The Pioneer Valley is full of opportunities to explore local history. Please check the events calendar often.
See Past Events here.
ON-GOING EVENTS
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
30 May thru early November — “Art in the Everyday: A Photographer’s Perspective at Springfield Armory”
Springfield Armory National Historic Site, One Armory Way, Springfield
A new exhibit showcasing historic and rarely seen photographs from the archives at Springfield Armory National Historic Site will be on view through the fall of 2019 in the museum’s temporary exhibit gallery. “Art in the Everyday: A Photographer’s Perspective at Springfield Armory” opens to the public with a special reception on Thursday, May 30, from 6 to 8 pm. The event will include light refreshments and a cash bar generously provided by the Friends of Springfield Armory National Historic Site. Admission is free.
The museum collection at Springfield Armory NHS holds thousands of photographs that feature the people, experiments, and factory work at Springfield Armory from the late 1800s through the 1960s. The staff photographers taking those pictures were well versed in their craft and its limitations. Their expert use of manually adjusted cameras and lenses, glass-plate and film negatives contrasts to today when just about everyone has a camera in their pocket.
“The photographers at Springfield Armory were artists,” says Alex MacKenzie, Curator. “They may have been documenting an everyday occurrence, but they absolutely had an eye for composition as they recorded the Armory and its community on film.” The exhibit, which is part of the “Arts at the Armory” slate of programming throughout the summer of 2019, is designed to evoke an art gallery exhibition, prompting visitors to view the Armory in a different way as they look at the framed prints like windows into the past.
The photos range in dates from 1910 through 1965, and show various facets of life at Springfield Armory as seen from the photographer’s perspective. Contrasting images evoke all five senses with slamming forges, peaceful settings on the grounds, hot flying sparks, and oily machines in stunning visual portraits. The exhibit will run through early November.
The Springfield Armory National Historic Site is the location of the nation’s first armory (1794-1968), and was established by George Washington. The site includes historic grounds, buildings, and the world’s largest historic American military firearms collection. There is ample parking and the building is wheelchair accessible. The Museum is open 9 am to 5 pm, Wednesday to Sunday, November 1 to Memorial Day, and then seven days a week from Memorial Day to October 31. Admission is free. For information call 413-734-8551 or check http://www.nps.gov/spar.
SEPTEMBER
21 September — Wistariahurst Landscape Tour
Wistariahurst Museum, 238 Cabot St., Holyoke, 10:30- 11:30 am
On Saturday, September 21 from 10:30 – 11:30 a.m., join Wistariahurst’s curator, along with a master gardener on a 45-minute walking tour of the 2.3+ acre property to learn about the evolution of the landscape over its 140+years. Hear stories about the about the vines, the wooden area, the victory garden, and the tea house. Discover the lions, the spirit gate and the dinosaur tracks. Learn about the historical and contemporary planning and planting and hear how a dedicated team of volunteers in the 21st century have restored and maintained this beautiful environment.
Named after the wisteria vine that flowers in May, Wistariahurst was home to two generations of the Skinner family who loved to garden. Begun by Sarah Skinner in the late 19th Century and then transformed by her daughter Belle Skinner in the early 20th, the grounds and gardens have always been an integral part of the life and activities at Wistariahurst.
Advance ticket purchase is encouraged. Tickets can be purchased online at http://www.Wistariahurst.org Tickets are $10 and $7 for students, seniors, and Wistariahurst Museum members.
24 September — “Western Massachusetts Baseball”
Wistariahurst Museum, 238 Cabot St., Holyoke, 6 pm
A Brief Look with Kevin Larkin
On Tuesday, September 24 from 6:00 – 7:00 p.m., Wistariahurst will host Western Massachusetts Baseball: A Brief Look with Kevin Larkin, a historical lecture as part of the Wistariahurst Historical Lecture Series People, Places, Food, & Sport. A donation of $5 is suggested. Kevin Larkin will be speaking about the history of baseball in Western Massachusetts, including players, teams and ballparks as well as members of the Hall of Fame and black baseball in the area.
ABOUT KEVIN LARKIN
Kevin Larkin has been going to baseball games since he was five years old. He is a baseball fan who loves the Yankees but loves to watch the sport no matter who is playing. He has authored/co-authored five books on baseball and writes articles for the Society of American Baseball research. He has presented all over Western Massachusetts about the sport he loves. His first book, Baseball in the Baystate is a history of the sport in the Commonwealth. Berkshire County’s Field of Dreams Part One and Part Two, is about the history of one of the country’s oldest ballparks, Wahconah Park in Pittsfield.
25 September — “Mill River Greenway Initiative—Looking Toward the Future of the Mill River”
Northampton Senior Center, 67 Conz St., Northampton, 5:30-7:30 pm
John Sinton, author of the acclaimed Devil’s Den to Lickingwater: The Mill River Through Landscape & History, and co-moderator of the Mill River Greenway Initiative, will share a fascinating history of the River and its impact on the city’s development. “We will see how the Mill River dictated Northampton’s street pattern and peculiar shape,” Sinton states. Other topics he plans to cover include the city’s frequent flooding, the location of “Little Venice” and the diversions of 1710 and 1940. “The 1940 diversion of the Mill River out of downtown Northampton,” he notes, “marked a turning point in the River’s story, but not its final chapter.” The presentation will end with his question: “Why does the Mill River matter?”
Free and open to the public, his talk kicks off the second season of the popular Speakers Series, featuring prominent local and regional personalities, sponsored by Northampton Neighbors and the Senior Center.
28 September — “Furniture Making in 1700s Northampton: Making a Replica of the Sarah Strong Chest”
Historic Northampton, 46 Bridge St., Northampton, 4:30 pm
A Public Talk and Demonstration by Sharon Mehrman
One of Historic Northampton’s most prized artifacts is the Sarah Strong chest, which we believe was made in Northampton about 1700. Professional woodworker Sharon Mehrman will describe how she painstakingly constructed a 7/8 scale replica of the Sarah Strong chest, demonstrate some of the historic woodworking techniques she used, and discuss what she has learned about early American joinery by making the replica.
$5 members and donors; $10 all others.
Sponsored by Sugar Maple Trailside Inn.
28 September — “Annual Pelham Harvest Supper and Pie Auction”
Pelham Historical Society
Pelham Historic Complex, 377 Amherst Rd., Pelham, 6:30 pm
Annual Harvest Supper and Howard D. Barnes Memorial Pie Auction. Come join the community for a hearty New England boiled dinner, served in the oldest continuously-used Town Hall in the nation! Come early to see the exhibits in our museum!
Following the dinner and dessert, Stan Rosenberg will entertain and delight us with the auction of our handcrafted pies.
For tickets contact: Chris Gould, 413-253-9162 or Bruce Klotz, 413-253-1601
OCTOBER 2019
9 September — Wilder Homestead Colonial Day
Buckland Historical Society
Wilder Homestead, 129, Rt. 112, Buckland, 2-5 pm
Step into the past at the 1775 Wilder Homestead and sample activities from the Colonial era.
Open Hearth Cooking, Oxen, Baskets,
Weaving, Spinning, Quilting, Folk Painting,
Music of the 1700’s, Cider Pressing, Morris Dancers,
Refreshments including an Open Hearth Style Beef Stew
Free Admission
26 October — Western New England Chapter Meeting
Association for Gravestone Studies
at the Westfield Athenaeum, Westfield
Morning session, 10 AM to noon, followed by a light lunch, then (weather permitting) an informal tour of one or more local cemeteries.
Al and Betsy McKee will present the results of a recent LIDAR and Ground Penetrating Radar survey of the old burying ground in Longmeadow, and an up-date of their research on local carvers.
CALL FOR ADDITIONAL SPEAKERS — If you would like to do a presentation (20-30 mins.) during the morning session, contact Bob Drinkwater: soulestones@gmail.com or (413) 549-0581.
More details to follow . . . if you plan to attend, please R. S. V. P. to Andrea: anduruna@hotmail.com
THIS EVENT IS FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC. Free will donations are requested to help cover the costs of coffee, snacks and lunch.
30 October — “A Springfield Preservation Story: The Willys-Overland Building”
Western Massachusetts Historical Commission Coalition
at Pioneer Valley Planning Commission, 60 Congress St., Springfield, 10 – noon
More details to come as we finalize speakers and the agenda. Hope you can make it! As always, if you have questions, please don’t hesitate to ask.
Stacia Caplanson
Preservation Circuit Rider for Central and Western MA
Preservation Massachusetts
617-999-3256
scaplanson@preservationmass.org
Preservation Massachusetts
www.preservationmass.org
34 Main Street Extension, Suite 401
Plymouth, MA 02360
NOVEMBER 2019
2 November — 30th Anniversary Event
Polish Genealogical Society of Massachusetts
at the Munich Haus, 13 Center St, Chicopee, 9:30 am – 3 pm
Join the PGSMA for its 30th Anniversary Lunch and Learn. This Saturday event will feature two wonderful speakers (Coleen Fitzpatrick and Daniel Bucko), a Polish luncheon catered by Munich Haus, a raffle, plenty of opportunities for questions and answers and meeting your fellow attendees.
Due to limited seating and luncheon service, pre-registration for this event is required. Cost is $30 for PGSMA members and $40 for non-members. Register at http://pgsma.org/30th-anniversary-event.html
DNA Results: What Can I Do With Them? by Colleen Fitzpatrick, PhD
In her talk, Colleen will review how you can use your DNA results to advance your genealogical research. Some of the tools she will explore with us include:
• Gedmatch Genesis – The Basics
• The Shared cM Project
• DNA Painter
Polish Vital Records and How Best to Find Them by Daniel Bućko, Genealogist based in Poland
In his presentation delivered via Skype, Daniel will provide a comprehensive overview of how to locate records in Poland that you need to grow your family tree. Topics covered will include:
• Overview of the main Polish State Archives for each region of Poland
• Overview of the Polish Diocesan Archives for each region of Poland
• On-line resources for each region of Poland
• Limitations or what is not available to a researcher at this time in Poland
• Parish Archives and how to get the records
• Polish Civil Registers and how to get the records
Cost is $30 for PGSMA members and $40 for non-members
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