Women's History Days - At Old Sturbridge Village | What’s happening in Fairfield County, CT

Women's History Days - At Old Sturbridge Village

How did early 19th-century women see themselves? How did society view the woman’s sphere? How do we view their lives today? Join Old Sturbridge Village as we acknowledge and celebrate extraordinary and everyday women in the early 19th century. Visit the historic houses of OSV to learn about how women ran their households, managing the essential work of clothing construction, cooking, laundry, and more.

Please help us keep this calendar up to date! If this activity is sold out, canceled, or otherwise needs alteration, email mindy@kidsoutandabout.com so we can update it immediately. If you have a question about the activity itself, please contact the organization administrator listed below.

Several hands-on workshops are also scheduled for March 30th! Pre-registration is required for these workshops; see details below.

March 23rd Highlights:

  • Learn about spring tonics and herbal remedies in the Small House
  • Explore Needle & Thread: The Art and Skill of Clothing a 19th-Century Family with our Collections Manager
  • Learn about women missionaries of the 19th century
  • Visit with costumed historians to learn about Female Societies and their connections to Abolitionism in the 1830s
  • Learn about the Bixby daughters’ contributions to their household economy through straw-braiding and sewing show uppers
  • Join AmeriCorps Members for a reading of Miss Crandall’s School of Young Ladies & Little Misses of Color
  • And more!

March 30th Highlights:

  • Hands-on Workshops at Museum Education (Pre-registration required; see below for details)
  • Learn about spring tonics and herbal remedies in the Small House
  • Learn about the Bixby daughters’ contributions to their household economy through straw-braiding and sewing show uppers
  • Attend a Curator’s Talk about Female Academies and Women’s Education in the Early 19th Century
  • Discover how dance has empowered women throughout history with a performance by Diva Dance School of Warren, MA
  • Learn about women missionaries of the 19th century
  • Visit with costumed historians to learn about Female Societies and their connections to Abolitionism in the 1830s
  • Join AmeriCorps Members for a reading of Miss Crandall’s School of Young Ladies & Little Misses of Color
  • And more!
  • Standard Daytime Admission

    This March and April, up to two kids, 17 years old or younger, are admitted for FREE when accompanied by an adult/senior paying standard daytime admission. Save even MORE ($3 per person) by purchasing your tickets online! Restrictions apply; Learn more.

    Daytime Admission Rates Online:

    Adults $27.00
    Seniors (55 and over) $25.00
    Youths (4-17) $12.00 (Up to two are admitted for FREE per adult/senior paying full price)
    Children (Age 3 and under) FREE

    Purchase tickets online here

    Daytime Admission Rates At the Door:

    Adults $30.00
    Seniors (55 and over) $28.00
    Youths (4-17) $15.00 (Up to two are admitted for FREE per adult/senior paying full price)
    Children (Age 3 and under) FREE

    Hands-On Workshops (March 30th only)

    The following workshops take place in the Museum Education building. Pre-registration is required.

    Make a Collage Portrait | 50 Minutes | $7/person

    Sign up for 11:00 (Ages 6+)
    Sign up for 1:00 (Ages 6+)

    For this workshop, we will take inspiration from a female portrait painter of the 1830s, Ruth Henshaw Bascom, to create portraits. Pastel and pencil self-portraits will be embellished with paper, foil, and ribbons. We’ll also look at some of Bascom’s portraits of New Englanders from the time period! Note: This is not a drop-off program. If you sign up your child or teen for this workshop, a parent or guardian must remain at the Museum Education building during the workshop for safety reasons.

    Carding and Weaving | 50 Minutes | $7/person

    Sign up for 11:00 (Ages 6+) SOLD OUT
    Sign up for 1:00 (Ages 6+)

    Though the 1830s were a time of transition from homespun wool and woven fabrics, women still played a central role in the production of textiles at home and in factories. Through hands-on activities like carding, spinning, and weaving, learn about the roles that women played in the textile industry. Note: This is not a drop-off program. If you sign up your child or teen for this workshop, a parent or guardian must remain at the Museum Education building during the workshop for safety reasons.

    Hearth Cooking: Make it with Maple | 50 Minutes | $7/person

    Sign up for 11:00: Brooks Cake (Ages 6+)
    Sign up for 1:00: Maple Tunbridge Cakes (Ages 6+)
    Sign up for 2:00: Maple Tunbridge Cakes (Ages 6+)

    Many of the receipts, cookbooks, and advice literature of the early 1800s were written by women. During this workshop, participants will work together to prepare maple receipts in front of an open fire. While our treat bakes, we’ll examine period cookbooks and talk about the lives of these ordinary and extraordinary women. Note: This is not a drop-off program. If you sign up your child or teen for this workshop, a parent or guardian must remain at the Museum Education building during the workshop for safety reasons.

    • Brooks Cake is a receipt by Mary Brooks, made and sold to benefit the Concord Anti-Slavery Society. Ingredients include: butter, maple sugar, eggs, flour, currants.
    • Tunbridge Cakes is a receipt by author, editor, and activist Sarah Josepha Hale. Ingredients include: butter, maple sugar, eggs, flour, rosewater, caraway seeds, nutmeg, cinnamon

    Hands-on: Academy Art | 50 Minutes | $7/person

    Sign Up for 2:30 (Ages 6+)

    During the Village’s period, many young women attended female academies or seminaries to receive a higher education. At these academies, women often learned traditional topics like mathematics and language, but also learned to perfect their decorative art skills like painting and embroidery. After seeing some items from the Village’s collection at 11:00 or 1:00, come and create your own academy-inspired artwork! Note: This is not a drop-off program. If you sign up your child or teen for this workshop, a parent or guardian must remain at the Museum Education building during the workshop for safety reasons.


*Times, dates, and prices of any activity posted to our calendars are subject to change. Please be sure to click through directly to the organization’s website to verify.

Location:

Old Sturbridge Village
1 Old Sturbridge Village Rd
Sturbridge, MA, 01566
United States

Phone:

(888) 459-1974
Contact name: 
Old Sturbridge Village
Email address: 
Dates: 
03/30/2024
Time: 
9:30-4:00
Price: 
See Website

Ages

All Ages Adults & kids together