Sturbridge, town, Worcester County, southern Massachusetts, on the Quinebaug River; settled about 1729, incorporated and named for Sturbridge, England, 1738. It is an industrial and tourist center situated in an agricultural area. Manufactures include optical instruments, fiber optics, fabricated metal products, and tools and dies. In the area is Old Sturbridge Village, a re-creation of a New England community of the period between 1790 and 1840. Population 2,099 (1996 estimate).