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 Amherst History Museum is located at the Simeon Strong House, 67 Amity Street, Amherst MA. The museum is currently closed. We hope to open in June 2022.
– Upcoming Events –
Association for Gravestone Studies Western New England Chapter, Spring Meeting
Association for Gravestone Studies Western New England Chapter, Spring Meeting
The Association for Gravestone Studies announces its quarterly meeting and walking tour; Saturday, June 4. We'll meet at Amherst's West Cemetery, located in downtown Amherst, at 1 PM. We had considered meeting at an...
Juneteenth Heritage Walk
Juneteenth Heritage Walk
The Storm and the War that Changed Amherst
The Storm and the War that Changed Amherst
Both the hurricane of 1938 and World War II were transformative events for Amherst College. Listen to Pulitzer Prize winning architectural critic Blair Kamin as he explains the events and the reactions of the college and the community of Amherst.
A glimpse into the Amherst History Museum’s permanent collection:
AHS UPDATES
Historic Sycamore Tree
Save the Date: The Amherst Shade Tree Committee is conducting a tour of our town's trees this Sunday, May 8, starting at 2PM. They will meet at the Jones Library and begin with a consideration of...
Charles Eastman and Elaine Goodale Eastman
Julie Dobrow’s presentation on March 25 described the lives of Elaine Goodale, born in the Berkshires, and Charles Eastman (Ohíye S’a), born on a Sioux reservation; she discussed their marriage and...
History of the Mount Toby Meeting
Quakers, members of the Religious Society of Friends, in Western Massachusetts have had an interesting and complicated history over the decades. On Friday, April 22, at noon, in the Woodbury room of...

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


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.
Job Posting: visiting curator
The Amherst Historical Society is currently accepting applications for a visiting curator who will work closely with the AHS Collections Committee to re-vision and prepare room exhibits, to create related virtual exhibits for amhersthistory.org, and to design stand alone pop-up exhibits for community partner locations.
‘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
Jonathan Edwards and the Gospel of Love
Ronald Story
Sept 25, 2015
From Arkham to Amherst
George Naughton
April 21, 2017