the militia do their best to hit the bull’s eye (behind the Cabinetmaking Shop, Building #7).
11:45 a.m. Kids Target Shoot with Rubber Band Rifles: After seeing the militia firing their muskets at targets,
kids can test their aim with rubber band rifles
(in the Gebhardt Barn, Building #13).
12:30 p.m. Kids Learn to March
(in the Gebhardt Barn, Building #13).
2:30 p.m. Cannon Demonstration
-WEATHER PERMITTING-
Hear the thunderous roar of our replica cannon and learn about the importance of artillery in early 19th century warfare (at the Bixby Field, near Building #36).
3:00 p.m. Fife and Drum Music Performance
(in the Gebhardt Barn, Building #13).
3:30 p.m. Musket Demonstration
(next to the Center Meetinghouse, Building #6).
4:45 p.m. Flag Lowering with Fife and Drum Music
(on the Common, indicated by “C” on the map).
Daily Activities
1:00 p.m. Parlor Music: Listen to a selection of formal songs set for the parlor (in the Fitch House, Building #20).
11:30 a.m. Band Music: Come hear a selection of marches off the battlefield (in the Center Meetinghouse, Building #6).
11:30 a.m. & 2:30 p.m. Carding Mill Demonstration: Carding is brushing wool to prepare it for spinning into yarn. Our 200+ year-old water-powered machines did it much faster than hand carding, a welcome service to early farm families (at the Carding Mill, Building #39).
2:00 p.m. The Rocking Melodeon: The portable keyboard may be older than you realize (in the Bullard Tavern, Building #3).
4:00 p.m. The Hurdy Gurdy: Listen to this strange and unusual instrument (in the Bullard Tavern, Building #3).
Exhibitions
Hands & Hearts: Courtship and Marriage in 19th-century New England: Most New Englanders chose to marry, and they did so for a variety of reasons. Learn more about these reasons, as well as four couples and their stories, in this exhibit (in the Visitor Center Exhibition Gallery, G).
For the Purpose of Illumination: This exhibit draws upon OSV’s large collection of lighting devices and prompts us to examine the impact that artificial lighting had in the early 19th century and continues to have on our lives today (in the Countryside Gallery, Building #38).
Needle and Thread: The Art and Skill of Clothing an Early 19th Century Family : highlights the responsibilities held by rural New England housewives in constructing new garments, patching, mending, and darning worn items, and repurposing old items into new wardrobes. The exhibit features over a dozen garments and accessories, along with other textile and clothing objects from the Old Sturbridge Village Museum Collection (in the Dennison Building, #27).
Dining & Shopping
Bullard Café (Building #3) (on the Ground Floor)
11:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Hungry? Stop by for lunch or a snack.
Miner Grant Store & Bake Shop (Building #18)
9:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Stop in to buy our famous chocolate chip cookies, Joe Frogger cookies, and treats. Shop for Village-made wares, historical children’s toys and gifts, too!
Muster Day Celebration: Spend $60 in stores and receive a free OSV reusable tote bag. Quantities limited.
Not applicable for prior purchases.
Ox & Yoke Café (Building #1)
10:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. Featuring scrumptious sweet and savory baked goods prepared on-site, along with freshly ground coffee, beer and wine, cold and hot drinks, and more.
Ox & Yoke Mercantile (Building #1)
10:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. Take home a traditional rural
New England treasure or unique gift. Village-made crafts and kits, home décor, books, and more await!
Muster Day Celebration: Spend $60 in stores and receive a free OSV reusable tote bag. Quantities limited.
Not applicable for prior purchases.