The museum is closed for the season.
The Amherst History Museum is located at 67 Amity Street in Amherst, Massachusetts. The Amherst History Museum opened in 1916 and is governed by the Amherst Historical Society, which was founded in 1899. Housed in the 1750-era Simeon Strong House, the Amherst History Museum takes visitors on a journey from the town’s colonial past, through its industrial age and into the computer-driven present. The Museum is filled with decorative arts, paintings, household implements, agricultural tools and other pieces of history from the nearly three hundred years since Amherst was settled.
The 2023 season at the Strong House brought a fresh look at our founder, Mabel Loomis Todd with ‘The Magnificent Life & Art of Mabel Loomis Todd.’ This exhibit explored Todd’s work as a nature writer, painter, conservationist, lecturer, and the editor of Emily Dickinson’s poetry.


The AHS ‘Groom Tree’
Help support the 'Groom Tree'
Last year, the Town’s Department of Public Works and the Historical Society together received an Urban and Community Forestry Challenge Grant to sustain the Groom Tree for years to come. As part of the grant, a fund to support the ongoing care and maintenance of the tree has been established. Help us preserve the history and stories of our community. Make a donation to help us continue to care for the Groom Tree.
Amherst Historical Society: Upcoming Events
David Peck Todd’s Amherst College–An Architecture & Walking Tour
David Peck Todd’s Amherst College–An Architecture & Walking Tour
The Amherst Historical Society devoted its 2023 exhibition to Mabel Loomis Todd, focusing on her skills as a botanical artist, writer, editor, and civic leader. She was devoted to her husband, David, and traveled with him as he pursued an active career as a professor of astronomy at Amherst College....
A glimpse into the Amherst History Museum’s permanent collection:
AHS UPDATES
Thanksgiving Day
Thanksgiving Day in the United States may trace its origins back to the English Harvest Festival of Thanksgiving, and it retains many of the trappings of a harvest festival, even though it is now observed well after the fall harvest is in.
Lost Towns of the Swift River Valley
When the four Quabbin towns were disincorporated in April of 1938 it was more than just a legal decision. Families which had lived in the towns for generations were forced to move, separating from...
Origins of Public Libraries in New England
Local author Thomas Johnson, Jr, will talk about his recent book, Common PLACE: The Public Library, Civil Society and Early American Values. 'The book explores who created America's first public...
Photo courtesy of Rebecca Fricke
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‘History Bites’–Highlights from past seasons

19th Century Spiritualism
Robert Cox – Director of Special Collections at UMass
Dec. 21, 2018
Memory Lands: Native American Perspectives on King Philip’s War
Dr Christine DeLucia
Jan 30, 2020
Native American Stone Structures
Dr Curtiss Hoffman
March 26, 2021
From Arkham to Amherst
George Naughton
April 21, 2017

The AHS Bookstore
Help support the Amherst Historical Society! Shop our online store for books that highlight the history of Amherst. Titles include:
- Amherst A to Z by Elizabeth M. Sharpe
- Amherst and Hadley Through the Seasons by Daniel Lombardi
- Harvesting History by Sheila Rainford and Ruth Owen Jones
- History of the Black Population of Amherst 1728-1870 by James Avery Smith
- The Letters of Lathrop & Pomeroy by Lucy Whitelaw Rexford
- The Writing Master, by Kitty Burns Florey