The Pioneer Valley is full of opportunities to explore local history. Please check the events calendar often.
See Past Events here.
ON-GOING EVENTS
16 February thru 21 April — Exhibit: “The Time of My Life: Vintage Views of Western Massachusetts”
Memorial Hall Museum
Great Falls Discovery Center, Turners Falls
“Having the time of my life.” So wrote Bernice on a postcard sent to her “Ma” in the early 20th century—one among many cards from Memorial Hall Museum’s collection, now in the Great Hall. Enlarged postcard scenes take visitors on an imaginary road trip, with stops at Mount Tom, Mount Holyoke Summit House, Sugarloaf, Turners Falls, Greenfield, Shelburne Falls and the Mohawk Trail. Sit down and relax with reproduction postal souvenir albums, a hands-on stereoscope, and a Viewmaster with other area scenes that paint pictures of civic pride and new ideas about leisure and travel. Before cell phones and social media, the picture postcard reigned supreme. Sponsored by Memorial Hall Museum. The Discovery Center is closed two Sundays this month: March 17 and 24.
3 March thru 13 April — Exhibit: “Made in Westfield”
Westfield Athenaeum, 6 Elm Street, Westfield
“Made in Westfield” is a look at manufacturing and industry in Westfield – presents 45 companies and their products spanning the 19th through 21st centuries. From the early industries of brick & ice making powder mills and furniture building to the more unique manufacturing of hoop skirts, washer tubs, extracts & flavors, stoves, marble, bicycles, whips, paper, golf clubs, piano legs and pipe organs – Westfield made them all. The exhibit, which runs through April 13th, also showcases some of Westfield’s long-standing
manufacturers & their products (Westfield Grinding Wheel, Micro Abrasive, Advance Manufacturing, ITI, H. B. Smith, Mestek, Stanley Home Products) as well as businesses of the past (Digital, Foster Machine, Stevens Paper, Robinson Reminders, Old Colony Envelope, Colonial Art, Knight Club Soda). A reception will be held on March 26th at 6:30 p.m. highlighting some of Westfield’s current manufacturers: Micro Abrasive, Westfield Grinding Wheel, International Technology, H. B. Smith, Westfield G&E, Mestek, Jarvis
Surgical Inc., Savage Arms and Angy’s Landolfi Group. The public is cordially invited to the reception and to view the exhibit during regular library hours:
Monday – Thursday, 8:30 am – 8 pm
Friday & Saturday, 8:30 am – 5 pm
8 March thru 31 March — “Signs of the Times – An Exhibit”
Historic Northampton
at the Mezzanine, 33 Hawley St., Arts Trust Building, Northampton
Sculpture by Harriet Diamond including The Northampton Vigil to Lift the Sanctions Against Iraq and a new near life-size sculpture of Frances Crowe will be on exhibit along with signs from the 100 Signs for 100 Years March. At right is a section of the Iraq Vigil sculpture featuring Frances talking with two soldiers. The other figures are tiny portraits of other folks who gathered in Northampton on Saturdays to oppose the Iraq War. Image courtesy of Harriet Diamond (www.sculpturestories.com).
MARCH 2019
20 March — “Clickbait, Hashtags, and Viral Rage: Writing Politics on Social Media – and How We Can Do Better”
UMass Amherst History Department
Bernie Dallas Room, Goodell Hall, UMass Amherst, 4 pm
with Claire Bond Potter, Professor of History, New School
Since the 2016 election cycle, we have all become aware that social media, and the wide variety of clickbait information that circulates there, have become powerful forces in national politics. This talk will focus on several recent examples of social media events triggered by clickbait, most prominently the recent confrontation between a Native American activist and students from Covington Catholic High School on January 18 2019. Social media events triggered by clickbait are particularly difficult to engage online, or to write about thoughtfully afterwards: the original image, post or video is effective, not because it is true or false, but because it taps into strong feelings, either about core values or values we aspire to. Social media offers us a paradoxical solution to the anger and pain that it triggers: to return to its platforms and write more, an action that, much of the time, triggers more anger than pain. But what would happen if we thought of writing, not as incidental to our presence on social media, but its core activity? What values can a writing practice bring to social media — and how might it help us navigate its perilous political world?
Claire Bond Potter is Professor of History at The New School for Social Research, New York, NY, and Executive Editor of Public Seminar. She is co-editor, with Renee Romano, of Historians on Hamilton: How a Blockbuster Musical Restaged American History (Rutgers University Press: 2018) Doing Recent History: On Privacy, Copyright, Video Games, Institutional Review Boards, Activist Scholarship, and History That Talks Back (University of Georgia Press, 2012). Her writing has appeared in general audience publications such Dissent, The Washington Post, Jacobin, and the New York Times. Potter received her B.A. from Yale University and her Ph.D. from New York University. Currently, she is writing a biography of political media titled Click Bait Nation: the Origins of American iPolitics.
Location Information: Goodell Hall is located in the central part of campus, approximately one city block from the UMass Parking Garage (1 Campus Center Way, $1.75/hr). More information: bus schedule, campus map with Goodell Hall and nearby parking indicated.
Accessibility Goodell Hall is wheelchair accessible. To request additional accommodations, email communications@history.umass.edu. More information: accessible parking, campus accessibility map.
21 March — “Amy Goodman on What One Person Can Do”
Historic Northampton
at John M. Greene Hall, Smith College, 7 pm
Award-winning independent journalist and host of the daily news program Democracy Now! Amy Goodman will give a talk in honor of Frances Crowe on her 100th birthday.
Sponsored by Smith College’s Special Collections, Sophia Smith Archives of Women’s History, which holds Frances’ papers.
23 March — “Lost Springfield”
Springfield Armory National Historic Site
One Armory Square, Springfield, 2 pm
Join local author and historian Derek Strahan for his presentation, “Lost Springfield,” on Saturday, March 23 at 2:00 pm. Presentation will take place in the museum theater. Seating is limited, please call the museum to make reservations. Admission is free.
With the opening of the the first federal Armory, Springfield experienced rapid growth. With that golden age of progress came iconic buildings and landmarks that are now lost to time. Railroads brought workers eager to fill Springfield’s factories and enterprises like Springfield Armory, Smith & Wesson, Merrian Webster and Indian Motorcycles.
“There’s something intriguing about old photographs. I don’t know why, but I’ve always been drawn to them. Even in elementary school, the one book that I probably checked out of the library more than any other was a book on our town’s history”, commented author Derek Strahan.
During the presentation, Derek will take a look at commerce and industry from 19th century Springfield, focusing on the lost buildings that once housed these businesses, along with many innovations and important events that occurred there. About half of the subjects are from his book, Lost Springfield, while the other half is new material that has not been previously published or presented.
Derek Strahan is a Springfield resident and the author of the blog, “Lost New England” and the book, Lost Springfield. He is a graduate of Westfield State University with degrees in English and Regional Planning, and teaches English at the Master’s School in Simsbury, Connecticut. Derek also serves as president of the Springfield Preservation Trust.
Springfield Armory National Historic Site commemorates and preserves the site of our Nation’s first armory, established in 1794. Managed with the Commonwealth of MA, Springfield Technical Community College and the National Park Service, it is the home of the world’s largest historic American military firearms collection. The site is open Wednesday – Sunday, 9 AM- 5 PM. Admission is free. For information call 413-734-8551 or check http://www.nps.gov/spar.
23 & 30 March — “The Mysteries of DNA Explained”
Community Rm., Holyoke Public Library, 250 Chestnut St., Holyoke, 10 am – noon
with Dave Robison
DNA testing for family history research has conquered many brick walls, but is it for you? Perhaps you are still deciding whether to not to test, or maybe you already have your results. In either case, Dave Robison’s two presentations will answer many of your questions and help you make informed decisions about next steps regarding DNA testing.
Together, the two Saturday morning sessions will cover these topics:
- What types of DNA can be extracted?
- What is the function of each type?
- How are the tests conducted?
- What can I do with the information?
- What are the limitations of DNA testing?
- I’ve got my test results, now what?
- To share or not to share?
The March 23 session will focus on introductory topics, while March 30 will cover more complex questions.
Dave Robison, Old Bones Genealogy of New England , has more than twenty years of experience with genealogical research and has helped hundreds of people with his workshops, courses, and consultations. He is the President of the Western Massachusetts Genealogical Society and is active in many other genealogical associations.
Please call to pre-register for one or both sessions: (413) 420-8107.
There is no cost to attend.
This event was rescheduled from an earlier date.
24 March — “Through an Indian’s Looking Glass: William Apess, Pequot”
Historic Deerfield Winter Lecture Series
at Garonzik Auditorium, Deerfield Academy, Deerfield, 2 pm
Presented by Drew Lopenzina, Old Dominion University.
This winter’s free lecture series is devoted to re-centering indigenous peoples’ experience and perspectives within broader American narratives and histories. Each presenter will share new scholarship and insights that bring to light Native men and women as active participants and autonomous history makers. Join us as we consider George Washington through the lens of great Native leaders, William Apess as a voice of and for indigenous survival and identity in the nineteenth century, and how “reverse fieldwork” can be deployed to reveal new insights into the relations between collectors and informants during the era of salvage anthropology.
27 March — “Rev. Edward Taylor’s Westfield: The poet, pastor, and his congregation, 1671-1729”
Westfield 350th Historical Lecture Series
at the First Congregational Church, Westfield, 6:30 pm
Presented by Walter Powell
Dr. Walter L. Powell is an author, lecturer, and public history consultant based in Plymouth, MA. He retired in the fall of 2017 as the 1st Executive Director of the General Society of Mayflower Descendants. Previously he worked in a variety of professional capacities, most notably for 17 years as Director of Planning and Historic Preservation for the Borough of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. He holds a Ph.D. in Early American Literature from Kent State University, writing his dissertation on “Edward Taylor’s Westfield”
31 March — “The Streets Where We Live”
Belchertown Historical Association
Stone House Museum, 20 Maple St., Belchertown, 2 pm
Rescheduled from 10 March
Have you ever wondered how and when your street acquired its name? From Stebbins Street and Logtown Road to Chauncey Walker Road and Jackson Street, some of Belchertown’s history is reflected in its street names. Cliff McCarthy will give a talk about the origin of street names in Belchertown.
Belchertown resident Cliff McCarthy is the volunteer archivist at the Stone House Museum. He is also the archivist at the Wood Museum of Springfield History in Springfield and the president of the Pioneer Valley History Network.
This event will take place at the Stone House Museum on Sunday, March 10 at 2 pm. The talk is free and refreshments will be served. Donations always accepted.
APRIL 2019
2 April — “Noteworthy Women of West Springfield 1635 – 1935”
Ramapogue Historical Society
at the Community Rm., West Springfield Public Library, 6:30 — 8:30 pm.
On Tuesday, April 2, 2019 the Ramapogue Historical Society will be sponsoring a program entitled “Noteworthy Women of West Springfield 1635 – 1935” at the West Springfield Public Library Community Room from 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm.
The discussion will be led by local historian and educator, Stanley Svec and will feature several other members of the Ramapogue Historical Society, each highlighting West Springfield women who have made a difference. Beginning with Frances Sanford Pynchon, wife of the founder of the Springfield settlement, the presentation will follow a chronological approach providing participants with a Women’s History of West Springfield from inception of the English in the Valley through suffrage and the Great Depression. The first of a two-part program series celebrating the Centennial of the 19th Amendment (Women’s Suffrage), this event will be followed by another program in the fall highlighting West Side women who made a difference in more recent history.
Stanley Svec is a Living Historian, Lecturer and Teacher at West Springfield High School. He has given dozens of lectures around the area on topics ranging from King Philip’s War through World War One. He is often seen around the area with his fiddle performing and discussing historic music with his Camp Group, The NE’ER DO WELLS or leading excursions to lost historic sites like the Bear Hole Resort.
The lectures are free and open to the public. Refreshments will be served. The West Springfield Public Library is located at 200 Park Street, West Springfield, MA 01089.
14 April — “The Secret World of Deltiology”
Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association
at the Great Falls Discovery Center, Turners Falls, MA
The field of deltiology has a loyal following-but what is it? The term – the study and collecting of picture postcards – was coined in 1945. Learn local deltiologists’ secrets. Why do they collect? What are they looking for? Where do they find the postcards they collect? After the program, help keep the art of postcard writing alive by sending a message to someone special on a complimentary stamped postcard and maybe catch the deltiological bug yourself! Presented by Reba-Jean Shaw-Pichette, Shelburne Historical Society, and Sheila Damkoehler, Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association, in
conjunction with the “Time of My Life” postcard exhibit in the Great Hall.
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