The Background
Most "restored" New England villages are just that--restored to a certain frozen moment in time. What makes Strawbery Banke so interesting is that its "moment" spans 300 years. Most museum curators would have ripped out the Elvis-era to get at the earlier days. But in some buildings on the 10-acre site, you can see the layers of time preserved, from linoleum flooring in one house to a fine hearth cooking stove in another.
Features
The Goodwin House, pride of the museum, was one of the very few buildings moved here from another site. Just before it was saved from demolition by that move, someone took a picture of it. You'll have a hard time reconciling the tumbledown wreck you see in that photo with the handsome clapboard house with gardens that's here, preserved, today.