The three sons of George Wells carry on the firm (American Optical Company), but they also start a new venture: they create Old Sturbridge Village, a nationally renowned living history museum.

...The project began with a businessman, just as was the case with Henry Ford's Greenfield Village. In this case, it was A. B. Wells, founder of the American Optical Company, who initiated the activity that would eventually result in the formation of Old Sturbridge Village. Wells was an American history enthusiast, and his growing collection of "primitives" - by which he meant simple objects from everyday life of the American past - needed a proper home. In 1935, Wells Historical Museum was developed to meet this purpose. Later, however, Wells became interested in displaying his folk artifacts in a different format, more similar to a living history museum than a traditional historical museum. The plan emerged to enlarge the attraction by arranging a suite of buildings around a common green, similar to the configuration and character of a preindustrial New England village.

During the 1930s, historical buildings were rescued by moving them to this location for restoration. Finally, on June 8, 1946, Old Sturbridge Village opened to visitors in the area. The structures include a parsonage, gristmill, store, cider mill, and tavern.In the environment Sturbridge Village creates, visitors can begin to imagine what life might have been like in a New England country village...

Encyclopedia of American Folklore
Facts on File library of American literature
Author Linda S. Watts
Publisher Infobase Publishing, 2006
Page 371

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