• A wonderful foundation that preserves by education and hands on classes handcraft skills that our ancestors just knew and we would have lost without this organization that has basically trained museum professionals as well as craft and trades people across the country and around the world!

    — Amy Zimmerman McCoy

  • I attended a week-long workshop in tinsmithing in August 2015, taught by Bill McMillan. It was truly a transformational experience. Being able to stay at Historic Eastfield Village during the workshop was a delight and enhanced the work I did there immeasurably. If you get a chance to visit Historic Eastfield Village for an event or workshop, don't pass it up!

    - Karl Schmidt

  • A fantastic place--I recently took a 3-day blacksmithing class with Olof Jansson, and it was just a lot of fun. Staying at the old inn with no electricity or plumbing, cooking on the kitchen hearth, playing dominoes--highly recommended!

    - Andrew Sistrand

  • I loved every minute of my timber framing workshop. The instructor is a world's leading expert in the field and worked on many historic buildings I've visited. I can't believe I got to work with him!

    - Nick Raposo

Welcome to Eastfield

Eastfield Village is not a public museum. It is open only to those who attend our annual workshops and limited events. Its creator, Donald Carpentier, leading a team of dedicated volunteers, assembled the more than twenty buildings and thousands of architectural elements, tools, and artifacts specifically to serve as a study collection. The Village itself is an educational tool. Combine this unique laboratory with gifted instructors who are eager to share their expertise and the result is a level of detail and depth to the workshops that only Eastfield can offer.

Workshops

For more than four decades, the Annual Series of Historic American Trades and Crafts Workshops has offered courses and symposia in the traditional trades and domestic arts. The goal is to maintain the highest educational standards, with instructors who are leaders in their fields. The in-depth, hands-on workshops appeal to a wide range of students, including tradespeople, craftspeople, and museum professionals seeking to advance their knowledge and skills, as well as homeowners wishing to expand their knowledge and skills in historic home maintenance and restoration. 

Our workshops vary between 2 and 5 days and are conducted at the Village.  Participants are encouraged to stay at the Village’s complimentary early 19th Century accommodations and join in social activities with other workshop participants and instructors.

To Register for one of our Workshops for the 2025 season, please visit the Workshops page. Registration will open the beginning of March 2025.

Unique Experience

The lure of Eastfield is more than its exceptional curriculum. Participants who take workshops at the Village are encouraged to live here during their courses free of charge. Meals may be cooked in the late 18th century kitchens. Accommodations are period rope beds with straw and feather ticks with outhouses and porta-johns as sanitary facilities. Most evenings are filled with lively gatherings in the Briggs Tavern. This immersive experience offers an unforgettable opportunity to be with others - participants and instructors - of similar interests, and to gain an appreciation for the work and daily life of pre-industrial America.

Lodging at Eastfield

Eastfield's taverns are available free of charge for those workshop participants wishing to stay as our guests in early 19th century accommodations. The only requirement is that each person supply his/her own bedding plus 10 ten-inch white candles.

Reservations are strongly encouraged and can be made by emailing eastfieldvillage@gmail.com.