What is it?
Here you can learn about some of the artifacts from the Old Sturbridge Village collection. Please check back as the featured item will change periodically.
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Cook Stove by William V. Many, Albany, NY
October 2008 
This small cast iron cook stove represents the step stove style. It was made by William V. Many, who operated the Eagle Air Furnace in Albany from 1837 through 1843. It has a small oven compartment for baking as well as a bi-level cooking surface on the top of the stove. Small sliding dampers could be used to control the direction of the heat. Though many women in New England still cooked over an open hearth, cook stoves such as this one were gaining popularity. Cook stoves used fuel more efficiently, but they also had a much smaller cooking area than a traditional open hearth. Ladies were sometimes unwilling to convert to a newer cooking method. Look for this stove in the Salem Towne House upper kitchen; the older hearth has been bricked up behind the new stove. Notice that the old bake oven (to the left of the hearth) has been left accessible. The women of the household may have compromised by using the new stove for some cooking tasks, but continuing to use the old bake oven for large amounts of weekly baking. |
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Wash Bowl and Pitcher, "Columbian Star" Pattern
September 2008 
The election of 1840 is often considered the first “modern” election with catchy campaign slogans and the production of large quantities of political memorabilia such as ribbons, tokens and even ceramics and glassware. This ceramic wash bowl and pitcher were produced by John Ridgway in Staffordshire, England in 1840. Log cabin scenes like this “Columbian Star” pattern were often associated with General William Henry Harrison's campaign and the Whig party. Like today’s lawn signs and bumper stickers, owning and displaying campaign items was a way to show support for one candidate over another. During the 1840 election, Harrison items vastly outnumbered items supporting his opponent, Democrat Martin Van Buren. Harrison won the election by a landslide. The Whig victory was short-lived, however; Harrison contracted pneumonia and died one month after taking office. Be sure to see this wash bowl and pitcher, along with a selection of other Harrison items in our mini-exhibit The People's Choice: Willliam Henry Harrison and the Election of 1840 in the Vistors' Center. |
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Tin Serving Tray
August 2008 
Many household items were made out of tin, such as measures, canisters and boxes. This serving tray or waiter was made from two sheets of tin seamed together at the center of the tray. The octagonal shape of this two-sheet waiter is distinctly American. This tray may have been produced in one of the many tin shops in Connecticut and was probably made circa 1800-1840.Although many tin items were available undecorated, this tray has been japanned or decorated in imitation of Asian lacquered items. First the tray was coated with a dark varnish or japan. Then the brightly colored floral decorations were painted free-hand. The art of flowering or painting tin was often done by girls and women. They learned to work quickly and efficiently to decorate the tin with a variety of fanciful patterns. Flowers and leaves of all shapes and sizes, swags and even fruit were popular painted designs. Look for this tray in the upper kitchen of the Salem Towne house, along with other examples of early American painted tin. |
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Painted and Stenciled Chest of Drawers
July 2008 
Packages and mail as well as people traveled by stagecoach in the early 1800s. This painted chest of drawers, circa 1830, is stenciled with the names of three Worcester-area stagecoach routes. It was probably used to sort mail and packages for the different stagecoach lines.In the 1830s, stagecoach travel was being replaced by cars or steam-powered railroads. Many stage lines listed on the drawers of this chest were put out of business by new railroads that offered faster and more comfortable travel. The Worcester and Norwich railroad was completed in 1839 and had put the Worcester and Norwich stage out of business by 1840. Old Sturbridge Village's brand new stagecoach is the well-known Concord (New Hampshire) stagecoach design. Concord coaches were used throughout America in the 1800s. Imagine traveling in a crowded coach over rough and dusty roads for hours or even days. Be sure to visit the new mini-exhibit On the Road: Stagecoaching in Early New England in the Textile and Firearms Building where this chest of drawers is on display. |
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Quilted Petticoat
June 2008 
Ladies in the 1700s and 1800s often wore underskirts called petticoats beneath their gowns. Quilted petticoats like this one were worn for warmth, but they also supported the gown over it in a fashionable shape. This petticoat, worn in Massachusetts around 1770, is made of red wool. The elaborate quilting was visible underneath the open-skirted gowns that were fashionable at the time. The oblong shape of this petticoat helped the gown worn over it drape properly. As dress fashions changed, so did the shape of the petticoats. Come see this petticoat and other quilted clothing in Off the Bed: The Fashion and Function of Quilted Clothing, our new textile exhibit opening June 14th, 2008. |
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Freeman Family Register
May 2008 
Printed and freehand family registers became popular during the early 19th century, evolving from notations in the family Bible. Hanging a framed family register on the wall allowed families to keep track of births, marriages and deaths. Decorative family registers were often displayed in a family’s parlor. The Freeman family used this register as a practical record as well as a decorative piece. It was updated by various family members through 1894.This register was designed and printed by Kellogg and Comstock, a company with offices in New York City and Hartford, Connecticut. The company offered at least eight other family register designs. A reproduction of the original Freeman family was printed and hung in the Freeman parlor to protect the original from sun damage and wear. The Freeman Farmhouse re-opened in April 2008 after a chimney fire in June 2007. Though some things were kept the same, it was also an opportunity to bring in some fresh changes, like brand new wallpaper for the front rooms. Be sure to visit Freeman soon! |
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Bird Cage - Fishbowl
April 2008 
Parlor gardeners often added caged songbirds, most commonly canaries, to their indoor gardens. Goldfish were also popular houseplant companions. The double glass globe on top of this mahogany birdcage is designed so that the birds and fish can be kept together. This bird cage and fishbowl combination is made of mahogany and glass and was probably made in England circa 1800-1820.From the diary of William Bently, 1791: "(June) 12. Was politely received at dinner by Mr. Barrell, & family, who showed me his large & elegant arrangements for amusement, & philosophic experiments. His birds played in a globe surrounded with a globe of water in which the fish play." |
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Wallpaper in the Small House
March 2008 
This reproduction wallpaper was chosen for the Small House because it very closely resembles the first layer of wallpaper found in the Rice House, upon which Small House was modeled. This wallpaper is a block-print reproduction on hand-joined paper. Like its original, it was printed by hand using carved wooden blocks measuring about 19 inches square.The pattern is an exact copy of a wallpaper found in several houses and lining several trunks in Otsego County, NY. It is undoubtedly American and was probably produced in New York State although New England is a possibility. The original wallpaper dates about 1820, but may have been used as late as 1840 or 1850. It has only been found with a creamy ground or background, but at least two different blue variations were block-printed. The brilliant Prussian blue ground on this reproduction was produced especially for Old Sturbridge Village, to more closely match the first layer of wallpaper found in the Rice House. |