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 Museum is located at 67 Amity Street in Amherst, Massachusetts.
We are closed for the winter, and will reopen in May.
Amherst Historical Society: Upcoming Events
The history of the Amherst Record, 1844 – 1984
The history of the Amherst Record, 1844 - 1984
Phyllis Lehrer, who now writes 'The Lehrer Report', will tell her stories of working on the weekly Amherst Record newspaper from 1976 until the paper closed in 1984.
History of the Emily Dickinson Museum
History of the Emily Dickinson Museum
The Emily Dickinson home -- 'the Homestead' -- is a museum whose role and vision have changed since its founding in 1965. The presentation will be over Zoom; here is the link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83249382098
Occupying Massachusetts – Layers of History on Indigenous Land
Occupying Massachusetts - Layers of History on Indigenous Land
Occupying Massachusetts: Layers of History on Indigenous Land is an art book that engages with history and memory. Sandra Matthews's subtle photographs of vernacular structures and historic sites offer a uniquely personal meditation on the human occupation of land, with an emphasis on the long prese...
Wachusett Reservoir
Wachusett Reservoir
Work on the Wachusett Reservoir was completed in 1905 and the reservoir first filled in May 1908 At the time, it was the largest man-made reservoir in the world, supplying drinking water to Boston via the Sudbury River.
A glimpse into the Amherst History Museum’s permanent collection:
AHS UPDATES
Lydia Maria Child
March is Women's History Month, and Dr Lydia Moland of Colby College has recently published a new biography of the abolitionist author Lydia Maria Child, who spent 2 years in Northampton. From the...
Regicide in the Family
The History Bites lecture series returns, beginning its Spring 2023 lecture series at noon on Friday, March 3, over Zoom. Here is the Zoom link. ... What if you had someone in your family tree who...
Re-Orienting Dickinson
In Black History Month, we can take note of the talented Amherst College graduate Anna Smith (Amherst College '22), whose historical research led to the creation of the Reorienting...
Amherst Juneteenth Observance at the Amherst History Museum on Saturday June 18, 2022.
Photo courtesy of Rebecca Fricke
Become a volunteer
Find out how you can help. The Amherst Historical Society depends on the support of the community. We are currently looking for gardeners, educators, fundraisers, and more. Contact us for more information.
‘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