Amherst Historical Society and Museum

History Begins at Home

“History Bites” Lunchtime Lecture Series- Cliff McCarthy

The Belchertown house where the rescue of Angeline Palmer took place.
The Belchertown house where the rescue of Angeline
Palmer took place.

Cliff McCarthy:
The Rescue of Angeline Palmer

Friday, April 10 at 12:15p.m.

In the spring of 1840, prominent Belchertown attorney and businessman Mason Shaw schemed to transport his ten-year-old, African-American servant girl, Angeline Palmer, to Georgia in order to sell her into slavery.  Only a daring rescue by members of Amherst’s African-American community saved her from this fate.  Cliff McCarthy, Belchertown’s Stone House archivist, will present the story along with new research into the event.Cliff McCarthy is an archivist at the Lyman & Merrie Wood Museum of Springfield History and at the Stone House Museum in Belchertown. A local historian and avid genealogist, he is also the president of the Pioneer Valley History Network. He has written, co-written, or edited three books on Belchertown’s history.

Join us with your lunch in hand. We will provide coffee, tea or cider for you as you listen to the presentations. The 30-minute program will begin promptly at 12:15 with seating and beverages ready just before noon. The lectures are free and everyone is welcome to attend.

Mark Your Calendars:
April 24, 2015
Barbara Krauthamer: Envisioning Emancipation: Black Americans and the End of Slavery

About the Museum

Visit the Amherst History Museum, located at the Simeon Strong House, 67 Amity St., Amherst MA. We held our first exhibition in 1899, received our charter in 1903, and are celebrating over 100 years of the Society’s ownership of the c.1759 Simeon Strong House.

The Amherst History Museum is open Thursdays from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. and Fridays from noon to 4 p.m., or by appointment. You can find directions here.

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The Amherst History Museum accepts donations of any size at any time of the year. We hold our Annual Appeal in late November and renew all memberships in the Spring.

A gift to the Amherst History Museum, whether in memory of a loved one or in honor of a special accomplishment, is always a unique way to help the Amherst Community and recognize an extraordinary individual.

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Amherst A to Z

Want to know where Amherst’s Cold War bunker is located? Or where the “curragh” district of Amherst was? Or learn about a local factory that made “collapsing skirts!”

These are all entries under the letter “C” in the book Amherst A to Z, written by Elizabeth Sharpe. The book is illustrated with pictures of artifacts from the Amherst History Museum, historic images from the Jones Library’s Special Collections, as well as photographs of our town and the folks who live here.

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