Sturbridge is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, founded in 1738 as a district separated from Oxford. It was named after Stourbridge, England, and was originally inhabited by the Nipmuc tribe. Sturbridge was a farming community for most of its history, but also had some industries such as ironworks, sawmills, and tanneries. Sturbridge is home to Old Sturbridge Village, the largest outdoor history museum in the Northeast, which depicts a rural New England town of the 1830s.

Visitors can marvel at more than 40 original buildings, including homes, meetinghouses, a district school, country store, bank, working farm, three water-powered mills, and trade shops. They can also meet heritage breed farm animals and interact with authentically costumed staff. Sturbridge is also the site of the first liquid-fueled rocket launch by Robert H. Goddard in 1926, which is commemorated by a park and a monument. Today, Sturbridge has a population of about 9,800 and is part of the Springfield metropolitan area. It has a diverse economy, with sectors such as education, health care, manufacturing, and retail. It also has many recreational and cultural opportunities, such as the Buffumville Lake and Dam, the Charlton Arts and Activities Center, and the Sturbridge Historical Society¹²³⁴