The Pioneer Valley is full of opportunities to explore local history. Please check the events calendar often.
See Past Events here.
ON-GOING EVENTS
5-31 May — “Perambulating Observations”
Wistariahurst Museum, 238 Cabot St., Holyoke
Perambulating Observations will be on view May 5 through May 31 at Wistariahurst. The exhibit will be available for drop-in visitors Sundays – Wednesdays, 12:00 – 4:00 p.m. The exhibit will have a delayed opening of 12:30 on May 20-22 and May 28-29. No open hours will be held on May 26 or 27. Admission is a $3 suggested donation and includes a self-guided tour of the first floor of the historic mansion.
Perambulating Observations features paintings by local artist, Frank Maginnis. “Conventional painting demands rules and disciplines. Abstract expressionism requires you to lose that control and allow your inner feelings to take over. These works demonstrate both,” states the artist.
For more information, please visit www.Wistariahurst.org or call 413-322-5560.
Frank Maginnis, the artist presented here, is a lifelong resident of Holyoke, and a Korean War veteran. Always interested in the arts, he took up painting around 1975. He remained self-taught until attending classes at the Holyoke Creative Arts Center studying with Ann Mueller in 2008. His interests led to experimenting in abstracts, influence by Jackson Pollock technique and colorist painters.
Wistariahurst is an educational and cultural center owned and operated by the City of Holyoke and supported by Historic Holyoke at Wistariahurst. Wistariahurst is dedicated to preserving Holyoke’s history and inspiring an appreciation of history and culture through educational programs, exhibits and special events. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, Wistariahurst is the former home of William Skinner, a prominent silk manufacturer and was built in 1874.
Today, Wistariahurst offers a wide variety of public programs and events including: workshops, concerts, lectures and demonstrations and serves the community through educational programs, community partnerships, history projects, and outreach activities. More information is available at www.Wistariahurst.org
11 May thru ? — “What Do We Do With the STUFF?”
Historical Society of Greenfield, 43 Church St., Greenfield
Your high school yearbook. Your kid’s art from grade school. Grandma’s wedding dress. Dad’s Army uniform. Great-grandpa’s piano. The attic, the basement, the shed, the stacks by the bed. What do we do with all the STUFF???
The Historical Society of Greenfield has received a grant from the Pioneer Valley History Network, and will be opening a new exhibit centered on how an item in someone’s home becomes an artifact in a museum. Between the KonMari movement, downsizing, and sandwich generations dealing with both stuff their kids outgrew and stuff their parents no longer need, we are in a cultural moment now around how we deal with all the ‘stuff’ we’ve accumulated.
Deciding which items to accept and how to display the items held is a huge responsibility for any museum. Boards and curators have to make similar choices as people in personal homes, around how to purchase things, inherit things, or pass things on.
The grant supports an exhibit showing the steps a museum takes in accepting a new item, and how objects hold memories that connect us. Over the past year, the Historical Society of Greenfield has been taking part in the “Future of Our Past” program through the Pioneer Valley History Network. This intensive project uses a nationally-recognized curriculum designed by the American Association for State & Local History (AASLH) to improve all aspects of museum work and collections care. The project is funded by generous grants from Mass Humanities and the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts. As a final step of this program, the HSG submitted an implementation grant proposal to demonstrate their improvement.
The Historical Society of Greenfield is a currently collecting museum, focused on using stories of the past to help inform future choices. The HSG at 43 Church St in Greenfield opens at noon on Saturday May 11th for the summer season. Visiting the museum is free, membership in the HSG is $20/year, and all donations go to help with every aspect of collections care. hsgreenfield1907@gmail.com 413-774-3663 @HSgreenfieldMA
MAY 2019
23 May — “Exploring Northampton Series: Big Trees of Look Park”
Historic Northampton
at Look Park, Northampton, 10 am – 1 pm
Noted big tree hunter and expert Bob Leverett will lead participants on a 3-hour guided walk of notable trees found in and around Look Park. In addition to pointing out individual trees, Bob will share information about the species’ life history and ecology and also include information about the park’s history and earlier uses.
Pre-registration is required. Registration limited to 20.
$8 members and donors
$12 non-members
23 May — “Stone Prayers”
Great Falls Discovery Center, 2 Avenue A, Turners Falls, 7-9 pm
This presentation features guest speaker Dr. Curtiss Hoffman, professor emeritus at Bridgewater State University, who has just released his book, Stone Prayers: Native Constructions of the Eastern Seaboard.
25 May — “Shades of Gray” Concert
Springfield Armory National Historic Site, 1 Armory Square, Springfield, 2 pm
Back by request! Experience the music of the Civil War while remembering the sacrifice of thousands of Union and Confederate Soldiers. Concert will take place inside the Armory museum on Saturday, May 25 at 2:00 – 3:30 pm. Admission is free.
“Music was an integral part of a soldier’s life. They spent the majority of their time in camp and music helped to pass the time. It reminded them of home and family and strengthened the bonds of camaraderie and friendship. More music and song was created during the Civil War than all the other wars combined,” remarked Park Ranger Susan Ashman.
Shades of Gray is a Civil War era camp band composed of 6 members mostly made up of reenactors. They have performed all over New England, including the State House and historic Gettysburg. Sing-a-long with rousing patriotic songs such as “Oh Susanna”, “Camp Town Races, and “Bonnie Blue Flag”. While some songs express humor, other songs tell emotional stories of a time when men were pitted against both foes and family for causes they believed were right for them.
The band got its start as a group of Confederate Civil War reenactors. “Shades of Gray had its beginnings as most camp bands of the era would have, with soldiers coming together around the camp fire to swap stories and sing songs”, comments band member Larry Todd.
Springfield Armory National Historic Site commemorates and preserves the site of the nation’s first armory, established in 1794. As a unit of the National Park Service, the Museum is currently open Wednesday-Sunday, from 9:00am to 5:00pm. We are closed Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day. Admission is free. For information call 413-734-8551 or check the website at http://www.nps.gov/spar or http://www.facebook.com/sparnhs
—
Susan Ashman
Park Ranger
Historic Weapons Supervisor
——————————————–
Springfield Armory National Historic Site
One Armory Square, Suite 2
Springfield, MA 01105-1299
Ph: (413) 734-8551 ext 233
Fax: (413) 747-8062
Susan_Ashman@nps.gov
26 May — Memorial Day Observance
Pelham Historical Society
Quabbin Park Cemetery, Route 9, Belchertown, 10 am
Meet at 10 a.m. at the Quabbin Park Cemetery in Belchertown for refreshments followed by a parade and service at 11 a.m., honoring individuals removed from their original resting places for the building of the Quabbin Reservoir.
March behind the Pelham Historical Society banner with Pelham residents.
For more information contact
Ginia Servos, 413-253-9934.
26 May — “Through Marian’s Eyes: A Red Cross Canteen Worker Recounts World War I”
Hatfield Historical Society
at the Hatfield Historical Museum, 39 Main St., Hatfield (2nd floor of library)
Come to the opening of our new exhibit in the Hatfield Historical Museum:
“Through Marian’s Eyes: A Red Cross Canteen Worker Recounts World War I”
Opening Sunday, May 26.
11 am to 12 noon (before Hatfield’s Memorial Day Parade)
and 1:30 to 3:30 pm (after Memorial Day Ceremony at Town Hall)
Our opening day activities will include a Remembrance Board to pin up a poppy with your WWI veteran’s info, and our version of a Red Cross Canteen tent, staffed by costumed canteen workers serving coffee, donuts and chocolate. Don’t miss it!
For more info:
https://hatfieldhistory.weebly.com/events.html
Exhibit curated and presented by the Hatfield Historical Society and co-sponsored by the Forbes Library, which is presenting an online exhibit showcasing WWI soldiers from Hampshire County, including Hatfield.
This exhibit is also supported by a grant from the Pioneer Valley History Network, with funding from the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts and Mass Humanities. Thank you to all our sponsors!
JUNE 2019
2 June — “Pelham Historical Complex”
Pelham Historical Society
meet at Pelham Town Hall
Museum Opening Events:
1:30 PM – Tour of Town Complex
3:00 PM – Connie Kindahl – Weavings and Garden Tour (Meet at Town Hall)
Visit the Pelham Historical Society’s Museum on its Opening Day to find out what’s new. Learn about our small town with its big history by enjoying a tour of the Town Complex at 1:30 p.m. with our local historian Joseph Larson. Join us at the Town Hall at 3:00 p.m. to view some of long-time Pelham resident Connie Kindahl’s weavings followed by a tour of her beautiful gardens. For more information contact
Cynthia Weigel, 413-256-4606.
2 June — “Return of the Raptors”
Keep Homestead Museum, 35 Ely Rd., Monson, 1:30 pm
with Tom Ricardi of the Birds of Prey Rehabilitation Center at the Keep Homestead Museum, 35 Ely Rd., Monson, MA on Sunday, June 2 at 1:30 pm.
Ricardi has operated the Birds of Prey Rehabilitation Center in Conway, MA since 1970; however his interest in birds of prey began as a small child. He currently has approximately 60 birds in the Center – some too injured to release into the wild. Many of these are used in breeding programs and to date bald eagles, kestrels, barn owls and red-tailed hawks have been bred. He will bring several of the birds to visit, including a golden eagle.
The Keep Homestead Museum will be open 1:00-3:3:30 pm on that day. There is no admission charge and refreshments will be served. The program will be on the lawn, so bring a lawn chair or blanket. In case of rain, the program will move into the barn.
For more information, call 413-267-4137, email info@keephomesteadmuseum.org or look on the web at www.keephomesteadmuseum.org
8 June — “The Partitions of Poland: or, How a Major European State Was Wiped Off the Map of Europe”
Polish Genealogical Society of Massachusetts
at the Chicopee Public Library, 449 Front St., Chicopee, 1 – 3 pm
Poland has had a rocky, if fascinating, history. In its incarnation as the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, the country was once the largest in continental Europe. Yet, by the end of the eighteenth century, it had disappeared from the map of Europe. In this lecture Dr. Patrice Dabrowski will detail the country’s step-by-step dismemberment by its neighbors Prussia, Russia, and Austria as well as the Polish reaction to the partitions. It is a tale of decline but also determination. Under conditions that would daunt any country, Poles managed to enact Europe’s first constitution. Nor did they go down without a fight, as the efforts of a favorite son of Poland and America, Tadeusz (Thaddeus) Kościuszko, attest. Dr. Dabrowski will also consider the important repercussions the partitions had for the Polish nation.
About the speaker — Patrice M. Dabrowski is a historian with degrees from Harvard University and the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy. She has taught at Harvard, Brown, and the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, and recently finished a three-year stint at the University of Vienna. Dr. Dabrowski is currently an Associate of the Harvard Ukrainian Research Institute, a member of the Board of Directors of the Polish Institute of Arts and Sciences of America (PIASA), and editor of H-Poland. In addition to having held a number of grants and postdoctoral fellowships, she has also won awards for several scholarly articles. Dabrowski is the author of two books: Poland: The First Thousand Years and Commemorations and the Shaping of Modern Poland. In 2014 she was awarded the Knight’s Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland. In the fall of 2019 she will once again teach her popular “One Thousand Years of Polish History” course at UMass Amherst.
Free – bring a friend. Refreshments served after the presentation. Stay to mix and chat.
15 June — Disaster Planning Workshop
Pioneer Valley History Network
Deerfield Community Center, 16 Memorial St., Historic Deerfield
You asked for it!
DISASTER PLANNING 101:
Come learn how to start (or finish) that disaster plan, identify highest risks in your museum or historic house and know what steps to take if disaster strikes. Plus, a chance to win loot for your institution!
Half-day workshop by Evan Knight, Preservation Specialist at MBLC (Mass. Board of Library Commissioners). This workshop will help you:
1) Think like an actuary: What are your areas of greatest risk? How to mitigate those disaster risks one step at a time. And how does emergency response planning fit into building a comprehensive
collections management plan?
2) Know what to do in a water emergency: Since water emergencies are typically among the most common, you’ll learn what to do immediately in case of water damage, including basic salvage tips for books, photos and documents.
3) Walk away with disaster planning templates and worksheets you can customize to your facility so you know where to start!
Cost: $15 for organization (1 to 4 people)
Coffee, tea, water and light snacks provided.
**Registration includes chances to win free supplies from University Products and one of two $50 gift certificates from Gaylord Archival!**
Please R.S.V.P. Pay at the door OR visit the PVHN site and click the “Donate” button on the right.
(https://pioneervalleyhistorynetwork.org )
24 June — Mass. History Conference
Mass. History Alliance
Holy Cross College, Worcester, MA.
For more info, go to Mass. History Alliance (https://masshistoryalliance.org/)
JULY 2019
27 July — History Camp Pioneer Valley
Pioneer Valley History Network
at Kittredge Center, Holyoke Community College, 9 am – 4 pm
This will be a gathering of history enthusiasts of all ages for a day of learning and sharing. This is PVHN’s 4th annual History Camp Pioneer Valley, based on the “un-conference” model developed by History Camp Boston. What is an “un-conference”? In short, it’s a self-organizing conference. People who share a common interest get together and create the framework for the event:
* The topics that are presented are the ones of interest to the presenters.
* Anyone can present. No committee will “screen” the topics and requesting a time-slot is easy.
* The sessions that are well-attended are the ones that are of interest to the attendees.
* It’s an incredibly democratic way to gather and share information.
The cost is low — the goal is to break even. There are no paid staff, no paid speakers, and no one will profit. We want your participation. There will also be plenty of opportunity for networking and an exhibit area for selling books and other history-related products.
There is no specific theme, but please, no political diatribes or sales pitches for commercial products or services. Other than that, the sky is the limit.
To Register to Attend or Present, go to: http://historycamp.org/pioneer-valley
For more Information, contact us at: pioneervalleyhistory@gmail.com
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