A Look into the Collections at

Old Sturbridge Village

Are you a collector? Do you have your own personal collection of items that are
very precious to you? Some people collect things like rocks or sand to remind
them of places they have visited. Others collect toys or books. Museums like Old
Sturbridge Village begin with a collection that keeps growing and growing!

Almost 100 years ago, a man named A.B. Wells went on a trip to Vermont. One
rainy day, he and his friends went to some antique stores. A.B. started collecting handmade tools during this trip. He liked
to collect simple objects that people used every day. He collected old butter churns, mouse traps, furniture, lamps, and hay
rakes. His brother started collecting fancier items like clocks and paperweights.

Soon the brothers had enough treasures to fill 45 rooms. They wanted to share this big collection of items from
America’s past with the public. So, the Wells family started their plan for a “live village.” The museum finally
opened in 1946 for people to visit and see what life was like in the early 1800s.

Over time, the collection of Old Sturbridge Village grew to include paintings
and clothing, and ceramics, too. Today, the collection contains over 40,000
artifacts made between the years 1790 and 1840. An artifact is an object
made by a person. Artifacts help us learn more about the past and the people
who made and used those objects. They tell a story about people and places
from long ago. Accession Numbering

The people who take care of Old Sturbridge Village’s artifacts are called curators. A curator helps keep the
artifacts safe, researches information about the objects, and puts together exhibits. Exhibits are displays of objects for the public. Curators add more items to
the collection all the time. At the museum, we have some artifacts kept in separate buildings, called collection storage. Other artifacts are inside the museum
buildings on display for everyone to see! There is also a library, which has lots of books, diaries, maps, and letters. The houses
in the Village are part of the collection, too.

How do we keep track of all these objects? Each object has an accession number. This number
helps the curators find the item and record information about it. It is written right on the object!

The collection has lots of objects that were made in New England, but also items from far away. For
example, there is simple redware pottery from Massachusetts, like this redware plate on the left. Handmade wooden House Toys

There are also fancier ceramics, like this blue Staffordshire plate on the left. It came from England.
Redware Plate
There are toys that were handmade for kids, like these little wooden houses on the right. There are
also more complex toys, like this building set on the right, also from England. Some families were
able to spend money to purchase educational toys from Europe for their kids to play with.

There are big objects in the collection, vehicles for people to ride on, pulled by horses. This carriage,
Building Set
photo on right, is over 14 feet long and 5 feet wide. There are also tiny objects, like this child’s
leather shoe, bottom right photo. It’s only 7.5 inches long.

The collection also has many painted items, like this sign for a dentist on the bottom left. It’s shaped
Staffordshire Plate
like a tooth! There are paintings by famous artists, and paintings by people we don’t know anything
about. Some art is painted on glass, wood, or cardboard. We have landscapes of New England and
landscapes of places from far away.
Carriage
All of these artifacts help us learn more about the lives of people in the past. What would someone
in the future learn about you if they looked through your collection? Maybe you can organize an
exhibit of your collection for your family and friends to see!

Dentist Sign

Child’s Leather Shoe

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.
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