[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 97 (Thursday, June 27, 1996)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1201]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   CONGRATULATIONS TO OLD STURBRIDGE VILLAGE ON ITS 50TH ANNIVERSARY

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                          HON. RICHARD E. NEAL

                            of massachusetts

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 27, 1996

  Mr. NEAL of Massachusetts. Mr. Speaker, today it is with great 
pleasure that I pay tribute to the largest history museum in the 
northeast on its 50th anniversary, Old Sturbridge Village. Nestled in 
the small New England community of Sturbridge, MA, Old Sturbridge 
Village is an outdoor history museum and recreated village that tells 
the story of everyday life in a rural New England town during 1830's.
  Old Sturbridge Village is a composite New England town displaying the 
various aspects of several communities of the 1830's. The museum was 
founded by Albert, Cheney, and George B. Wells as an outgrowth of the 
family's extensive collection of antiques. Old Sturbridge Village first 
opened to the public on June 8, 1946, with 81 visitors touring the 
village. Today the nonprofit educational institution boasts more than 
435,000 visitors yearly and 100,000 pieces in its collection of 
antiques documenting New England's past.
  Mr. Speaker, this year Old Sturbridge Village is celebrating its 
first half-century as the region's premier living history museum 
recreating in lively fashion the important period in American history 
between 1790 to 1850. For nearly 50 years a historically costumed staff 
has reenacted the daily work activities and community celebrations of a 
rural 19th-century town for thousands of children and adults alike.
  Mr. Speaker, I am proud to recognize the achievements of Old 
Sturbridge Village in its attempt to provide modern Americans with a 
deepend understanding of their own times through a personal experience 
with New England's past. By visualizing what moved the men and women of 
prior generations, Old Sturbridge Village has for 50 years shed light 
on Americans as they attempted to act, believe, and build the future of 
America. Congratulations to Old Sturbridge Village on its 50th 
anniversary.

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