Old Sturbridge Village, Coggeshall Farm Museum in Rhode Island team up to build audience

Facing the same challenges drawing audiences in today’s busy world, Old Sturbridge Village and Coggeshall Farm Museum in Rhode Island have teamed up to better present life in the rural New England of yesteryear.

“We are definitely similar in terms of the mission,” said Old Sturbridge Village President and CEO Jim Donahue, who will also serve as executive director of Coggeshall Farm. “It’s audience building. How do you get people to come? The competition for the leisure time of the family has increased. I see this partnership as an opportunity to drive visitors from Old Sturbridge Village to Coggeshall and drive visitors to Coggeshall to Old Sturbridge Village.”

There will be a new Halloween program next year. Cabinetmaking is also coming back, with a replica cabinet shop on the Common expected to open before the museum’s 75th anniversary in June 2021. It’s also getting a replica piggery for the 75th anniversary so visitors can learn about pork farming in the 19th century.

Old Sturbridge Village already has a $75,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities to revamp its interpretation program.