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 Museum is closed for the winter.
Amherst Historical Society
Annual Meeting
Saturday, February 12, at 2PM
(Meeting to be held on Zoom, address https://amherstma.zoom.us/j/84012266097 )
Included on this year’s agenda:
· This year the Amherst Historical Society has renamed our annual Conch Shell Award to honor our esteemed colleague Arthur Kinney, who instituted the award in 2007.
· In 2021, Civil War tablets inscribed with the names of the 300 Amherst residents who fought on behalf of the Union, including African-American residents who were members of the famed 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Regiment and 5th Cavalry, came back to public view for the first time since the 1990s.
The Amherst Historical Society recognizes the efforts of Dudley Bridges Sr., a World War II veteran who died in 2004, and who spent the last years of his life advocating and fundraising to find a prominent place to honor the handcrafted memorials donated to the town by the Grand Army of the Republic in 1893.
Accepting the award will be Mr Bridges’ daughter Debora Bridges and her daughter Anika Lopes, who saw the work to completion this year.
Upcoming ‘History Bites’
Our popular lunchtime series continues! All lectures start at noon; the February 25 lecture will take place over Zoom. More info and Zoom link
September 2023
Wachusett Reservoir
Wachusett Reservoir
Work on the Wachusett Reservoir was completed in 1905 and the reservoir first filled in May 1908 At the time, it was the largest man-made reservoir in the world, supplying drinking water to Boston via the Sudbury River.
October 2023
Lydia Maria Child
Lydia Maria Child
Lydia Maria Child (1802 - 1880) was a true heroine of the abolitionist movement; she gave up a promising career and her standing in society to battle slavery.
Celebrate UMass
UMass graduation is this weekend, so it is appropriate to remember that the Massachusetts Agricultural College was founded 160 years ago, in 1863. It was founded as a result of the Morrill Land...
History of the Emily Dickinson Museum
The Dickinson Homestead was built by Samuel Fowler Dickinson in 1813. It was occupied by his son Edward, and then by Edward’s two daughters, Emily and Lavinia. The house was designated a National...
Gardens at the Museum
April is National Garden Month, and soon our friends in the Garden Club of Amherst will be tending the Museum's flower gardens, just to the east of the Museum. Already the east lawn is a mass 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
‘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
A glimpse into the Amherst History Museum’s permanent collection:

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.