Lydia Maria Child – A Radical American Life

Lydia Maria Child – A Radical American Life

by | Sep 29, 2023 | Blog

Best known today for the poem “Over the River and through the Wood,” Lydia Maria Child first became famous for peppy household self-help books and charming children’s stories. But in 1833, at age 31, Child shocked her readers by publishing the first book-length history of slavery in the United States — a book so radical in its absolute commitment to abolition that friends abandoned her and patrons ostracized her. But Child’s energetic and unwavering commitment to justice soon drew numbers of converts to the abolitionist cause, transforming her into one of the foremost authors and activists of her generation.

Join us on Friday, October 6, as Dr Lydia Moland of Colby College talks about her fascinating, detailed  biography of this remarkable woman, and of the challenges her life poses for us today.  Dr Moland’s presentation will be held at noon over Zoom; the address is:  https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82493131003

History of Tan Brook on Sept 22

History of Tan Brook on Sept 22

by | Sep 15, 2023 | Blog

Tan Brook is a little-known stream that flows right under Triangle Street and Kendrick Park. It originates from the small lake next to Wildwood Cemetery, and emerges at McClellan Street with a quiet babbling sound from the culverts that have carried it off and on through the north end of town. It “daylights” for a while from McClellan but then goes underground again to avoid streets and parking lots on its way to the UMass pond.

As a recent NYT article documents, cities and towns throughout the U.S. are rediscovering and rehabilitating their small waterways, both because of their ability to enhance greenways and as protection against environmental degradation. Join us on Friday, September 22, at noon, with Dr Christine Hatch, extension professor of geosciences at UMass, as she shares her research and insights into this often-ignored part of our town’s landscape.

This program will be live at noon on Friday, September 22, in the Woodbury Room at the Jones Library in Amherst.

History of the Wachusett Reservoir

History of the Wachusett Reservoir

by | Sep 5, 2023 | Blog

In 1897, the Nashua River above the town of Clinton, Mass was impounded by the Wachusett Dam; 4,380 acres were flooded in the towns of Boylston, West Boylston, Clinton, and Sterling. Work was completed in 1905 and the reservoir first filled in May 1908. At the time of construction, the Wachusett Reservoir was the largest public water supply reservoir in the world and today it is the second largest body of water in Massachusetts. Hear the history of this massive project and how Wachusett Reservoir fits into supplying 3.1 million people with pure unfiltered drinking water.

On Friday, September 8, at noon, we will hear Kathryn Parent, Program Coordinator, DCR Division of Water Supply Protection, describe the history of the Wachusett Reservoir.

This program will be live in the Woodbury Room at the Jones Library in Amherst.

Please note that we have discovered a conflict with the date of our next History Bite, Occupying Massachusetts. The presentation by Sandra Matthews and David Brume will be postponed until the week of May 11.

Planes in America

Planes in America

by | Jul 25, 2023 | Blog

Because of Amherst’s connection with the manufacture of carpenters’ planes in the 19th century — see the Nutting and Kellogg planemakers — I was intrigued by this display, seen on a recent trip to Colonial Williamsburg in Virginia:

‘While tradesmen relied heavily on English tool imports, some woodworkers began to specialize in the production of planes. Francis Nicholson, the earliest known American planemaker, was working in Massachusetts by 1728. He trained both his son and enslaved artisan Cesar Chelor in the trade.

‘Chelor, freed in 1753 by Nicholson’s will, went into the planemaking business for himself. For the next 31 years he signed his planes with various marks like CESAR CHELOR LIVING IN WRENTHAM. He married, had children, and pursued his trade in Wrentham until his death in 1784. It is estimated that Chelor made thousands of high-quality planes… ‘ 

And while at Williamsburg, and again at Sturbridge Village, I visited the Cooper’s shop, and there saw the longest (six feet?) carpenters’ planes I have ever seen — much longer than any in our collection.  Here is a photo of the Williamsburg cooper with his plane.

Historic apple tree knocked down

Historic apple tree knocked down

by | Jul 7, 2023 | Blog

Over the weekend, our 100-year-old apple tree was knocked over by a gust of wind, onto the Strong House. We are lucky there was no great damage to the Museum building – the branches only knocked out one window. And our intrepid Building and Grounds Committee has been on the case, clearing brush and cutting the wood into manageable lengths… but there’s still that hole in the ground.

Feel free to stop by and inspect our grounds’ New Look on Saturday, July 8, when we are hosting our second Art (and Artists) on the Lawn, from 11 to 3.

Dairy in Amherst

Dairy in Amherst

by | Jun 19, 2023 | Blog

June is National Dairy Month. The Amherst History Museum lets us remember the dairy industry in Amherst — we have a cabinet display of Amherst memorabilia, including milk bottles from Amherst dairies, and even an old ice cream container from the old Amherst Creamery!