Sturbridge, Massachusetts
Monday, September 10, 2007
I got a one way rental car in Salem and decided to hit the road to get myself to Wisconsin by the 19th. I am so tired of buses and hauling my bags, this is the perfect solution. So, I left Aunt Sue's, she was off to Maine to play bridge, and I was off to New York. I decided to stop on the way at the fake colonial town of Sturbridge village. It is a collection of village buildings from all over new england from the 1830's. People are dressed up doing chores and demonstrating crafts...I loved it! I love the fake village concept, and this one felt real to me. Maybe because it was after labor day, not crowded. It felt quiet and rustic and really natural. I continued on and saw the fake Shaker village in Western Massachusetts. Also good, but no dressed up people. This was a different feeling than sturbridge since the shakers were creating a utopian religious environment, no posessions, communal living, celibacy (that's why there aren't any more shakers!) and simplicity was their code. It was interesting to see the same crafts (tin lamps, redware pottery, workworking...) since it was the same time period, but the Shakers took it to another level with their beautiful craftsmanship, maybe those crazy 24 prayer sessions helped their design process.
