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 will be open on Saturdays from 11AM to 3PM through the summer.
Save the Date! The Amherst Historical Society will hold its annual Ski and Winter Gear Sale on the grounds of the History Museum, on Saturday, October 29, from 9AM to 1PM.
– Upcoming Events –
Strings @ the Strong Presents: Conway Fine Arts
Strings @ the Strong Presents: Conway Fine Arts
The Amherst Historical Society is delighted to welcome Conway Fine Arts. This Quintet will offer a program of Shubert, Beethoven and Coleridge-Taylor. Made possible by a grant from the Amherst Cultural Council and sponsored by Stamell Stringed Instruments.
Strings @ the Strong Presents: The Cushman String Quartet
Strings @ the Strong Presents: The Cushman String Quartet
The Cushman Quartet was established in the summer of 2020 by a group of friends who had always enjoyed playing chamber music but craved togetherness during the beginning of the COVID19 pandemic. Made possible by a grant from the Amherst Cultural Council and sponsored by Stamell Stringed Instruments...
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.
Henry Wilson and the Civil War
Henry Wilson and the Civil War
Henry Wilson was a native of Natick Massachusetts, who rose from humble beginnings to be a major influence in the abolitionist movement.
A glimpse into the Amherst History Museum’s permanent collection:

Amherst Juneteenth Observance at the Amherst History Museum on Saturday June 18, 2022.
Photo courtesy of Rebecca Fricke
AHS UPDATES
History of Mount Toby Friends Meeting
Before they found their home in the Mount Toby Meeting House on the Leverett Plain, the local Friends Meeting led a peripatetic existence, with various addresses in Amherst, Pelham, and even...
Amherst Juneteenth Observance
On Saturday, June 18, the town of Amherst will observe the Juneteenth holiday, celebrating the day in 1865 when federal troops arrived in Galveston, Texas to take control of the state and to ensure...
Virtual Tour of West Cemetery, part 2
On April 8, Bob Drinkwater gave his second presentation on the early graves in Amherst's West Cemetery. In this presentation, he showed pictures of the graves of many of Amherst’s founding families...

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.
‘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