2019 History Bites
Here are the archived ‘History Bites’ lectures from 2019. ‘History Bites’ is a series of thirty minute lectures to inform and entertain, covering various aspects of the history of Amherst, its surrounding environs, and the lives of those who once lived here. The Amherst Historical Society started this popular series in 2014 and we are fortunate to have archived video of lectures dating back to 2015.
You can search through our archives and our site by using the field below.
Jews and Puritans in Colonial New England
by Dr. Michael Hoberman VIEW VIDEO When the early New England Puritans chose to reject the excessive ritual and structure of the Roman Catholic and established Anglican churches, they went back to the Bible for guidance and found a ready-to-hand model for governance...
Memory Lands: Native American Perspectives on King Philip’s War
by Dr. Christine DeLucia VIEW VIDEO Dr. Christine DeLucia will discuss her new book, Memory Lands, in which she offers a major reconsideration of the violent seventeenth-century conflict in northeastern America known as King Philip’s War, providing an alternative to...
Scars of Slavery
by Dr. Bruce Laurie VIEW VIDEO On July 4, 1863, one of the most widely read magazines in the country during the Civil War published an image capturing the abhorrent cruelties of slavery — the side portrait of an escaped slave with terrifying, streaking scars across...
Stories in Stone
by Ta Mara Conde VIEW VIDEO There is a cemetery in every town and whether it is a colonial burial ground from the beginning of our country or the modern memorial garden on the outskirts of the city; it holds the history of that town. It tells the story of the people,...
Heaven is a World of Love
by Rev. Peter Ives VIEW VIDEO Reverend Peter Ives will present a new perspective on the life, ministry, and theology of Congregational minister Johnathan Edwards (1703-1758) , widely regarded as one of America’s most important and original philosophical theologians...
100 Years of Silk in the Valley
by Dr. Marjorie Senechal VIEW VIDEO Silk has been made in China for thousands of years, but its history in the Pioneer Valley only spans about a hundred years, from 1830 to 1930. Dr Marjorie Senechal, who spearheaded The Silk Project a few years ago, gives us a...
The North Prospect Lincoln Sunset Historic District
by Maurianne Adams VIEW VIDEO The newly formed North Prospect Lincoln Sunset Local Historic District includes a diversity of architectural styles, each with its own story to tell. The district is one of the oldest and most distinguished areas in the Town of Amherst...
History of the West Cemetery
by Bob Drinkwater VIEW VIDEO Amherst’s oldest cemetery is the resting place of Emily Dickinson, and of many other early Amherst notables, who have their own stories.
The Jewish Community of Amherst: the Formative Years
by Irv and Linda Seidman VIEW VIDEO In the 1960’s, a diverse group of Jews living in Amherst came together to form their own community. Dr Irv Seidman, author of The Jewish Community of Amherst, the Formative Years, 1969 – 1979, will describe the process of forming a...
‘History Bites Cowls’ – a history of the Cowls-Jones family in Amherst
by Cinda Jones VIEW VIDEO The Cowls family settled in Amherst before the town was founded, and their family history is inextricably intertwined with the town. Look at some of the scenes from their family archives.
History of the Amherst Police
by Captain Ronald Young VIEW VIDEO In this lecture, Captain Young traces the development of the Amherst police force from its origin as a single lamplighter in 1873 to its standing as a professional organization today.