History
Oliver Wight was born in Medway, Massachusetts on September 27, 1765. He married Harmony Child in Sturbridge on July 5, 1786, and they had eleven children, ten of whom survived to adulthood. Portraits of Oliver and Harmony Wight, attributed to the Beardsley Limner, can be found in the collections of The Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Museum at Colonial Williamsburg. Oliver Wight died in Sturbridge on October 22, 1837.
Oliver Wight acquired his property in Sturbridge from his father, David Wight, and built his house near those of his father and his brothers, David Jr. and Alpheus. In addition to the house, he constructed a sizable shop on the property, where he engaged in his craft.
A cabinet maker by trade, Oliver Wight made chairs, tables, chests of drawers, bedsteads, and other wood furniture. He created pieces on commission and sold his work locally. Despite his abilities, he struggled with insolvency for much of his life. An article in the Massachusetts Spy in September, 1793, advertised a public auction of his finished pieces and household goods, as he had “absconded.” His Sturbridge farm was offered for sale in 1795. In 1802, Oliver Wight was declared a bankrupt.
Ebenezer Howard, another cabinet maker, bought the property from Oliver Wight and operated it as a tavern. He resided there until his death. Thereafter, George Wight, great grand-nephew of Oliver Wight, occupied the house. It remained in the family until A. B. Wells purchased it in 1937.
The Oliver Wight House underwent major renovation of its heating and plumbing systems in 1948, in preparation for becoming a sales and visitor center for Old Sturbridge Village. In 1950, Wells and his associates decided to make the Oliver Wight House into a motor lodge, and had several motel units built. It continued in this capacity until 2006, when it was closed to the public. The Oliver Wight House served as temporary office space for the town of Sturbridge while the town hall underwent renovations in 2009. In November, 2012, Old Sturbridge Village president James Donahue announced that the Oliver Wight House was being renovated in preparation for reopening as lodging in June, 2013.
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