Fife and drum music, militia marching, and readings of the Declaration of Independence will be presented during both day and evening festivities at Old Sturbridge Village. During the day, visitors can also sign a giant …

Fish-scale embroidery was very popular in crafting small articles such as pin cushions and small bags or purses. This unique style of embroidery was a novelty during the nineteenth century and its exquisite effects cannot be realized without seeing an actual hand-worked specimen. By using a mixture of colored fish-scales, very effective borders and designs could be completed.

The Band of the California Battalion is a 20-piece band that presents an accurate portrayal of a battalion or brigade level band of the Union army during the Civil War. The Band of the California Battalion’s instrumentation is completely different from the modern concert band. The Civil War era band did not utilize woodwind instruments. Among the brass instruments, there are no French horns or trombones, which were too fragile to stand up to rigorous field use.

Taking a photograph of the deceased, especially a child, was common during the early years of photography. The child was typically posed as if sleeping. At times the child was surrounded by toys or even his or her siblings.