Guided Tours of the Great Road Heritage Campus Sites
Have out of town guests this summer? Doing a stay-cation? Here's an opportunity to tour 4 historic sites on Great Road and learn the stories and history behind each of them. In addition to Hearthside (1810), there are 3 other historic sites at the Great Road Heritage Campus that will host guided tours given by our informed docents dressed in period attire the Moffett Mill (1812), Hannaway Blacksmith Shop (1880), and the Pullen's Corner Schoolhouse (1850). There's something of interest for all ages!
Tours begin at 1:00 and end at 4:00 at each of the sites. A shuttle van will leave from Hearthside to transport visitors to the Campus sites and is the only way to access the Moffett Mill. Admittance times are staggered every 30 min. so as to avoid crowding, therefore advance registration is recommended. While walk-ins may be accepted, there is no guarantee that the time slot will have openings so some flexibility would be required in the order of the tours.
To secure a time slot for your tour at Hearthside, be sure to purchase your tickets first. The $12 general admission includes tours at all four historic sites; $6 for youth under age 12; current paid members of Friends of Hearthside receive free admission. If you choosing to skip Hearthside this time and just want to visit one or all of the other sites, you can register for those and select your time period, but payment would be upon checkin ($5) at Hearthside first. There is no specific order for these tours, so if you wish to start with the Mill first, and Hearthside last, feel free to do so when signing up.
As you plan your day, know that at Hearthside, tours take an hour, and you'll want to spent a few extra minutes visiting our Gift Shop following the tour. Just be sure to account for that when selecting the other site time slots. Learn about Hearthside's architecture and the many families who called this house their home up until 1997 during the tour. Last tour is at 3:00 p.m.
Also open for tours during this event is the Moffett Mill, offering a rare opportunity to step back into a different century. Built in 1812, this amazing building is frozen in time, as it still appears the same as it did when its doors closed around 1900. The early relic of the Industrial Revolution operated with water power from the Moshassuck River and provided custom work and repairs for area businesses and farms, from wagons, buggies and tools to laces for shoes and corsets around the period of the Civil War. The original equipment and tools are still in place, just as they were 120 years ago. Shuttle transport will drop off and pick up visitors on a set schedule. This is the only safe access to the Mill for your 25 min. visit. Last tour is at 3:30 p.m. Visits to the Mill are $5/person.
At the Pullen's Corner Schoolhouse, located next to the Visitors Center at the Park, discover why this charming one-room school got the name "Hot Potato School." The schoolhouse was moved from its original location on Angell Road to Chase Farm in 2015 and restored by the Friends of Hearthside and is now filled with an impressive collection of antique schoolhouse books, toys, and teaching tools. A unique "magic lantern," an early slide projector, is one of the interesting items, complete with glass slides that were shown to children as a way of having them see and learn about far-away places. Guests are welcome to write on slate boards or with a quill pen and experience how children from nearby farms of all ages got their education here from the mid-19th century until it closed in 1922. Plan on 20- 30 min. for your visit. Tours every half hour, with last one at 3:30 p.m. Visits to the schoolhouse are $5/family.
At the Hannaway Blacksmith Shop, the blacksmith demonstrates at the forge while explaining the history of this original shop and the blacksmithing trade that occurred here. Admission is free and visitors are welcome to stay as little or as long as they like. You don't need to schedule a time to pay a visit here. This is a great chance to preview what it might be like to take a class to learn this traditional craft, offered each weekend.
All visitors need to check in first at Hearthside to pay admission (except for the blacksmith shop), and then set off for tours at the museum, or to hop aboard the shuttle van to visit one of the other sites (and return later for the museum tour if that choice is made). Parking is across from Hearthside. Reserve through the link. Payment for only the tours of the Mill and Schoolhouse are in cash upon check-in. All check in takes place at Hearthside where you'll receive a bracelet to show paid admission and allow for your shuttle van ride to the other sites.
Click the link below to register.