Friday December 6th, 2019
Lighting of the Merry Maple Celebration 2019
As part of the Amherst-wide Lighting of the Merry Maple Festivities, the Simeon Strong House hosted a visit from Santa from 6-7 for pictures! This fun, family-friendly event is a perfect kick-off to the holiday season!
Friday evening, September 27th, 6:30-8:00pm
Cleopatra: A Portrait in Music
Since the opening performance of Giulio Cesare in 1724, it has remained one of the most celebrated of George Frideric Handel’s works, and one of the most widely-performed operas of the Baroque period. A story of betrayal, political intrigue, and love conquering evil, the opera imagines the story of Cleopatra dethroning her tyrannical brother through charming and winning the famed Julius Cesar to her cause.
Cleopatra: A Portrait in Music will feature a selection of Cleopatra’s arias from Giulio Cesare, showcasing the multi-layered queen in her moments of political cunning, heart-wrenching sorrow, and all-encompassing love. This Songs and Serenades event will star Libby Maxey, soprano and Graham Christian, piano with special guest Katherine Blaisdell.
Saturday, July 20, 2019
Time-Travelling Stories: Emily’s Dress
What would Emily Dickinson think of our world now? In a time-traveling twist, a young girl gets too curious about Emily’s famous white dress and accidentally unleashes powerful magic that brings the poet to the present day. Together, the two must find a way to get Emily back to her own time, and along the way they discover what it means to be an artistic woman across history
This original play presented is presented by the Multi-Arts Center and written by Maia Kinney-Petrucha. The product of collaborative research, this production focuses on the triumphs that come from having a community who cares.
Saturday, June 29, 2019
Amherst Garden Tour – “Heart and Soul”
Saturday, June 1, 2019
Mabel Loomis Todd’s Amherst – A Motorbus Excursion
Experience Mabel Loomis Todd’s Amherst–from her earliest residence at the Amherst House hotel to her final resting place in Wildwood Cemetery. This extended tour given from Mrs. Todd’s perspective was narrated by Dr. Julie Dobrow as we travelled in motorbus comfort with stops at the Homestead and Evergreens, the Observatory, and Wildwood Cemetery. Be prepared to learn about the artistic and literary achievements that made Mabel extraordinary in her own time, and a fascinating person to study today.
Friday November 30th, 2018
Lighting of the Merry Maple Celebration 2018
As part of the Amherst-wide Lighting of the Merry Maple Festivities, on, the Simeon Strong House hosted storytime with coloring and crafts for children of all ages from 4-7PM, with a visit from Santa from 6-7 for pictures! This fun, family-friendly event is a perfect kick-off to the holiday season!
Saturday, November 10, 2018
Amherst House Tour- “Come Over to My House”
In the words of Doctor Seuss: “There are all kinds of houses around to be found!” Inspired by his joyous portrayal of home, Come Over to My House is the theme of the 2018 Amherst Historical Society’s annual house tour. This year’s tour, on Saturday, November 10, 2018, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., features seven Amherst area properties designed in a multitude of styles and built with varied materials.
The self-guided, go at your own pace tour features seven properties, including five private homes, open just for this day, the Historical Society’s c. 1760 Simeon Strong house, and the former chapel at the University of Massachusetts, most of which have both been through significant changes, renovations, and uses during their history.
Thursday, October 4, 2018
Historic Fires of Amherst Showcase – Amherst Arts Night Plus
“Fire!” It is a cry that sends adrenaline pumping through our bodies. On Thursday, October 4, 2018, join us and explore the exhibit Historic Fires of Amherst to learn how fire reshaped Amherst between 1830 and 1930. We have continued to add items to the exhibit which features enlarged before and after photos from the Jones Library Special Collections of buildings that were destroyed by fire – and what was built in the aftermath.
Sunday, September 30, 2018 at 2:00 pm
Time-Travelling Stories: Saving Angeline Palmer
Come see the latest installment of Time Travelling Stories at the Amherst History Museum! Meet Angeline Palmer, a brave African-American girl who was saved from slavery with the help of residents of Amherst. Discover the roots of what makes Amherst such a unique place: our avant-garde spirit, celebration of differences, and ability to come together as a community to stand up for human rights.
This original play presented is presented by the Multi-Arts Center and written by Maia Kinney-Petrucha. The product of collaborative research, this production focuses on the triumphs that come from having a community who cares.
Saturday, June 30, 2018
Garden Tour: Old Lands, New Gardens
This year we are pleased to share six extraordinary private gardens new to the Garden Tour. Each of these gardens was created by the current owner—the oldest dates back 40 years and the most recent was begun in 2012. Flat lands and hills, woodlands and open spaces are all featured in this rich presentation of what is possible in a garden plot with vision—and hard work!
Along with the 18th century garden maintained by the Garden Club of Amherst, the Simeon Strong House will feature the work of Ecological designers Andrew Kilduff and Tim Tensen from TK Design Lab. They will show how their work aligns with garden design and provide a short presentation and display offering tour-goers an opportunity to explore ideas about home gardens as unique plant communities emphasizing how these communities will change as homeowners and designers respond to the effects of climate change.
Thursday, June 7th, 2018, 5-8:00pm
Amherst, 1839 – Amherst Arts Night Plus
Come celebrate the Amherst Arts Night Plus at the Amherst History Museum, and take a walk through Amherst, circa 1839!
As the old adage goes, a picture tells a thousand words. Historical images have even more secrets to tell. This event will feature a look into life in Amherst in the year 1839 through analysis of the print ‘Valleys of Erosion” by artist Henry J. Van Lannep. This historical illustration, which gives view of Amherst circa 1839 from Mt. Pleasant to the Holeyoke Range, contains a wealth of details and glimpses into the past to unpack. Come and explore!
Friday, May 4th, 2018, 6:30-8:00pm
Grand Concert! An Evening of the Music of Jenny Lind
One of the most remarkable careers in music was that of Swedish-born Jenny Lind (1820-1887). She was renowned for her voice in the mid-19th century, and toured the United States (including Northampton) between 1850 and 1852 under the auspices of no less than America’s great huckster and showman, P. T. Barnum. Songs and Serenades’ third appearance at the Strong House pays tribute to this remarkable woman and her work with a concert drawn from her repertoire, as well as piano works by her friends and contemporaries, including Rossini, Bellini, Meyerbeer, and others.
This presentation features Graham Christian playing the 1826 Chickering pianoforte and Libby Maxey soprano, with guest John Healy, baritone. Refreshments will be served.
Thursday, May 3rd, 2018, 5-8pm
Artistic Interpretations of Jenny Lind – Arts Night Plus
During Amherst Arts Night Plus, follow the path of luminaries to the Amherst Historical Society for an exclusive exhibit of art inspired by Jenny Lind, the Swedish Nightingale, musical sensation of the 1850s!
Jenny Lind spent the early months of 1852 honeymooning with her husband Otto Goldschmidt in Northampton and ended their time in town with a farewell concert in May. In 2014, artist Elizabeth Stone created two pieces inspired by Jenny Lind’s sojourn in Northampton. Jenny’s Dress, reproduces a dress worn by Lind; made of paper, thread, tape, cord, plastic and paint, the dress measures 53? in height by 42? in width. Portrait of Jenny Lind is a life size watercolor and ink on mylar. With these two pieces, the artist is helping us illustrate our May 4 program, Grand Concert! The Music of Jenny Lind. Come visit the museum during Amherst Arts Night Plus to get a sneak peak at these beautiful pieces, meet artist, and learn more about the Swedish Nightingale! Refreshments provided.
These gorgeous art pieces are only visiting the Amherst History Museum for a week, so make sure to see them while you can!
Sunday, February 11th, 2018
Founder’s Day Celebration 2018
Join us Sunday, February 11 for our Founder’s Day celebration at 2:00 p.m. at the Jones Library Woodbury Room as we commemorate the February 13, 1759 founding of Amherst. We will begin with the brief Amherst Historical Society Annual Meeting, introduce you to this year’s Conch Shell Award winner and President’s Award winner, and invite you to stay for the Mabel Loomis Todd lecture given this year by Lynne Zacek Bassett on “Reigning Fashion: Victoria and the Queen, 1837 – 1901.” A reception at the Strong House will follow the presentations.
Annual Meeting
The Annual Meeting of the Amherst Historical Society includes a report on our programs, financial status and the election of trustees. Members vote on the trustee slate that includes President George Naughton, Vice-President David Dunn, Treasurer Rebecca Fricke and Clerk Bonnie Isman. We will welcome new trustees and voice support for those continuing to serve.
Conch Shell Award
The Conch Shell Award was established in 2007 to honor those who have made a significant contribution to the culture and/or history of Amherst. This year we are honoring the contributions of Jonathan Tucker.
Recently retired, Jonathan Tucker served as Planning Director for the Town for ten years from 2007 to 2017. In that role, he supported several town boards, including the Amherst Historical Commission. Hired by the Town as a city planner in 1985, he guided the 2005 Preservation Plan from start to finish working closely with the consultants. This document has serves as the plan for historic preservation and as the preservation component of the comprehensive plan for the Amherst. Mr. Tucker also served as a board member and treasurer of the Historical Society. Raised and educated in Amherst and at the University of Massachusetts, he was described at the time of his retirement as having a “deep knowledge of Amherst history.” The Historical Society celebrates his integration of his love of local history with his professional career.
President’s Award
Gigi Barnhill is delighted to present the President’s Award to Jackie Tuthill, who has been an active member for more than twenty years. In that time, she has contributed her many talents to our efforts serving as a board member and clerk, and as a docent and photographer of activities. She continues to volunteer for our House and Garden Tours. In 2014, she conducted extensive research on the relocation of houses from the Quabbin Reservoir for a Five College Learning in Retirement course. She spoke on this subject in the Society’s History Bite Series and has continued to pursue this research into the region’s architectural history. Amherst has been home to Jackie and her family since 1970.
Mabel Loomis Todd Lecture
The award presentation will be followed by the Mabel Loomis Todd Lecture “Reigning Fashion: Victoria and the Queen, 1837 – 1901” given this year by Lynne Zacek Bassett. Ms. Bassett is an independent scholar specializing in historic costume and textiles who we are pleased to have as the consultant reviewing the Amherst Historical Society‘s textile collections. Her breadth of knowledge is unmatched in the region and we are grateful to have her address the cultural history of clothing in the Victorian era. What was the inspiration for women’s dress styles in the period? How was clothing made and who did the work? What was Queen Victoria’s role as a fashion leader?
January 5 and January 6, 2018
Amherst Historical Society Annual Ski and Winter Gear Sale
Need some new skis? A new coat? The Amherst Historical Society is excited to be holding their 2nd annual ski and winter gear sale!
The sale will be held on Friday evening, January 5th from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. and on Saturday, January 6th from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Crocker Farm Elementary School, 280 West Street, Amherst. The school’s cafetorium will be transformed into a ski market with experts on hand to assist everyone with their selection to ensure that you buy just the right items and the right sizes.
This two-day sale will again offer hundreds of pairs of new and used skis, snow boards, and skates for sale at rock-bottom prices. The items on sale will include new and used downhill and cross country skis in adult and child sizes, boots and bindings, hockey and figure skates, snowboards, clothing for adults and children, including coats, gloves, and helmets, ski poles, snow shoes, and a number of specialty items. Some of this merchandise will be brand new at super low prices, some come and get the entire family’s gear updated!
Thursday, December 7, 2017
Lighting of the Merry Maple Celebration
Join us on Thursday December 7th between 5:00PM to 8:00PM for a cup of mulled cider, cookies, and an evening of holiday music and cheer as we celebrate the season around our 1826 Chickering box grand piano!
This piano was part of the Emerson household when they lived in Heath, Massachusetts, came with them to Amherst in 1846 and made its way to this house when they
moved here in January 1853–more than 160 years later we still have it to accompany our voices raised in song.
This is your last chance to get a look at our Sweetser Family Portrait and ‘So What? Who Cares? Why Bother?” exhibits before they’re packed away for good! The museum closes for the year December 9th, so let’s send off another year of Amherst history in style!
Saturday, November 4, 2017
House Tour
Our 2017 House Tour focuses on the newly established North Prospect-Lincoln-Sunset Local Historic District. This neighborhood includes modest farm houses lived in by members of the 19th century Black community and Irish immigrants, as well as houses that were home to college faculty members, businessmen, and other professionals and their families. Amherst College faculty member Robert Frost purchased a home in this neighborhood in 1931–and it is on the tour this year! along with 5 other residences. The Historical Society is pleased to showcase this district with its wide range of architectural styles and a complex socio-economic history.
Saturday, June 24, 2017
Garden Tour
Thursday, April 20, 2017
Book Appraisal and talk by Kenneth Gloss
Kenneth Gloss, proprietor of the internationally known Brattle Book Shop in Boston, will give a free talk Thursday, April 20, at 6:00 p.m. in the Woodbury Room of the Jones Library, 43 Amity Street, Amherst, Massachusetts. The talk is cosponsored by the Friends of the Jones Library and the Amherst Historical Society and is open to the public. After the talk, as time permits, Mr. Gloss will do free verbal appraisals of books brought to the talk. Ken will talk in about the history of his historic bookshop that was established in 1825. He will talk about and show some of his favorite finds and describe some of the joys of the “hunt,” as well as explain what makes a book go up in value. He has many fascinating anecdotes to share as well as guidelines for what to look for when starting a collection. He will be happy to take questions at the conclusion of his talk.
Friday, October 20, 2016, 6:30 – 8 p.m.
I Expect Great Pleasure, the Music of Jane Austen
An Evening featuring piano, violin, soprano and mezzosoprano
Join us for a concert of music referenced by Jane Austen in her literary and personal writings. This presentation will feature Graham Christian on the 1826 Chickering pianoforte, Steven Williams on violin, Libby Maxey soprano, and Heather Williams mezzosoprano. Refreshments will be served. This July 18 marked the 200th anniversary of Jane Austen’s death.
Saturday, August 6 2016
Flax: From Plant to Thread
Flax is the plant that linen is made from, and the collection at the Amherst Historical Society at the Simeon Strong House includes some antique flax processing tools. On Saturday, August 6 2016, beginning at 11:00 A.M., Michelle Parrish will demonstrate the steps involved in preparing flax for spinning into yarn or thread, using some of the tools traditionally used to process flax, including a brake, scutching board, and hetchels. Visitors will have the opportunity to try these tools, and to see flax at different stages of the process. This event is free and open to the public and will continue at least until 2:00.
Michelle volunteered to demonstrate the techniques used to process flax after visiting the exhibit Artifacts Inspire: An Exhibition of Work by Fiber Artists of Western Massachusetts on view at the museum through September 25.
February 20, 2016 at 2:00 p.m
Founders Day Celebration 2016
Please join us as we commemorate the founding of Amherst on February 13, 1759 and honor those who bring a fresh perspective to Amherst’s history and connect the past to our community today. The Founders Day Celebration is slated for February 20, 2016 at 2:00 p.m. the Jones Library Goodwin Room.
The 2016 Conch Shell Award recipient is the Garden Club of Amherst. We are celebrating their 100 years in the Amherst Community and their careful stewardship of their history. They have deposited their records in the Jones Library and have shared their institutional history in programs and an exhibition currently on display at the Jones Library. Though some think of gardening as just another hobby, we think of gardening as a cultural phenomenon, and this organization has been a steady presence in Amherst in for 100 years. Over its existence, members have honed their gardening skills and helped steward open space in the community and maintained gardens for public use including the Simeon Strong House 18th century garden.
The Mabel Loomis Todd Lecture will be given by Dr. Kevin Sweeney. He will examine what did happen—and what did not happen—as a result of General Jeffery Amherst’s infamous suggestion in July of 1763 that blankets be used to spread smallpox among Native Americans living in the Ohio Country and around the Great Lakes during Pontiac’s War (1763-1766). In particular, the presentation will offer new insights that arise from looking closely at outbreaks of smallpox and its spread in North America during the 1750s and early 1760s, a relevant context that has been ignored in previous histories of this notorious incident.
Kevin Sweeney is Professor of History and American Studies at Amherst College where he has been a member of the faculty since 1989.
Saturday, June 27, 2015
Amherst Garden Tour
Waltz Through Time: The Victorian Ballroom
On Saturday, June 27, at 11 am, a dance performance entitled Waltz Through Time: The Victorian Ballroom will take place on the front lawn of the Amherst Historical Museum and provide a glimpse into the 19th century. The Museum is hosting this free performance in conjunction with its Garden Tour to celebrate the Garden Club of Amherst’s 100th anniversary. The tour showcases eight private gardens of club members, along with the Simeon Strong House 18th Century Garden, a Garden Club of Amherst project.
Saturday October 24, 2015
The 2015 House Tour
The Amherst Historical Society is proud to sponsor a very special house tour this year. On Saturday, October 24 from 10-4, attendees will tour five private Amherst area homes each selected for its unique architectural and design features and the Amherst Unitarian Universalist Church.
Saturday November 1, 2014
“Scene in Amherst” 2014 House Tour
The Amherst Historical Society is proud to sponsor a very special house tour this year. On Saturday, November 2nd from 10-4, attendees will tour five private Amherst area homes each selected for its unique architectural and design features, and the Goodwin A.M.E. Zion Church.
