That’s the main entrance to the blacksmith shop. The transom portion is actually another door. If you look close, you’ll see hinges that allow it to open up for tall items.
I know I’ve shared doors from Old Sturbridge Village before, some night shots from our Christmas tradition and some photos of the gingerbread houses, but I can’t resist sharing some pictures from our visit there on Father’s Day. I’m pretty sure I have several that I have not shared before. If you want to scroll through and prove me wrong, knock yourself out – I searched, and I only came up with the night shots.
As I mentioned yesterday, Faith took me to OSV for some historic sightseeing and some beer drinking – I guess she knows me well. As we wondered around, we set out to see some exhibits that aren’t usually ‘open’ in December, and I took advantage of the fact that the outside doors were visible. It was a gray day, but we had fun and saw a lot of things we hadn’t seen before.
I am going to let the captions in the gallery tell the story of these doors, so I’ll just move onto the Credits.
Thursday Doors is a fantastic bloghop established and orchestrated by Norm Frampton. Each week, door aficionados from around the world publish a few of their favorite doors and link them with Norm’s doors up in Canada. All you have to do if you want to see some beautiful doors, is head up to Norm’s place. He’ll have instructions for you if you want to share your doors, and he’ll have links to all the others.
The obligatory “Faith next to a door” photo.
Entrance door to the sawmill.
That’s the sawmill.
Another exit door from the sawmill.
If this were my mill, I’m sure I’d have that saw in that place so I could open those doors when cutting long pieces of lumber.
The blacksmith shop is an impressive building.
That’s the main entrance to the blacksmith shop. The transom portion is actually another door. If you look close, you’ll see hinges that allow it to open up for tall items.
Tools of the trade. Many fine examples of the tools used by period woodworkers. Some are still in use by woodworkers today. Modern versions, but the same tools.
Some of the furniture in the cabinetmaking exhibit.
This little exhibit explains and allow visitors to experiment with examples of simple machines.
The entrance door to the model of the new cabinet shop. If you think the sign looks familiar, you might be remembering “The New Yankee Workshop”
The dark panels are iron shutters for the windows and the door.
I really like this barn.
That door in the back corner is the door to the vault.
This is the Grist Mill. Off to the right is the carding mill. I’m taking this picture from the entrance of the sawmill. All three mills draw power from a holding pond diverted off the Quinebaug River.
These simple machines are all still in use. Think about all the places you see them.
Faith loves the bees (which are still not in the hive on display).
Oh gosh, these photos bring back so many wonderful memories of visiting Sturbridge with my kids. I particularly love the Grist Mill – such a stately building. Thank you for sharing the father/daughter day with us, Dan. Truly precious.
We watched the cabinetmaker resaw a 12′-wide board – with a hand saw – I was amazed. When you see the furniture on display and realize how much effort it took to make those pieces, it really makes me appreciate their skill (and my power tools).
Iron shutters!! Glad you included a close up photo. That is something I’ve never seen before. I guess when you have a bank you don’t want to fool around with any flimsy wooden shutter!
Thanks Joanne. Aren’t those amazing? I was trying not to think about the structural considerations, not to mention the work to install them. I guess the money was safe.
Thanks Pam. It is a beautiful building. Just like those frugal Yankees, though, the only stone building is for the blacksmith (who would likely burn a wooden building to the ground in a heartbeat).
I can never see too many good old Yankee doors so publish as many of these as you want. Your daughter gets extra points for not only having good ideas to celebrate Father’s Day but also being a good sport. :-)
I loved my visit to Old Sturbridge. As I have had a furniture shop, as has Dan, I was very interested in everything. I especially remember Norm Abram visiting there. I even asked the guy in the bank if he remembered the event! Great doors, Dan
Thanks David. You and I would both like the new cabinet shop when they get it finished. I thought of you when I saw that one of the projects the (new) resident cabinetmaker is making is a Tall Clock. Now, imagine resawing the thin panels for the doors with a handsaw.
Sturbridge is a fascinating place to visit. I’m impressed how well all these buildings are maintained. My husband would be forever in the tool display. I would be forever in the furniture/cabinet display, blown away by the incredible craftsmanship that was achieved with the tools they had to work with.
Faith is such a good sport, and she looks so cute in her red hoodie!!
🐾Ginger 🐾
Thanks Ginger! She is a good sport. I could stay at some of the working exhibits for hours. Watching the blacksmith was fascinating. I felt (almost) guilty watching the cabinet maker. He was cutting a 12″ wide board in half (to make two thin panels) and I was thinking that, two years ago, I bought a new band saw just so I could make those cuts. I understand how you would do it by hand, and then clean it up with a plane, but I wouldn’t want to have to do it.
They had a couple of places where they are doing repairs and maintenance projects – it takes a lot of effort.
What a great place to bring you. I love everything about the old village but my two favourite shots are the woodworker’s tools and the blacksmith’s shop.
Fun post Dan. Every time you cover this place it reminds me of our Upper Canada Village, and it reminds me that I have to get off my butt of go back with my camera.
I guess the iron shutters on the bank windows are meant to keep out unwanted after-hours visitors?
Thanks Norm. You do need to go up there with your camera, because we want to see those pictures :) This place is about an hour’s ride from our house, but we love going up there.
I think those shutters were for protection, and I bet they worked pretty well. The bank building was actually moved to Sturbridge from Thompson, CT/
Thanks John. I think those shutters might even keep Tiny out until the bank opens. By the time you work your way around to the bank, you’ve left every modern thing behind. It feels like you’re in a 19th century village. Well, except for the beer tents :)
Haven’t been to Old Sturbridge Village since I was a child….a zillion years ago. Thanks for sharing these amazing doors. It brought back some nice memories.
Dan, this is such a great place. I’m happy to know you and Faith had that kind of day together. That thing in front of the vault door looks really cool. Thanks for bringing us along on this tour. Hugs!
Thanks Teagan. We always have a great time up there. We’ve been going for a long time, but I’m still finding things I didn’t know about. I think that thing is a stove. Banks would have wanted their customers to be warm and cozy when depositing their money.
The blacksmith’s workshop is impressive. I love the stone and natural wood. Faith in her red hoodie really pops by the barn.
One nice thing about overcast, gray days…they make colors really pop.
This place is great! The more I see of it, the more it reminds me of our Conner Prairie.
The iron shutters are a hit, and everything about the blacksmith shop. Small machinery doors are also fab. Another great share for #ThursdayDoors!
Thanks. This was the first time we visited the blacksmith shop. We were lucky to see the shop in operation. Have you posted about Conner Prairie? We have been there so many times at night, I didn’t realize those shutters were metal.
I don’t think I have posted about Conner Prairie. I know I’ve told you about it, likely several years ago. No one wants to go with me to Conner Prairie. It’s not close and it’s pricey. We did go to Symphony on the Prairie Fourth of July a couple of years ago, but we didn’t tour the grounds, because even more pricey than lawn tickets for orchestra.
What a great combination for Father’s Day… Old Sturbridge Village and beer! 😁 I visited once when my children were young. I should go back for Mother’s day and beer!
Love old wooden doors, Dan, and I would also enjoy looking around that cabinetmaking exhibit. Another good doors post! Ever thought about publishing a book on them? You just about could at this point…
Thanks Paul. I have to figure out some new activities after I retire. Who knows?
The cabinetmaking exhibit was interesting, but they also have a live cabinetmaker working there now. Watching him really made me appreciate his skill, and my power tools.
Wouldn’t you love to have them move that building into your back yard, Jennie. I was so happy to see that it was open and that the blacksmith was working in the shop.
A bountiful harvest of doors! I maintain that a pulley is a version of the wheel, and a screw and a wedge are versions of an inclined plane, but that’s just me. Arch and I went ’round and ’round about that, but he had a better PR guy, so his version won out.
Great pictures. Now here’s a question that both I and Sarah have. Are most homes in the USA entirely made from wood? I mean are there homes made from RCC or any other materials? The reason we ask this is because whenever we see Hollywood movies or TV series we see buildings/structures made from wood. In India, majority of the homes are made from bricks and RCC, so just asking.
It depends on where you are. In Pittsburgh, for example (where I grew up) I’d say most home are made of brick. But, on average, I’d say most homes are made of wood. It is driven mostly by the available labor, material and economies of scale. Urban areas use steel, concrete, etc. Suburbs, are mostly wood.
Hi Dan – wonderful to see … while the ‘Simple Machines’ descriptive notice – encapsulates the life of the tool over the last 2000+ years … and so pleased you both had a happy time. It’s great they’re keeping the ‘village’ open – cheers Hilary
Thanks Hilary. They work very hard to maintain this little treasure that we have. I like going there at different points during the year. We see different things each time.
No Facilities 
Wonderful doors gallery, Dan.
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Thanks Ruth.
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Oh gosh, these photos bring back so many wonderful memories of visiting Sturbridge with my kids. I particularly love the Grist Mill – such a stately building. Thank you for sharing the father/daughter day with us, Dan. Truly precious.
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I’m glad you enjoyed this Gwen. OSV changes very slowly. I give them a lot of credit for maintaining the buildings, especially the working exhibits.
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Every time I see OSV I realize I need to get my husband there. He’d be in old tool heaven…
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We watched the cabinetmaker resaw a 12′-wide board – with a hand saw – I was amazed. When you see the furniture on display and realize how much effort it took to make those pieces, it really makes me appreciate their skill (and my power tools).
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Craftsmanship. A dying art…
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You know I love the old buildings and doors, but I had to laugh when the first says “The obligatory ‘Faith standing next to a door’ photo”!!
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I guess that’s another family tradition, GP. Thanks for visiting!
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The model door made me giggle – only a Thursday Doors aficionado would stop to capture that shot!
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Ha ha – how could I pass by that without snapping a picture?
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Iron shutters!! Glad you included a close up photo. That is something I’ve never seen before. I guess when you have a bank you don’t want to fool around with any flimsy wooden shutter!
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Thanks Joanne. Aren’t those amazing? I was trying not to think about the structural considerations, not to mention the work to install them. I guess the money was safe.
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hahahaha! ok – I wasn’t thinking about the structural considerations 😆 … how to guess you are a woodworker 😉
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My mind always goes there first :)
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While I love all the wood, I like the stone building best. It looks like an idyllic setting to paint!
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Thanks Pam. It is a beautiful building. Just like those frugal Yankees, though, the only stone building is for the blacksmith (who would likely burn a wooden building to the ground in a heartbeat).
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I can never see too many good old Yankee doors so publish as many of these as you want. Your daughter gets extra points for not only having good ideas to celebrate Father’s Day but also being a good sport. :-)
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Thanks Judy. Faith is a good sport. It was a wonderful day. I just love studying those buildings.
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I loved my visit to Old Sturbridge. As I have had a furniture shop, as has Dan, I was very interested in everything. I especially remember Norm Abram visiting there. I even asked the guy in the bank if he remembered the event! Great doors, Dan
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Thanks David. You and I would both like the new cabinet shop when they get it finished. I thought of you when I saw that one of the projects the (new) resident cabinetmaker is making is a Tall Clock. Now, imagine resawing the thin panels for the doors with a handsaw.
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Sturbridge is a fascinating place to visit. I’m impressed how well all these buildings are maintained. My husband would be forever in the tool display. I would be forever in the furniture/cabinet display, blown away by the incredible craftsmanship that was achieved with the tools they had to work with.
Faith is such a good sport, and she looks so cute in her red hoodie!!
🐾Ginger 🐾
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Thanks Ginger! She is a good sport. I could stay at some of the working exhibits for hours. Watching the blacksmith was fascinating. I felt (almost) guilty watching the cabinet maker. He was cutting a 12″ wide board in half (to make two thin panels) and I was thinking that, two years ago, I bought a new band saw just so I could make those cuts. I understand how you would do it by hand, and then clean it up with a plane, but I wouldn’t want to have to do it.
They had a couple of places where they are doing repairs and maintenance projects – it takes a lot of effort.
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What a great place to bring you. I love everything about the old village but my two favourite shots are the woodworker’s tools and the blacksmith’s shop.
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Those are two of my favorites, Jean. It really is a nice place to spend a day.
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I can see why you like it there. There’s a pioneer feel to it.
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Thanks Cheryl. It’s big enough that you lose track of anything modern as you’re walking around (except for what you’re carrying).
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Those are the best kind of places…
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Fun post Dan. Every time you cover this place it reminds me of our Upper Canada Village, and it reminds me that I have to get off my butt of go back with my camera.
I guess the iron shutters on the bank windows are meant to keep out unwanted after-hours visitors?
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Thanks Norm. You do need to go up there with your camera, because we want to see those pictures :) This place is about an hour’s ride from our house, but we love going up there.
I think those shutters were for protection, and I bet they worked pretty well. The bank building was actually moved to Sturbridge from Thompson, CT/
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Ha, sorry, but I can just imagine that bank being robbed by old west desperadoes!
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Ha! Wendy, you’re drifting into the shady side of the 19th century :-)
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I’m going to pretend that I didn’t just imagine myself in a black hat with a bandanna pulled over my face! ;D
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🙂
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Great doors, Dan. I loved that last shot of the iron shutters and the reflection in the glass. Always nice to see Faith as well.
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Thanks John. I think those shutters might even keep Tiny out until the bank opens. By the time you work your way around to the bank, you’ve left every modern thing behind. It feels like you’re in a 19th century village. Well, except for the beer tents :)
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Leave it to a beer tent to drag you back to the present. (Unless you stay too long that is)
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Haven’t been to Old Sturbridge Village since I was a child….a zillion years ago. Thanks for sharing these amazing doors. It brought back some nice memories.
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Thanks! I’m happy to bring back those memories. I thought I replied to this comment earlier, but I guess that didn’t work.
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Dan, this is such a great place. I’m happy to know you and Faith had that kind of day together. That thing in front of the vault door looks really cool. Thanks for bringing us along on this tour. Hugs!
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Thanks Teagan. We always have a great time up there. We’ve been going for a long time, but I’m still finding things I didn’t know about. I think that thing is a stove. Banks would have wanted their customers to be warm and cozy when depositing their money.
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Can’t go wrong with Sturbridge Village! I think I’ve mentioned before it’s just over the hills from my grandparents house! Thanks for the memories.
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You’re welcome. Im glad you enjoy seeing these because we go once or twice a year.
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The blacksmith’s workshop is impressive. I love the stone and natural wood. Faith in her red hoodie really pops by the barn.
One nice thing about overcast, gray days…they make colors really pop.
It looks like you two had a lovely day.
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Thanks Deborah. We did have a great day. I love the stone blacksmith’s shop.
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This place is great! The more I see of it, the more it reminds me of our Conner Prairie.
The iron shutters are a hit, and everything about the blacksmith shop. Small machinery doors are also fab. Another great share for #ThursdayDoors!
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Thanks. This was the first time we visited the blacksmith shop. We were lucky to see the shop in operation. Have you posted about Conner Prairie? We have been there so many times at night, I didn’t realize those shutters were metal.
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I don’t think I have posted about Conner Prairie. I know I’ve told you about it, likely several years ago. No one wants to go with me to Conner Prairie. It’s not close and it’s pricey. We did go to Symphony on the Prairie Fourth of July a couple of years ago, but we didn’t tour the grounds, because even more pricey than lawn tickets for orchestra.
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Well, if you ever get there, I’ll be happy to learn more about it.
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I haven’t been since Bubba and Sissy were maybe 8 & 10 — when it was affordable and THEY loved it. My mother should come visit :)
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Great rustic display. Feels alive. What a fun day you two had!
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It was fun. As you walk around, you really sink into the time period.
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What a great combination for Father’s Day… Old Sturbridge Village and beer! 😁 I visited once when my children were young. I should go back for Mother’s day and beer!
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You should. Although, I wouldn’t be surprised if it was Mother’s Day and tea – sorry.
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Love old wooden doors, Dan, and I would also enjoy looking around that cabinetmaking exhibit. Another good doors post! Ever thought about publishing a book on them? You just about could at this point…
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Thanks Paul. I have to figure out some new activities after I retire. Who knows?
The cabinetmaking exhibit was interesting, but they also have a live cabinetmaker working there now. Watching him really made me appreciate his skill, and my power tools.
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Thank you for a tour of OSV, Dan. It’s been a long time since I was there. I am swooning over the windows and the stone on the blacksmith shop.
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Wouldn’t you love to have them move that building into your back yard, Jennie. I was so happy to see that it was open and that the blacksmith was working in the shop.
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Yes, I would! I’m glad it was open for you.
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A bountiful harvest of doors! I maintain that a pulley is a version of the wheel, and a screw and a wedge are versions of an inclined plane, but that’s just me. Arch and I went ’round and ’round about that, but he had a better PR guy, so his version won out.
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Actually, the description (inside the building) of the simple machines agree with you (as do I). Arch was milking a few things for all he could get.
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Such a fun way to spend the day with Faith. Great photos too – and PS – this is not a spam reply either! I’m one of your real followers, yes I am!
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Ha ha – and a determined commenter! Thanks.
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Yes! So happy my comments are working again! ;-)
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Me too! 🙂
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Wow, very nice!
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Thank you! I’m glad you liked it.
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Wonderful old town and great gallery of doors!
Regards, Teresa
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Thanks Teresa. It really is a wonderful place to visit. They keep it maintained very well.
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Yes, thanks for sharing, Dan!
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Great gallery and selection of doors!
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Thanks Kirt!
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Great pictures. Now here’s a question that both I and Sarah have. Are most homes in the USA entirely made from wood? I mean are there homes made from RCC or any other materials? The reason we ask this is because whenever we see Hollywood movies or TV series we see buildings/structures made from wood. In India, majority of the homes are made from bricks and RCC, so just asking.
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It depends on where you are. In Pittsburgh, for example (where I grew up) I’d say most home are made of brick. But, on average, I’d say most homes are made of wood. It is driven mostly by the available labor, material and economies of scale. Urban areas use steel, concrete, etc. Suburbs, are mostly wood.
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Hi Dan – wonderful to see … while the ‘Simple Machines’ descriptive notice – encapsulates the life of the tool over the last 2000+ years … and so pleased you both had a happy time. It’s great they’re keeping the ‘village’ open – cheers Hilary
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Thanks Hilary. They work very hard to maintain this little treasure that we have. I like going there at different points during the year. We see different things each time.
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