Lucius Benham and Sarah Plimpton corresponded for 16 months before marrying in May 1854. Through these letters, which survive in the Old Sturbridge Village Research Library, the couple sought to learn more about each other and determine if they would be compatible. www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ngK...

#OnThisDay in 1824, Salem Towne was in Boston and penned a letter to his wife, urging her to join him when #Lafayette arrived in the city as a part of his farewell tour in August of that year. According to Salem, “There never was nor never will be such a meeting in this or any country.”

Mac and Cheese Day, you say? 🧀 What better day to prepare dressed macaroni using a receipt (recipe) from 1838! Find the receipt for dressed macaroni and other cheesy dishes like pounded cheese and soft cheese at www.osv.org/virtual-vill...

Need some cute calf content on your feed? We've got you covered with Io the Randall Lineback calf! 🐮 #CuteAnimals #FarmLife

Did you know that Old Sturbridge Village is a participating museum in Museums for All? Through this program, people who receive food assistance also gain access to reduced or free admission at hundreds of museums across the country. museums4all.org

The 2025 Friends of the Village Art Show is now on display in the David Wight Community Gallery! Learn more and vote for your favorite at www.osv.org/membership-2... Pictured is "OSV Gristmill," created by Susan Schofield #MembershipMonday #Art #Gristmill #CreativeInspo

This unfinished collar in the #OSVMuseumCollection demonstrates one approach to whitework embroidery. The embroiderer stitched this collar on a larger piece of cotton, but either had more to sew and left it unfinished or never took the time to complete the final step of cutting it out.

#OnThisDay in 1802, Hervey Brooks fired his first kiln. Hervey was a dedicated craftsman who continued to produce pottery even after most New England potters had abandoned the trade. He made approximately 45,000 pieces of pottery during his lifetime. #Artisan #Pottery

National Cheese Day, you say? 🧀 Sounds like a great day to make some dressed Macaroni based on an 1838 receipt (recipe) from "The Housekeeper's Book!" Find this historical receipt and more at www.osv.org/virtual-vill... #OldSturbridgeVillage #Cheese #HistoricalFoodways #Recipe

Today, many #recipes call for vanilla extract. Many early 19th-century New England receipts (recipes), however, called for rosewater. Rosewater is available for purchase in our shops, both in-store and online at shop.osv.org/collections/...

#OnThisDay in 1819, Julia Ward Howe was born in New York. Today, she is principally remembered for having written “The Battle Hymn of the Republic,” but during her lifetime, she was known as an abolitionist, woman suffragist, essayist, lecturer, and poet.

In honor of Wool Days this coming weekend, we want to highlight a couple of pieces of woolen #HistoricalClothing from the #OSVMuseumCollection: 1. Circa 1835 challis (#wool) gown 2. Circa 1825-32 militia artillery coatee made of plain-woven lightweight worsted wool #History #Textiles

Running into the weekend like... #Sheep #Massachusetts #AnimalVideo #Funny #Farm

Ever seen a 19th-century water-powered carding mill in action? Check it out at youtu.be/KRq7wBltTvY #CardingMill #Textiles #Wool #History #Innovation

Bring history home with our best-selling, Village-made redware mugs! Shop now at shop.osv.org/collections/... #Pottery #Handmade #History #Artisan #NewEngland

Throwback to last year when we welcomed HGTV Home to the Village for an in-depth dive into the process of dyeing wool with natural dyes like sage, walnuts, madder root, and cochineal. Watch the video at www.youtube.com/watch?v=r1dN... #Wool #Textiles #History #NaturalDyes #TextileProcessing #Yarn

Did you know? In 1840, there were about 4 million sheep in New England! With the high demand for quality wool by the textile industry and an embargo on imported wool, there was a high need for a local source. #FunFact #Sheep #Wool #Textiles

Throwback to last year when we welcomed HGTV Home to the Village for an in-depth dive into the process of sheep shearing, carding, and spinning. Watch the segment at www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fpv7...

Children have played with marbles since ancient times. In early 19th-century New England, marbles were mostly made with clay and were imported from England or Germany. Some marbles were even made with local clay. #MarbledMonday #Artifact #Toys #History

Ladies’ bonnets, elaborately decorated with anything from ribbons and bows to feathers and silk flowers, reflected the fashion preferences wearer and trends of the time. Which of these two bonnets from the #OSVMuseumCollection is your favorite? #HistoricalFashion #Bonnets #Fashion #History

Need a moment of calm? Enjoy seeing lambs relaxing at the Freeman Farm! #MuseumMomentOfZen #LambSpam

Did you know? In 2024, Old Sturbridge Village welcomed visitors from all 50 states – plus several dozen other countries! #NationalTourismDay #VisitMA

It looks like spring in the Salem Towne House Garden! #MuseumMomentOfZen #Garden #Spring #NewEngland #Tulips #FlowerFriday

Join Collections Manager and Curator of Textiles Rebecca Beall for a behind-the-scenes look at the many types of yarn winders, reels, and swifts in the Old Sturbridge Village collection: youtu.be/GGV-cn5uZpk #OSVMuseumCollection #Textiles #History #Yarn

May 1st, also known as “#MayDay,” is a day for cultural organizations to evaluate their emergency preparedness plans and procedures. While OSV has institution-wide plans and procedures, we have our own collections and library-focused framework to follow if faced w/ emergencies or natural disasters.

CAPTION THIS! 🐑 Photo captured by Paula Stewart. #Lamb #FarmLife #Massachusetts #SillyAnimals #Sheep

Join Historian and Curator of Mechanical Arts, Tom Kelleher, for a history of the Thompson Bank. Watch now at youtu.be/yJGY5qy0u54 #Connecticut #NewEngland #History #Museum

The Thompson Bank was one of a growing number of commercial banks in the 19th century that loaned money to promote rural industry and trade. Pictured here are some snapshots from when it was moved from Thompson, #Connecticut to Old Sturbridge Village in 1963. #ThrowbackThursday

It's time for another #WallpaperWednesday - with a twist! This 19th-century English dyer's recipe book (ca. 1830-1840) is covered in a beautiful beige, green, blue, and red patterned wallpaper. Inside, it includes approximately 200 dye recipes and swatches of dyed fabrics. #Wallpaper

The landscape paintings in the #OSVMuseumCollection depict scenes of agrarian life in 19th-century New England. Barnyards, fields, and oxen are represented throughout the seasons. #19thCenturyArt

Red and Don are FIVE! 🐂🐃 🎉5️⃣ #Oxen #OldSturbridgeVillage

In 19th-century portraits, it was common for sitters to be painted alongside objects that were meaningful in some way, usually communicating professional status, intellectual accomplishments, or wealth. What would you want to be painted with you if you sat for a portrait? #WorldArtDay

Running into the weekend like... 📸 Photo by Michele Moran #FridayFeeling #Sheep #Massachusetts #Museum

I spy with my little eye...a furry feline friend! 🐾🐱 In 1836, Joseph H. Davis painted this watercolor image of Enoch and Hannah Tuttle’s family, including the family cat. If the cat could speak, what do you think it would say? #CatsOfBluesky #NationalPetDay #Art

This portrait of a child with a fluffy pup is one of our favorites in the #OSVMuseumCollection. Unfortunately, we do not know the name of the child, the dog, or the artist. #NationalPetDay

#Siblings are well represented in the #OSVMuseumCollection, especially among our portraits. One example is John and Franklin Goddard. When Horace Bundy painted the brothers’ portraits in 1837, John was 6 years old (and likely enrolled in school, given that he holds a small book) and Franklin was 4.

WOW! 🐮🎨 We received more than 260 artist proposals for CowParade at the Village! From florals to textiles to landscapes and more, we loved seeing all the creative ideas that members of the local community came up with. #Art #BehindTheScenes

Clarissa Pool’s husband George was a shoemaker in Woburn, #Massachusetts, who made shoes for whalers in the New Bedford area. While Clarissa helped George produce shoes during the winter months, she also made doll shoes in her spare time. #MiniatureMonday #Dolls #Shoes

This miniature portrait in the #OSVMuseumCollection presents a lovely example of Regency #fashion, including a short-sleeved, empire-waisted gown and sheer lacy chemisette. The hair around her face is styled in fashionable ringlets, and her coiffure is finished with several decorative combs.

There be dragons in the #OSVMuseumCollection! 🐉 Decorated with pairs of whimsical and even mythical animals, such as dragons, birds, fish, and bugs, this circa 1790-1800 coverlet is a feast for the eyes and imagination. #Embroidery #Textiles Learn more at youtu.be/HyR0BA5eMQQ

Is it a bird? 🐦 Is it a plane? ✈️ Yes! More specifically, it’s a cooper’s heading swift, used to even the cants (boards) when making barrel heads. Its loose resemblance to a bird gives it the nickname of a “bird plane.” #ToolsOfTheTrade #Artisan #OSVMuseumCollection

Our partner, Coggeshall Farm Museum in Bristol, RI, is hosting a Sheep & Wool Festival on May 17th and is currently looking for #handmade crafts, artwork, and photography related to #sheep and wool for the festival showcase! Learn more and sign up at coggeshallfarm.org/sheep-wool-s...

Sometimes you just have to improvise and make do! When the handle of this Staffordshire cream pitcher broke, someone fashioned a new tin handle for it. The result is an incongruous mix of a finished ceramic made usable by unfinished tin. #OSVMuseumCollection #ReUse #19thCentury

Thanks to π, we know that this unique pie plate from the #OSVMuseumCollection has a circumference of 25.13 inches. #Pie #Pottery #Artifact #History

Pi(e) day is a perfect day for making an apple pie (as if we need an excuse 😉). Find historical receipts (#recipes) for several varieties of pie at www.osv.org/virtual-vill... #PiDay #Pie #Baking

This beautiful album #quilt was made in the late 1840s in Weymouth, #Massachusetts. The white diamonds along the border have been signed and inscribed by over fifty individuals. Album quilts such as this were usually made when a family member or friend was moving away or getting married.

This week (March 10-14) is #CivicLearningWeek! This celebration seeks to highlight the importance of civic education across the U.S. In addition to our two popular civics-focused in-person field trip programs, the Village has two FREE e-civics curriculums. Learn more at www.osv.org/education/e-...

Whitework #embroidery was a popular embellishment technique in the early 19th century. Cuffs, collars, capes, and other accessories in the #OSVMuseumCollection demonstrate the wide variety of patterns and stitches ladies employed, showcasing their needle skills and aesthetic taste.

In 19th-century portraits, it was common for sitters to be painted alongside objects that were meaningful in some way, usually communicating professional status, intellectual accomplishments, or wealth. What would you want to be painted with you if you sat for a portrait? 🎨 #Art #19thCentury

"Of purchased presents there are none more useful or more elegant than books; and, as these may be had at any price, and to suit every ages and taste, you need never be at any loss what to get for a young friend." - Eliza Ware Farrar in "The Young Lady's Friend" (1838) #Books #WiseWords #Quotable