On Holland Road, on the left when traveling south.
“Freedom is not Free”
This Bridge Dedicated to
1st Lt. Joshua L. Booth USMC
Who was killed in Iraq on October 17th, 2006
Who as a child enjoyed fishing the Quinebaug River
from this bridge
Who is honored by a grateful . . . — — Map (db m124618) WM
This house was built in 1796 in Charlton, Massachusetts for prosperous farmer and merchant Salem Towne and his family. Its architecture is a rural interpretation of the "Adam" or "Federal" style. Between the 1780s and the 1820s, the first . . . — — Map (db m118914) HM
This strange-shaped brick structure is a kiln for baking – or firing – the redwood pottery made in the shop across the road. The kiln functions much like an oven. The open center is where the potter stacks his pots, jars, jugs, and . . . — — Map (db m121530) HM
On Main Street (Massachusetts Route 131) at Haynes Street, on the right when traveling east on Main Street.
Built in 1852 on the site of the town's original Meeting House, the Center School helped Sturbridge consolidate its outlying one-room district schools. It continued as a site for elementary education until the 1950s, when the present Burgess . . . — — Map (db m118883) HM
On Main Street (Massachusetts Route 131) east of Haynes Street/Maple Street, on the left when traveling east.
[Honor Roll]
A. M. Bullard • J. B. Blodget • J. Brigham
J. B. Cooper • J. A. Johnson • C. C McMaster
I. G. Plimpton • R. Sharruck • C. M. Whittemore
P. Gavin • W. J. Allen • C. H. Brown • W. Carter
T. O'Hare • H. Smith • W. J. Stone . . . — — Map (db m118866) WM
On Main Street (Massachusetts Route 131) at Publick House Road, on the right when traveling east on Main Street.
The Publick House, founded by civic leader Ebenezer Crafts in 1771, and the adjacent retail building are survivors of the time when the Common was the commercial center of Sturbridge. The inn served as a stage stop on the Worcester-Stafford . . . — — Map (db m118864) HM
Livestock were everywhere in farming communities. Although the law required that they be fenced in, they often got loose. Stray animals were brought to town pounds like this large stone structure, where they were impounded and cared for until . . . — — Map (db m121525) HM
Farming was central to life in rural New England. Two out of three households were headed by farmers, and the seasonal rhythms of farm work shaped the calendar. Most families owned some land, but many rented other people’s land. From plowing . . . — — Map (db m121514) HM
The fire pit was a familiar sight in the farmyard. When large kettles needed to be hung over a fire, the kitchen fireplace might not be big enough, but the outside fire pit was ideal. During spring, summer and fall, the fire pit provided hot . . . — — Map (db m118916) HM
The ornamental front yard became more common in Village households in the 1830s. This one includes a circular garden, decorative plantings, and a small area of grassy lawn.
The back part of the yard is for work and storage. It includes a . . . — — Map (db m118915) HM
This is the homelot of the Pliny Freeman Farm, with dwelling house, barn, and other outbuildings, kitchen garden, and farm fields.
The Freeman family's house was moved here from its original location just a few miles away.
A typical farm . . . — — Map (db m118938) HM
A well sweep is one of the simplest ways to raise water from a well.
A well sweep is like a big seesaw, with one end heavier than the other. A bucket is tied to the lighter end. When you lower the bucket into the well, the heavy end rises. . . . — — Map (db m119686) HM
This re-created graveyard reminds us that death is an inevitable part of life. In early New England, most people were buried in graveyards near the meetinghouse, although some were put to rest in family or neighborhood plots. Some graves were . . . — — Map (db m121519) HM
On Main Street (Massachusetts Route 131) at Maple Street, on the right when traveling east on Main Street.
who died from injuries parachuting
from a P-47 which crashed in
Sturbridge on Sept. 1, 1943.
His body was recovered 4 miles
south of this location
Dedicated Memorial Day May 29, 1995 — — Map (db m118885) HM WM
These millstones, made of New England granite, were used to grind grain into meal (a fine powder) for baking and cooking.
Millstones in a gristmill work in pairs, like scissor blades, with the grooved surfaces facing each . . . — — Map (db m118890) HM
These millstones, made of New England granite, were used to grind grain into meal (a fine powder) for baking and cooking.
Millstones in a gristmill work in pairs, like scissor blades, with the grooved surfaces facing each . . . — — Map (db m118929) HM
On Maple Street north of Gardner Avenue, on the right when traveling north.
By the 1840s, the town's growth made this second cemetery a necessity, and
it remains in current use. Here, monuments are considerably different from
those in the Old Burying Ground, and many display elements of high Victorian
design. Of . . . — — Map (db m260122) HM
On Main Street (Massachusetts Route 131) east of Haynes Street/Maple Street, on the right when traveling east.
Stone wall built in 1794 by
Revolutionary War Veterans
—————————
Gates a 1920 gift of
Mrs. Joseph Fiske,
granddaughter-in-law of
Josiah Fiske.
Gates restored in 2001 by
the Town . . . — — Map (db m118865) HM
Near Main Street (U.S. 20) east of Old Sturbridge Village Road, on the right when traveling east.
Indian footpaths traversed the
interior of New England long before
the first English settlers arrived. For
the colonists such paths soon became
routes of exploration, settlement, and
communication. This fordway was one
of the earliest routes . . . — — Map (db m260100) HM
By the early 1800s, family farms covered southern New England, and most of the land had been cleared of trees. For generations farmers had been cutting down trees, draining swamps, hauling rocks out of their fields, and building fences to . . . — — Map (db m121538) HM
On Maple Street north of Main Street ( Route 131), on the right when traveling north.
Erected 1833
in
Sturbridge Federated Church
Cracked by fire 1908
Recast 1909
through the generosity of
Alvin B. Chamberlain
Dedicated 1976 — — Map (db m118869) HM
Near Main Street (Massachusetts Route 131) west of Publick House Road, on the left when traveling west.
This marker commemorates the
men and women who achieved
American independence.
These Patriots, believing in the
noble cause of liberty, fought
valiantly to found a new nation.
1775-1783
Presented by Massachusetts State . . . — — Map (db m260126) WM
Farm families usually butchered during the late fall when cool weather kept the meat fresh during processing. In an average butchering season, a farm family produced enough pork, beef, and mutton to last the year. Before refrigerators and . . . — — Map (db m118934) HM
On Morse Street north of Main Street ( Route 131), on the right when traveling north.
Public land since the town's founding and first formally surveyed in 1762, the Common has served many purposes. Militia mustered here and marched to join the New England army outside Boston in April, 1775. Cattle pens once crowded the open field . . . — — Map (db m118863) HM
On Main Street (Massachusetts Route 131) at Maple Street, on the left when traveling east on Main Street.
[Honor Rolls of Veterans]
War of Independence
1775 - 1783
World War II
1940 - 1946
Korean Conflict
1950 - 1955
Vietnam Conflict
1961 - 1975
Iraq - Afghanistan Conflict
This temporary plaque is in honor
of those troops who have . . . — — Map (db m118871) WM
On Mashapaug Road (Massachusetts Route 15) at Leadmine Road, on the right when traveling south on Mashapaug Road.
The graphite or blacklead deposit near by was valued by the Indians for face paint, and by the white men for pencils and other uses. John Winthrop, Jr., was "granted the hill at Tantousq" in 1644, and began to exploit the mine in 1658. — — Map (db m48043) HM
Today the New England landscape is covered with forest. You can see this from any high point, or the window of an airplane. It is hard to imagine that the trees you see from this hill were not here 150 years ago. Then 50 to 80 percent of the . . . — — Map (db m121544) HM
On Maple Street north of Main Street, on the left when traveling north.
When Congregationalism was no longer the official religion of Massachusetts and the church could no longer also serve as the "town house", Sturbridge built its first secular Town Hall in 1838. Twenty years later, the town permitted the Worcester . . . — — Map (db m209736) HM
On Main Street (Massachusetts Route 131) at Haynes Street, on the right when traveling east on Main Street.
To keep forever living the
freedom for which they died
we dedicate this symbol of
our dead in World War II
Medal of Honor
Plt. Sgt. Joseph R. Julian
Killed in Action
Cpl. Rosaire M. Julian
M.O.M.M.1/c Lincoln G. Plimpton . . . — — Map (db m118884) WM
Daily work often took people away from
the farmyard to pastures and woodlots.
• In spring, summer, and fall farmers and their children
drove animals to and from pasture.
• In warmer months farmers made and mended fences
and cleared brush . . . — — Map (db m118935) HM
The Salem Towne House Built in 1796 in Charlton, Massachusetts
Like most of their neighbors, the Towne family farmed. As you can see from their house, they were more prosperous than most. While a typical family farm in 1830s New England . . . — — Map (db m118918) HM
On Charlton Street north of Main Street ( Route 131), on the right when traveling north.
On this site stood a 55" diameter
sugar maple tree, its age calculated to have
been growing and a "witness" of the town's
incorporation on June 24, 1738 and subsequent
history until removed in March of 2006. . . . — — Map (db m118858) HM
