Historic Deerfield is an open-air museum dedicated to the heritage and preservation of
Deerfield, MassachusettsDeerfield is a town in Franklin County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 4,750 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. Located in Western Massachusetts, it includes the village of South Deerfield...
and the
Connecticut River ValleyThe Connecticut River Valley stretches from the New Hampshire and Quebec border to Long Island Sound on the Connecticut coast. Orographically, the Connecticut River Valley stretches beyond the floodplain to encompass some inland towns...
, with historic houses, museums and programs that provide today's audiences with an understanding and appreciation of
New EnglandNew England is a region of the United States. It is located at the northeastern corner of the US, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean, Canada and the state of New York, consisting of the modern U.S...
's historic villages and countryside.
There arenone
historic house museumsA historic house museum is a house that has been transformed into a museum. Historic furnishings may be displayed in a way that reflects their original placement and usage in a home. Historic house museums are held to a variety of standards, including those of the International Council of...
at Deerfield. Most are viewed on guided tours. There is also a modern museum and a visitor center. In addition, the museum offers special exhibitions, family activities, workshops and seminars on historic subjects, a gift shop and the Deerfield Inn.
- Ashley House - 1734 home of Deerfield's 18th-century minister with furnishings of the Connecticut River elite and English ceramics.
- Allen House - 1734 home that was the residence of Historic Deerfield's founders Henry and Helen Flynt.
Historic Deerfield is an open-air museum dedicated to the heritage and preservation of
Deerfield, MassachusettsDeerfield is a town in Franklin County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 4,750 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. Located in Western Massachusetts, it includes the village of South Deerfield...
and the
Connecticut River ValleyThe Connecticut River Valley stretches from the New Hampshire and Quebec border to Long Island Sound on the Connecticut coast. Orographically, the Connecticut River Valley stretches beyond the floodplain to encompass some inland towns...
, with historic houses, museums and programs that provide today's audiences with an understanding and appreciation of
New EnglandNew England is a region of the United States. It is located at the northeastern corner of the US, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean, Canada and the state of New York, consisting of the modern U.S...
's historic villages and countryside.
Sites
There arenone
historic house museumsA historic house museum is a house that has been transformed into a museum. Historic furnishings may be displayed in a way that reflects their original placement and usage in a home. Historic house museums are held to a variety of standards, including those of the International Council of...
at Deerfield. Most are viewed on guided tours. There is also a modern museum and a visitor center. In addition, the museum offers special exhibitions, family activities, workshops and seminars on historic subjects, a gift shop and the Deerfield Inn.
- Ashley House - 1734 home of Deerfield's 18th-century minister with furnishings of the Connecticut River elite and English ceramics.
- Allen House - 1734 home that was the residence of Historic Deerfield's founders Henry and Helen Flynt. The Flynts renovated the house in 1945, and the home features their personal collection of American antiques. Open by arrangement.
- Stebbins House - 1799 home of Asa Stebbins, designed by architect Asher Benjamin
Asher Benjamin was an American architect and author whose work transitioned between Federal style architecture and the later Greek Revival. His seven handbooks on design deeply influenced the look of cities and towns throughout New England until the Civil War...
. The brick house features Federal period decorations, including neoclassical furnishings dating from 1790 to 1830. One highlight are the French scenic wallpaper panels manufactured by Joseph Dufour et CieJoseph Dufour et Cie, founded 1797 by Joseph and Pierre Dufour, was a s a French Manufacture de Papier Peints et Tissus manufacturer located in Mâcon, France.-General:...
that depict the voyages of Captain Cook. This house is open for self-guided tours.
- Barnard Tavern - 1795 tavern, currently closed for restoration and reinterpretation. It is scheduled to reopen in Fall 2010.
- Dwight House - This 1754 house was built in Springfield, Massachusetts
Springfield is the largest city on the Connecticut River and the county seat of Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States.In the 2000 census, the city population was 154,082. It is the third largest city in Massachusetts and fourth largest in New England...
and moved to Deerfield in 1950 when it was threatened with demolition. The house is scheduled to open in 2009 as a museum of historic trades.
- Frary House - 1750 home that is interpreted to depict the 1890s home of Miss C. Alice Baker, who originally restored the house in 1892. Displays include New England antiques, Arts and Crafts needlework, ironware and basketry, as well as Miss Baker's role in fostering the Colonial Revival in Deerfield.
- Sheldon House - Built in 1754/7, the Sheldon House is interpreted to the period of 1780 to 1810. This house is open for self-guided tours.
- Wells-Thorn House - This 1747 house features rooms demonstrating different periods and lifestyles from 1725 to the 1850s.
- Williams House - 1730 house that was renovated in 1816, this house features Federal-style furnishings and decorations.
- Flynt Center of Early New England Life - a modern museum with changing exhibits of history, heritage crafts, decorative arts and other topics.
- Hall Tavern Visitor Center - Originally built in 1760 in Charlemont, Massachusetts
Charlemont is a town in Franklin County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 1,358 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area.- History :...
, with a ballroom wing that was added around 1800.
Local Geography
Historic Deerfield is a 330 year old mile-long street situated along the
Connecticut RiverThe Connecticut River is the largest river in New England, flowing south from the Connecticut Lakes in northern New Hampshire, along the border between New Hampshire and Vermont, through western Massachusetts and central Connecticut into Long Island Sound at Old Saybrook, Connecticut. It has a...
in the
Pioneer ValleyThe Pioneer Valley is a region consisting of the three counties in Western Massachusetts through which the Connecticut River passes, and especially those towns that are in the lowlands of the Connecticut River Valley...
of
Western MassachusettsWestern Massachusetts is a loosely defined geographical region of the U.S. state of Massachusetts which contains the Berkshires and the Pioneer Valley...
.
Deerfield History
At the time of European contact, the area now known as Deerfield was inhabited by the indigenous Pocumtuck nation.
For much of the colonial period, Deerfield was the "
FrontierA frontier is a political and geographical term referring to areas near or beyond a boundary.-Colonial North America:In the earliest days of European settlement of the Atlantic coast, the frontier was essentially any part of the forested interior of the continent beyond the fringe of existing...
" for New England. During the Winter of 1704, the palisade was breached, the population abducted, and the town razed to the ground.
Almost all of those who survived the attack and the march to Canada were eventually allowed to return, although the "Unredeemed captive" (Eunice Williams) in John Demos' book of the same name chose not to. Deerfield was resettled, and the frontier pushed north.
Collection Database
Historic Deerfield's collections can be searched on the database maintained by the
Five College Museums/Historic DeerfieldThe Five College Museums/Historic Deerfield is a consortium of museums in Western Massachusetts and includes art museums which are part of the Five Colleges as well as Historic Deerfield. The Five College Museums maintains a searchable database of the collections of the museums that is among the...
.
http://museums.fivecolleges.edu/main.php?module=objects.
Other attractions in the town of Deerfield
The Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association operates the Memorial Hall Museum, and the Indian House Children's Museum.
Other attractions in the area include Magic Wings Butterfly Conservatory,
Yankee Candle CompanyThe Yankee Candle Company is the largest U.S. manufacturer of scented candles. The company is located in South Deerfield, Massachusetts.-History:...
, Richardson's Chocolates, and the Old Deerfield Country Store.
Several private schools are located nearby including
Deerfield AcademyDeerfield Academy is a private, coeducational boarding school located in Deerfield, Massachusetts. It is a four-year college-preparatory school with approximately 600 students and about 100 faculty, all of whom live on or near campus....
, Bement School,
Eaglebrook SchoolEaglebrook School is an independent junior boarding school for boys in Deerfield, Massachusetts. It is located on the Pocumtuck Range near Deerfield Academy and sited on a campus which is also preserved by the Deerfield Wildlife Trust....
, and Stoneleigh-Burnham.
External links