– Past Events 2012

MAY

March 28-May 20, 2012 — “Frazar is Killed: Emily Dickinson, Amherst, and the Civil War”
An Exhibit at Frost Library, Amherst College
Available for viewing during Frost Library Open Hours

For many residents of Amherst, the reality of the Civil War finally hit home in March 1862, when Frazar Stearns, son of Amherst College president William Augustus Stearns, died in the battle of New Bern, North Carolina. The special exhibit, “Frazar is Killed,” features Civil War-related material in the Amherst College collection, including photographs of Stearns and other Amherst College students who served in the war, letters from Emily Dickinson and college associates, and other artifacts.

Thursday, May 17, 2012 — “Finding Home” Opening Reception
Hatfield Historical Society, Hatfield Congregational Church Parlor, 7:30 p.m.

“Finding Home: Polish immigrants work their way to security, belonging, and roots in early 20th century Hatfield.”

An illustrated program to accompany the exhibit, presented by Hatfield Historical Museum Curator Kathie Gow, and hosted by the Hatfield Historical Society in the Hatfield Congregational Church Parlors, Main St. Annual meeting precedes the presentation at 7 pm. All welcome. Free. (Handicapped accessible.) Followed by ice cream and toppings.

Monday, May 14, 2012 —”The Great Lawrence Textile Strike of 1912: Why it Matters 100 Years Later”
Wistariahurst Museum, Holyoke, 6 p.m.

The 1912 Great Lawrence Textile Strike, now often remembered as the “Bread and Roses Strike,” captured national attention as an immigrant and largely female workforce challenged the authority of the American Woolen Company and others to cut their wages and speed up their machines. Utilizing images, newspaper accounts, and Congressional testimony, Professor Robert Forrant will bring the strike to life and discuss why it still matters one hundred years later, especially in former mill cities like Holyoke, MA. Suggested donation $5

Monday, May 14, 2012 — “Researching Your Real Estate Roots”
Ware Historical Society
Ware Senior Center, 2 Robbins Rd., Ware, 2 p.m.

Have you ever tried to find the deed to your family’s homestead or been curious as to who now owns you childhood home?

The Registry of Deeds is a public office where all documents pertaining to the transfer of the rights in real property are recorded and maintained as permanent public records. The records of the Hampshire County Registry of Deeds date back to 1787. From these records you can trace the history of your family’s farm through chains of title, obtain genealogy clues, and are an invaluable resource for learning about local history, about our families, and communities. Records can be accessed and researched through online indexes back to 1948 and digitized images are available back to 1787.

Bonnie MacCracken, the Ware Historical Society and the Ware Senior Center are offering a rare opportunity for research. Bonnie MacCracken provides Real Estate Title Services and is a Candidate for Register of Deeds for Hampshire County. She is offering a one time class at the Ware Senior Center on the afternoon of May 14 on how to use land records to obtain genealogical clues and how to use the on-line website to access information.

People studying their genealogy may find this helpful. People wanting to research their property will also appreciate it. The workshop will last about 1 1/4 hours. Bonnie, a Title Examiner, will focus on how to access and abstract information, including genealogical clues, from the Registry of Deeds website. She will provide handouts and a couple searches we can do together. She will then open it up to specific questions. If time permits we will look at other sites online and also Worcester County. She can provide a follow up class if needed, especially after participants try it on their own.

Bring your own laptop or partner with someone to use the computers at the Center. A recommended donation of $5.00 for the workshop would be greatly appreciated.

Reservations will guarantee a seat and help us to have enough handouts available. Please call the Senior Center at 967-9645 or email warehistoricalsociety@yahoo.com
to let us know if you are coming.

Saturday, May 12, 2012 — “200th Anniversary of 1st Flag-Raising Over an American School”
Colrain Historical Society, 79 North Catamount Hill Rd., 11 a.m.

11 am social hour; 12 noon picnic; 1 pm history of Catamount; 2 pm flag-raising and choose 1 of 2 guided hikes. Turn at 79 North Catamount Hill Rd, Colrain, MA 01340. Bring lunch, lawn chairs. In case of rain meet at the Colrain Community Church.

Saturday, May 12, 2012 — The Little White House Project: Opening Reception
Emily Dickinson Museum, Amherst, 1 p.m.

The Little White House Project: “Dwell in Possibility” is a green, public-art installation along Main Street in Amherst created by Deerfield Academy student Peter Krasznekewicz.

Opening Reception May 12 at 1:00 p.m.at the Emily Dickinson Museum, 280 Main Street, Amherst MA, followed by the Museum’s Annual Poetry Walk.

Peter Krasznekewicz, Guest Curator

Program Partners: Emily Dickinson Museum, Amherst Public Art Commission, The Jones Library, Inc., Amherst Woman’s Club, Hills House LLC, Nacul Center, Pioneer Valley Habitat for Humanity

The Little White House exhibition will be on view Thursday, May 10 to Saturday, June 30, 2012 dawn to dusk, free and open to the public.

Parking on nearby streets and the following Amherst College lots: Alumni House lot (Spring St), Hills lot (College St), lot at corner of College and Dickinson St.

For more information visit www.emilydickinsonmuseum.org/littlewhitehouseproject or call 413-542-8161.

Saturday, May 12, 2012 — “Finding Home” Opening
Hatfield Historical Museum, Hatfield Public Library, 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

“Finding Home: Polish immigrants work their way to security, belonging, and roots in early 20th century Hatfield.”

The opening of the new exhibit on Polish immigration in the Hatfield Historical Museum, 2nd floor of the Hatfield Public Library, Main St. Free. (Not handicapped accessible.)

Saturday, May 12, 2012 — Opening Day
Stone House Museum, Belchertown, 9 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Plant sale, old bags sale, books, refreshments, and tours of the Stone House Museum. Fun for the family.

Saturday, May 12, 2012 — “Nature’s Resilience: Life in Our Rivers After Irene”
Pioneer Valley Institute Field Trip

The Pioneer Valley Institute is very pleased to present Michael Cole, senior aquatic biologist with ABR Environmental Research Services, for a field trip to the Green River on Saturday morning, May 12. The program begins at 9 o’clock in the parking lot at the Green River Recreational and Swimming Area on Nashs Mill Rd, Greenfield MA. This field trip and discussion is free and open to the public. In the event of heavy rain the program will be held the following day, May 13, same time, same location.

Last August we were witness to the destructive forces of floods when Hurricane Irene passed through the Pioneer Valley. Those who live along our rivers and streams suffered the greatest losses and even months later many are still recovering. As an aquatic biologist Cole is often asked, “What about life in the rivers?”

This field lecture will examine that question. We will visit one of the Valley’s rivers, examine what changes occurred during the flood and the effect these changes had on the life in the river. We will focus our attention on the aquatic insects and other “macroinvertebrates” (that is, animals without backbones and visible to the naked eye) to learn about the resilience of life in our rivers. We will learn both about the recovery of the life in the river since Irene, as well as the ability of river life to tell us much about river and watershed conditions in relation to all kinds of disturbances, natural and anthropogenic alike.

For more information please contact Cynthia Herbert, PVI coordinator, at pvi@gcc.mass.edu

Friday, May 11, 2012 — “Simeon Strong’s Material Life”
History Bites Lunchtime Lecture Series
Simeon Strong House, 67 Amity St., Amherst, 12:15 p.m.

Simeon Strong (1735-1805) was gifted with the Strong House, headquarters of the Amherst Historical Society, by his father in 1861 just as he finished his studies, was “sworn an attorney” and returned to Amherst. He was successful and prospered in both family and profession. He was selected as a representative to the General Court (1767-9), State Senator (1793) and, in 1800, he was appointed one of the justices of the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts. His stature and success is reflected in the probate list of his possessions taken just after he died. The value of his estate was slightly more than $10,000 and the possessions listed are enough to create a household comfortable even by modern standards. This talk will present comparable examples of the material life of Simeon Strong as listed in his probate inventory and speculate of how the Strong House might have appeared in 1805.

Marianne Curling has long been interested in the furnishing and use of American houses. She began working in historic houses in 1975 and continues to work with historic collection today. She is currently the consulting curator to the Amherst Historical Society.

Join us with your lunch in hand. We will provide coffee, tea, or lemonade for you as you listen to the presentation. The 30 minute program will begin promptly at 12:15 with seating and beverages ready just before noon. The lectures are free and everyone is welcome to attend. For related information check our website at www.amhersthistory.org.

Monday, May 7, 2012 — Remarkable Women Series: “Orra White Hitchcock”
Wistariahurst Museum, Holyoke, 6 p.m.

Orra White Hitchcock is not famous yet—but she should be. Have you ever heard of her? Local archivist Daria D’Arienzo says it is time for an Orra revival. Hitchcock is the earliest and most often published artist of this Valley whose first drawing of the Connecticut River was published in 1818! D’Arienzo, co-curator of the exhibition “Orra White Hitchcock (1796-1863): An Amherst Woman of Art and Science” at the Mead Art Museum (January 28-May 28, 2011), will present an illustrated talk that highlights Orra’s life, work and legacy. Suggested donation $5

Saturday, May 5, 2012 — “Tea & Etiquette”
Wistariahurst Museum, Holyoke, 1-3 p.m.

Step back in time and sip tea at Wistariahurst Museum, Holyoke’s premier 19^th century historic home! Families are invited to be reacquainted with Victorian etiquette including how to properly introduce themselves to others, displaying appropriate table manners and planning the perfect dinner table conversation. Tea, finger sandwiches and scones will be served in the beautiful Italianate Music Room at Wistariahurst for all to demonstrate their pristine manners! Youths 7 and up, along with their families may reserve their spot for this lovely occasion! Reservations necessary. $10 per participant

Friday, May 4, 2012 –”Strike, Dip and Draw,” Opening Reception
Wistariahurst Museum, Holyoke, 6 p.m.

Meet local Artist David Poppie at the opening reception of Strike, Dip and Draw on Friday, May 4 from 6 to 8pm. Poppie is represented by Pavel Zoubok Gallery in New York and the Richard Levy Gallery in Albuquerque, New Mexico. His work has been exhibited nationally and internationally. He has been reviewed in the New York Times and has been featured in Sculpture Magazine. He lives and works in Easthampton, MA.

During the months of May and June, David Poppie will be showing his latest work – collages built of matchbooks, paint sticks, and colored pencils in the Wistariahurst Gallery. In the past few years, Poppie has been working with different series characteristically focusing on one object- whether it is a used tea bag, match book, colored pencil, paint stick or bottle cap. By utilizing disposable objects and re-contextualizing them into works of art, Poppie challenges us to reassess their value and to think about the disposable nature of our contemporary culture. Admission to gallery $3

“Strike, Dip and Draw” is on view throughout the months of May and June 2012.

APRIL

Saturday, April 28, 2012 –”Stoneworking & Stoneworking Tools”
Spring Meeting, Western New England Chapter, Association for Gravestone Studies
Westfield Athenaeum, Westfield, 10 a.m.

The Spring Meeting of the Western New England Chapter of Association for Gravestone Studies is scheduled for Sat. Apr. 28th, 10 to 4-ish, at the Westfield Athenaeum in Westfield, Massachusetts. The featured speaker will be Dennis Picard, Director of Storrowtown Museum in West Springfield. Dennis will talk about stoneworking and stoneworking tools. Al and Betsy McKee will talk about their ongoing research on stonecutter Hermon Newell and Michelle Barker, from Preservation Massachusetts, will talk about how to research and nominate a burying ground for Historic Register status.

Lunch will be provided (a modest donation is requested, to help cover expenses.) After lunch, we’ll visit the Mechanic Street Burial Ground and another local cemetery (or two, or three). Please email Andrea at anduruna@hotmail.com if you plan to attend.

The Westfield Athenaeum, Westfield’s public library, is located at 6 Elm St. in downtown Westfield. Note: there is heavy construction around the rotary in front of the library as well as on Route 10 and Route 20 in the downtown area. There is parking in front of the library and a small parking lot behind the building – take the first right after turning onto Court Street.

Saturday, April 28, 2012 — Encampment of the 22nd Massachusetts: A Living History Day with a Civil War Regiment
Emily Dickinson Museum, Amherst, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Re-enactors of the 22nd Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry will bring their portrayals of Union infantrymen to the Emily Dickinson Museum as the Museum continues its commemoration of the Civil War. The 22nd Massachusetts specializes in representing the soldiers of Company D, the “Everett Guard.”

At the Museum, regiment members will set up camp on the Museum grounds and discuss life on the front. The regiment will demonstrate a military drill, perform songs from the period, read poetry, and introduce visitors to a popular ball-and-bat game. Children will also have a chance to learn about army life first-hand by “mustering in,” or assuming the identity of a Civil War soldier.

On April 28, the Museum will host an open house from 11 am to 4 pm. Admission will be free for children 12 and under (accompanied by an adult); $5 for everyone else.

Saturday, April 28, 2012 — “Farm & Garden Tool Workshop”
Wilder Homestead, Rt. 112, Buckland, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Learn how to use and maintain traditional hand tools for farm and garden. Demonstrations and hands-on with shovels, hoes, forks, cultivators, spades, and more. There will be plenty of hand crafted traditional style tools for you to try. Plus, we’ll fire up the open hearth and bake oven and provide wholesome snacks.
Cost: $30.00 (limited to 10 participants)
A portion of the proceeds will go to support the Wilder Homestead and the Buckland Historical Society.

Three easy ways to sign up:

Online at www.howlandtools.com
Call 413-824-0204
Stop by Boswell’s Books on Bridge St. in Shelburne Falls, MA

Friday, April 27, 2012 — Wistariahurst Spring Gala: A Black & White Masquerade
Wistariahurst Museum, Holyoke, 6 to 9 p.m.

Think Truman Capote and the Black & White Ball of 1966 – called the greatest social event of the 60’s! A Black & White Masquerade event will take place at Wistariahurst Museum on Friday, April 27 from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. in some of the most beautiful rooms in the city! Don your mask and most elegant black & white attire for a festive evening featuring fine food, live music, libations and plenty of cheer all for a good cause – raising funds to benefit the Museum. A large portion of the evening will be dedicated to Silent and Live Auctions.

Seth Mias Catering returns to the Museum once again this year to serve the evening’s special cuisine in homage to Truman Capote’s birthplace – New Orleans. The Gala menu will include an array of sumptuous Cajun delights! Revelers will sway to Ernie Urvater and Dan Broad; a piano/bass duo, as they play old jazz standards from days gone by.

At the Gala there will be a cash bar with local brew and the evening’s signature drink. A large portion of the evening will be dedicated to a Silent Auction with original pieces by talented local artists, trips to area attractions, overnights at B&B’s, dinner out at excellent local and NYC establishments, creative gift packages for wine lovers, weekend gardeners and much, much more! A high note of the evening will be a Live Auction featuring a 3-day get- away, hard-to-come-by tickets and a fabulous garden party just for starters.

Join the celebration! Tickets are $30 in advance through the museum (call 413.322.5660) and $35 at the door. Advance tickets can be reserved by calling the Museum or purchased at the Museum’s website by clicking here Donations are also being accepted for those who would like to contribute to the Annual Spring Gala but are unable to attend. Any support is greatly appreciated; we hope to see you there!

The event is sponsored by Historic Holyoke at Wistariahurst and all proceeds directly benefit the Museum. Additional sponsors include Holyoke Gas & Electric, Liquors44 Holyoke, Seth Mias Catering, V-1 Vodka, Paper City and The Valley Advocate/ Preview Massachusetts.

Friday, April 27, 2012 — “Black Soldiers, White Officers: Amherst College and the Town of Amherst in the Civil War”
History Bites Lunchtime Lecture Series
Simeon Strong House, 67 Amity St., Amherst, 12:15 p.m.

Since his “retirement” in 2001, Robert Romer, emeritus professor of physics at Amherst College, has conducted original research on the history of black residents of the Connecticut Valley. His first efforts led to Slavery in the Connecticut Valley of Massachusetts, Levellers Press, 2009. His work covers many periods: from colonial times when slavery was widespread in the area, to the Civil War when many of Amherst’s black men fought for the Union, and then to modern times as he delves into the history of Hope Community Church, where he is now the Church Historian. Professor Romer was the 2012 recipient of the Amherst Historical Society’s Conch Shell Award for his contributions to the historical record of Amherst.

Thursday, April 26, 2012 — “New Israel/New England: Jews and Puritans in Early America”
Pelham Historical Society & Pelham Library, 2 South Valley Rd., Pelham, 7 p.m.

Fitchburg State University associate professor Michael Hoberman will read from and discuss his new book at the Pelham Library, 2 South Valley Road, Pelham on Thursday, April 26 at 7:00 p.m. This book from the University of Massachusetts Press examines the history of colonial New England through the lens of its first settlers’ Judeocentric world view. It also tells fascinating stories of Sephardic merchants who traded and sojourned in Boston and Newport starting in the mid-1600s, of the interfaith friendship between Newport minister Ezra Stiles and Haim Carigal, an itinerant rabbi from Palestine, and describes many other experiences of interactions between Puritans and Jews never documented before. The presentation is co-sponsored by the Pelham Library and the Pelham Historical Society. For information: Blair Bigelow, 259-1117 / blairf.bigelow@comcast.net

Tuesday, April 24, 2012 — 1940 Census Class
Forbes Library, Northampton, 1:30 p.m.

Curious about genealogy and creating your family tree? The 1940 Census was released by the National Archives on April 2 at http://1940census.archives.gov

Come to a hands-on class to learn how to search the census for your ancestors. No experience necessary. Library laptops will be provided for the class or you may bring your own. Class size will be limited. Pre-register by calling 587-1014 or emailing localhistory@forbeslibrary.org

Can’t make it to the class? Contact us to set up a on-one-on session.

Monday, April 23, 2012 — 1940 Census Class
Forbes Library, Northampton, 7 p.m.

Curious about genealogy and creating your family tree? The 1940 Census was released by the National Archives on April 2 at http://1940census.archives.gov

Can’t make it to the class? Contact us to set up a on-one-on session.

April 19, 2012 — Hatfield’s Antiques Appraisal Night
Hatfield Historical Society, at the Hatfield Congregational Church, 7:30 p.m.

Please join us for an evening with Douglas Bilodeau of South Deerfield-based Douglas Auctioneers. Mr. Bilodeau has been conducting auctions and appraisals for the past 45 years. Following a brief introduction about his company and services, he will give a free appraisal of two items per attendee. Enjoy refreshments while you wait. So search your attics and closets for those family “treasures,” and see what you’ve got!

Program starts at 7:30 pm in the Hatfield Congregational Church parlors (41 Main St., side door entrance), following the 7 pm meeting of the Hatfield Historical Society. All are welcome. **Please note: This program replaces the original April 2012 program listed in the Hatfield Historical Society brochure.

April 18, 2012 — Franklin County Genealogists & Historians Meeting
Carnegie Library, Turners Falls, 6 p.m.

Franklin County genealogists and historians will meet Wednesday, April 18 at 6 p.m. at the Carnegie Library in Turners Falls. This informal group has been meeting for the past two years to share information on genealogy and local history.

This meeting will focus on finds in the recently released 1940 Federal Census, as well as planning for a local history exhibit to take place in Turners Falls in September. Several members of the group are active volunteers for FindAGrave.com and are preserving local cemetery records through photographs. Updates are posted at http://genealogygathering.blogspot.com

Contact rememberingancestors@yahoo.com

April 17, 2012 — “Printing Processes and the Museum of Printing”
Renaissance Center, 650 East Pleasant St., Amherst, 4 p.m.

Pen Martorell of Wisteriahurst Museum and printer-in-residence at the Renaissance Center, will present an informal talk, “Printing Processes and the Museum of Printing,” on Tuesday, April 17 at 4 p.m. in the Renaissance Center Reading Room. The lecture is free and open to the public.

As resident printer at the Caxton Corner Press, located in the basement of the Renaissance Center, Martorell will explain how the history of printing, reading and the book have presented humanity the opportunity to combine and expand the breadth of human knowledge over the centuries.

After the talk, participants may register for the Saturday, April 28 field trip to the Museum of Printing in Andover. The fee for the trip is $45, which includes Sprinter Van transportation, museum admission, guided tour and lunch. The field trip begins at 8 a.m. in the parking lot of the center and participants can expect to be back in Amherst by 5 p.m. Registration for the trip must be made by phone or in person by 5 p.m. on Thursday, April 26.

The Renaissance Center is located at 650 East Pleasant St. in Amherst and can be reached at 577-3600

Saturday, April 14, 2012 — East Meets Western Mass.: an exploration of our region’s unique history with China
Great Falls Discovery Center, Turner’s Falls, 9 a.m. to 2:45 p.m.

The Pioneer Valley has played an interesting and important role in the history of relations between the United States and China. This day-long conference will highlight some of the historical and cultural elements of that relationship. $25 Registration Fee includes the conference, the catered lunch, and the performance of the Chinese Folk Art Workshop at 3 p.m. at the Shea Theater.

To get more information on the day’s program, click East Meets Western Mass.

To see a special slide-show preview of the day, click preview-of-east-meets-western-mass.

April 14, 2012 — “Whose Freedom Is It, Anyway?”
Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association, Indian House Memorial, Deerfield

African American Patriots to join the observances on Saturday April 14th in Old Deerfield.

“The story of the Revolution becomes more complicated when we consider the perspectives of African Americans,” observes Dr. Barbara Mathews, historian with the Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association in Old Deerfield. “Like many rural New England towns, Deerfield’s residents included enslaved African American men, women, and children. African American men enslaved and free served in both the Massachusetts militia and the Continental Army. The language of freedom and independence held an especially personal meaning for these Americans. At least four Deerfield African Americans are known to have served in the Revolution, as did many other throughout the region.”

Members of the Stone Soul, Inc. re-enactor group from Springfield, MA will join forces with the Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association to portray the enslaved and free African American of the north during the time of the American Revolution at the April14th event at the Deerfield Children’s Museum at Indian House Memorial on Old Main St. in Deerfield. This effort builds on the research undertaken by the PVMA African Americans in Early Rural New England Project to give greater visibility to western Massachusetts’ African American presence and experience. As part of the PVMA events, a free walking map of early African American sites in Old Deerfield will be available at Indian House (limit one per family).

The Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association’s Patriots’ Day activities at the Brick Church and Indian House Memorial are sponsored in part by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency, MassHumanities, and the Institute of Museum and Library Services. The PVMA events are free to the public, but a separate $12 admission fee ($5 for children) for Historic Deerfield’s Patriots’ Day Revolutionary Muster & Parade is required. Tickets will be available at the Historic Deerfield Information Center at Hall Tavern across from the Deerfield Inn. For more information, program listings and calendar of events see www.deerfield-ma.org .

April 13, 2012 — “Frederick William Strong, Union Navy Officer, 1861-1865″
History Bites Lecture Series, Strong House, 67 Amity House, Amherst, 12:15 p.m.

In April 1861, Merchant Marine Captain Frederick William Strong (1834-1907) returned to the United States from a long and arduous voyage to China. When his ship arrived in port, he learned that “Fort Sumpter [sic] had that day been fired upon, and New York was in a furor of excitement.” He joined the Union Navy and was appointed an Acting Master on Temporary Service on August 2, 1861. Throughout the war he served as an officer and commander in the South Atlantic Blockading Squadron. He described his experiences in detailed letters home and after the war used those letters to compile a 187-page handwritten memoir of his war service.

Paul Berman will present a selection of Captain Strong’s Civil War experiences. Strong was the oldest son of Dr. Simeon Edward Strong and the great-grandson of Nehemiah Strong (1694-1772), the first Strong in Amherst.

Strong’s descendants donated the collection of his Civil War service record to the Amherst Historical Society in 1955. The record is extensive and includes the memoir, orders, commands and directives. Captain Strong’s sea chest, VRC canteen, a flag and other naval artifacts used by him during his Civil War service can be seen at the Amherst Historical Society.

Paul Berman is a retired physician and medical historian. He is a trustee of the Amherst Historical Society.

April 12, 2012 — “Patchwork House in Shelburne Falls”
Colrain Historical Society, home of Joan McQuade, 7 Main Rd., Colrain, 7 p.m.

Sarah Davenport will tell the story of the unique “Patchwork House” in Shelburne Falls at the first monthly meeting of the Colrain Historical Society Thursday, April 12, at the home of Joan McQuade 7 Main Road. The meeting at 7 p.m. will be preceded by a potluck supper at 6.

Known as the Patchwork House, the dark-stained structure at the corner of Pleasant and Gardner Streets looks to have been built of ancient squared logs, but it was built in the 1930s for Sarah’s grandfather, C.K. Davenport, using timbers from old bridges, including the bridge formerly at Cheapside in Greenfield. C.K. is a story in himself. The program is free and open to the public. Those participating in the potluck should bring a dish, salad or dessert to share. Coffee and cider will be provided. For information call Belden at 625-2003.

April 11, 2012 — “Old Maps of Sunderland”
Sunderland Public Library, Sunderland, 7 p.m.

A large scale series of historic maps of Sunderland will soon be available at the Sunderland Public Library, thanks to a grant from the local Cultural Council. David Allen, area researcher and author of several booklets on local history and maps, will present a talk describing the map history of Sunderland on Wednesday, April 11 at 7 p.m. at the Library.

The maps were digitally reproduced from a wide variety of sources including the Massachusetts Archives, Library of Congress, and Allen’s own collection. Of special interest are the 1794 and 1830 town maps, which show the oldest roads and sites like grist mills, sawmills and taverns. Genealogists will appreciate later maps which show homes and businesses with family names.

The talk will review the historic maps of Massachusetts from the earliest Colonial maps through the detailed maps of the mid-19th century. Color reprints of three manuscript maps from the Massachusetts Archives will be on display alongside several other old reprints. Residents are encouraged to bring maps they may have to add to the discussion. Some of these maps are available for viewing online, at www.vhist.com/masunderland/maps. This program is free and open to the public.

April 11, 2012 — “Princess Adelaide Has the Whooping Cough”: 19th Century Reform & the Transformation of Society
UMass History Dept., 601 Herter Hall, Amherst, 4:30 p.m.

Come and join James Moran of the American Antiquarian Society (Worcester) as he explores the dramatic changes in American society in the decades prior to the Civil War. This lecture is free and open to the public. Teachers are invited to participate in a free workshop following the program (ending at 7pm). This program is sponsored by the UMass Amherst Department of History and Emerging America (a program of the Collaborative for Educational Services), and funded by a Teaching American History grant from the U.S. Department of Education.

April 9, 2012 — “Flora Changes From 1860 – 2010″
Pelham Historical Society, Ramsdell Room, Pelham Community Center, 7 p.m.

The Pelham Historical Society will meet at 7:00 p.m. on Monday, April 9, in the Community Center Ramsdell Room, South Valley Road, Pelham.
Following the meeting, Karen Searcy, Senior Lecturer in the Biology Department and Curator of the Herbarium at UMass Amherst, will present a talk and slides focusing on the current vegetation of the Mt. Holyoke range and how the flora has changed. The public is invited to attend. For information, call Linda Campbell Hanscom at 413-323-7377.

April 9, 2012 — “Martha Leonard & Her Life in the Valley”
Wistariahurst Museum, 238 Cabot St., Holyoke, 6 p.m.

On Monday, April 9 at 6:00 p.m., Ralmon Joe Black will discuss Martha Leonard in the Historic Lecture Series on Remarkable Women in the Pioneer Valley. Martha Leonard was a pioneer contributing to the earliest beginnings of the Pioneer Valley. Born in Springfield in 1649, she lived in an exceedingly complex and dangerous time. She was snatched into bondage with her two young daughters and this is the first time her story is being told. Martha Leonard is the 8th great-grandmother of speaker Ralmon Joe Black. He will discuss her life and the mystery still surrounding her, as well as the complexities involved in separating family tradition from historic reality. Suggested donation $5

April 7, 2012 — “Celebrate Erastus Hopkins’ 202nd Birthday”
Historic Northampton, 46 Bridge St., Northampton, 10:30 a.m.

Early last year, researchers at Historic Northampton, with a grant from MassHumanities, set about documenting abolition-era and Underground Railroad history in downtown Northampton. On April 1 it was discovered that the house of Free Soil Representative and Underground Railroad agent Erastus Hopkins still stood at 101 King Street. The next day it was learned that the house was slated to be demolished, but was under a demolition delay set to expire on June y, 2011. Thanks to the owner Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish (who need the land on which to build their new parish hall) the deadline was extended until May 1, 2012. A small group of preservationists has explored possibilities at numerous sites where the house might be moved. Efforts continue, but nothing firm has yet materialized and, sadly, the deadline looms.

10:00 a.m. Erastus Hopkins Walking Tour leaves from and returns to Historic Northampton, 46 Bridge Street, led by Steve Strimer.

11:30 a.m. Erastus Hopkins — The Underground Railroad and Abolition in Northampton Exhibit opening and talk on Erastus Hopkins by historian Bruce Laurie, Historic Northampton.

April 4, 2012 — “Fight Town: Sport & the Growth of an Urban Community”
Pioneer Valley Institute, Sloan Theater, Greenfield Community College, 7 p.m.

On Wednesday evening, April 4, the Pioneer Valley Institute welcomes Holyoke native PJ Moynihan who will present a showing of his re-edited 2004 film, Fight Town: Sport and the Growth of an Urban Community. The program, which addresses the history of Holyoke, is at 7 o’clock in the Sloan Theater on the GCC campus. The program is free and open to the public.

Moynihan describes his film as a historical documentary chronicling the development of Holyoke — America’s first master-planned industrial city — by way of its sandlot diamonds, wooden gymnasiums, and smoke-filled fight clubs. Moynihan recently re-edited the 2004 film for showing on WGBY this past summer. After the showing he will discuss the film and the city.

Moynihan founded Digital Eyes Film in 2003. Fight Town was followed by Eye on the Dream (2007), a ten-part documentary about amateur baseball that was broadcast on Comcast Sports Network. During 2009 Moynihan was a producer of Cobb Field: A Day at the Ballpark, which won three mid-America Emmy awards and premiered on MLB Network. During 2011, he completed his first feature length documentary, entitled Salmonboy: A Story of Fire & Water. The film follows one family’s journey through a living art project in connection to the passing of their firstborn son. Currently, Digital Eyes Film is developing a scripted feature, entitled Have Glove, Will Travel, based on iconic former major league baseball player Bill “Spaceman” Lee, and a feature length documentary about the global psychiatric survivor movement, entitled Healing Voices.

The Pioneer Valley Institute is a community education program partially funded by the Greenfield Community College Foundation. To learn more about its programs visit gcc.mass.edu/pvi.

April 4, 2012 — “Human & Natural History of the Meadows”
Coolidge Room, Forbes Library, Northampton, 6:30 p.m.

Naturalist Laurie Sanders will present an illustrated talk about the Meadows section of Northampton. Integrating art, science, and human history, her talk will focus on the role that the Meadows played in the settlement of the city and art in America. The natural history of the Meadows will also be included, as well as the changes that have taken place in this expansive landscape. Free and open to the public.

April 4, 2012 — Western Mass. Genealogical Society Meeting
Family History Center at 584 West Street in Ludlow, 6 – 8 p.m.

Field Trip: We are pleased to announce that for our April meeting, we will be taking a field trip. The Western Massachusetts Genealogical Society will hold its monthly meeting from 6:00 to 8:00 PM at the Family History Center at 584 West Street in Ludlow, Massachusetts. Pat and Ralph Welliver will make a presentation and we will tour the facility. Afterwards, members can use the microfilm room.

April 2, 2012 — “Lewis Hine Project: Tracking Down the Lives of Child Laborers”
Wistariahurst Museum,238 Cabot Street, Holyoke, 6 p.m.

On Monday, April 2 at 6:00 p.m. Joe Manning will talk about his research on the Lewis Hine Project. For the past six years, Manning has been identifying some of the more than 5,000 child laborers that were photographed in the early 1900s by Lewis Hine, and then tracking down and interviewing their descendents. Hine was hired by the National Child Labor Committee in 1908 to take photos of child laborers in or near the workplaces in order to expose their plight to as many people as possible. Manning will show many of these photographs, tell stories of the children, and talk about the exciting process of searching for descendents, most of whom were not aware of the historic pictures. Suggested donation $5

April 1, 2012 — “American Tourist Attractions in the 19th Century”
Old Firehouse Museum, South Deerfield, 2 p.m.

John F. Sears will be speaking on Sunday, April 1, 2012 at 2:00 pm at the Old Firehouse, South Deerfield. His topic is the role that tourism played in nineteenth-century America by examining visual and literary representations of such tourist sites as Mount Auburn Cemetery, Mauch Chunk (an anthracite transportation center), Mammoth Cave, and Niagara Falls. His scholarship resulted in his book Sacred Places: American Tourist Attractions in the 19th Century, which Simon Schama called “A work of exceptional intelligence and deep research. It is essential reading for all students of landscape history.”

Sears is an independent scholar with special interests in landscape history and in Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt. He has taught at Tufts, Boston University, and Vassar College and served as Executive Director of the Roosevelt Institute in Hyde Park, NY. Sears is the author of essays on Robert Frost, William James, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Henry James, Timothy Dwight, Buffalo Bill, Karl Bodmer, Franklin Roosevelt, Muir Woods, and the Smithsonian Castle. He lives in Hawley, MA where he serves as historian for Hawley’s Old Town Common Historic Site.

John Sears is currently researching a book on Eleanor Roosevelt and the Jews. He will say a few words at the end of his talk about his current research on Eleanor Roosevelt.

This reading is sponsored by Schoen Books, books with a past….looking for a future!

Old Firehouse, 7 Sugarloaf St. Center of South Deerfield, MA
413-665-0066
www.schoenbooks.com

MARCH

March 2012 — “East to West: Stories, Games & Festivals”
Exhibit of Student Art inspired by Chinese Traditions
Great Falls Discovery Center, Turners Falls, MA
Fridays & Saturdays thru March 31

During the month of March art, history, and literature converge at East to West, an exhibit of student art at the Great Falls Discovery Center in Turners Falls. The art work is inspired by traditional Chinese family recreational activities related to this year’s Pioneer Valley BIG READ selection The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan. The public is invited to an Opening Reception on Saturday, March 3rd, from 1:00 to 3:00 pm and can view the exhibit Fridays and Saturdays from March 9–March 31, 2012, from 10:00 am–4:00 pm. Admission is free.

With this exhibit, young readers and artists from Greenfield and Pioneer Valley Regional public schools are helping the Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association (PVMA) and Memorial Hall Museum explore the themes of this year’s BIG READ selection, The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan. Amy Tan’s book about 20th century Chinese immigrants and their life in both China and then their new home in the West, makes frequent reference to times of recreation with family and friends, thus the theme of ―Stories, Games, and Festivals‖ was chosen as the exhibit’s focus.

Students from Kindergarten through grade seven used a variety of media—including watercolor, pastel, tempera, and inks—to create an array of two- and three-dimensional art inspired by Chinese traditions and motifs. Two hundred years ago, local residents may have first enjoyed Chinese or Chinese-inspired art through Chinese export porcelain (or English imitations), so the exhibit also looks at that earlier fascination with Chinese art through digital images of Memorial Hall Museum’s ceramics collection—blending art, history, and literature.

The exhibit is one of a number of events around the valley this winter and spring that are sponsored by PVMA’s BIG READ of The Joy Luck Club (visit the BIG READ page at www.deerfield-ma.org for an event listing).

The Big Read is a program of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with the Institute of Museum and Library Services and Arts Midwest. The Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association in Deerfield, MA is a vibrant regional historical society supporting Memorial Hall Museum, a research library, Indian House Children’s Museum and the Deerfield Teachers’ Center. PVMA is also supported in part by a grant from the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency, and donations from members and friends. For information about PVMA and other BIG READ events, visit www.deerfield-ma.org or call 413-774-7476 x 10. For information about the Great Falls Discovery Center, visit www.greatfallsma.org or call 413-863-3221.

March 30, 2012 — “Mary Rowlandson and Other Captives During King Philip’s War”
History Bites Lecture Series
Simeon Strong House, 67 Amity St., Amherst, 12:15 p.m.

Mary Rowlandson, the wife of a Congregational minister, was taken captive during an attack on Lancaster, Massachusetts, during King Philip’s War (1675-76). She drew on her experiences in captivity to write the first American best seller, The Sovereignty and Goodness of God. This captivity narrative, one of the first of an enduring American literary genre, was published in 1682, and recorded an English Puritan woman’s account of her captivity among Native Americans in southeastern New England. Professor Salisbury will discuss the experiences of Rowlandson and other captives, including Indians taken by the English, to highlight both the horrors of the war and the cultural differences between colonists and natives.

Neal Salisbury is the Barbara Richmond 1940 Professor Emeritus in the Social Sciences (History) at Smith College. He specializes in colonial-revolutionary North American history and Native American history. His research and writing interests center on indigenous Americans, particularly in the Northeast, between 1500 and 1800.

March 29, 2012 — How the Civil War Came to Amherst: A Panel Discussion
Frost Library (first floor), Amherst College, 4:30 pm

To mark the opening of “Frazar is Killed,” a new exhibit at the Amherst College Frost Library, the Emily Dickinson Museum and the College’s Archives and Special Collections will host a panel discussion, “How the Civil War Came to Amherst.” The panel will examine how the Civil War affected the college, the town, and one of its most famous residents, Emily Dickinson. Martha Ackmann, author and senior lecturer at Mount Holyoke College, will moderate the panel. Joining her are Michael Kelly, Head of Archives and Special Collections at Amherst College; Polly Longsworth, biographer of Emily Dickinson; Robert Romer, local historian; and Marianne Curling, consultant to the Amherst Historical Society. A reception will follow. Free.

March 28, 2012 — PVHN Gathering & 2012 Annual Meeting
Deerfield Community Center (formerly the White Church), Historic Deerfield, 9:30 a.m.

Please join us for PVHN’s Spring Gathering, which will kickoff this year’s theme: “Disasters in the Valley”. Featured speakers will include Betty Sharpe, speaking on the Mill River Flood, and Gregor Trinkaus-Randall, on “What Every Museum Person Should Know About Disaster Preparedness”. The day-long event will include a time for participants to share interesting stories about the disasters faced by their community. Always a few surprises and door prizes, too!

March 26, 2012 — Terry Allen on “Seeing New Englandly” — Emily Dickinson
Wistariahurst Museum, 238 Cabot St., Holyoke, 6 p.m.

Terry Allen, editor, writer, a guide at the Emily Dickinson and assistant producer of “Seeing New Englandly” will present an informal talk about the life and work of the poet Emily Dickinson (1830-1886), who was born and died in the family Homestead in Amherst. Now widely celebrated as one of the greatest of all English language poets, Dickinson was unknown in her own lifetime. Illustrating the talk will be excerpts from the film “Seeing New Englandly,” created in 2010 under the auspices of the Emily Dickinson Museum. The film provides rarely seen historical photographs and views of the Connecticut Valley of Dickinson’s day.

February 4 thru March 24, 2012 — “Open Hearth Cooking Classes”
Hall Tavern Kitchen, Historic Deerfield, 10 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.

Have you always wanted to try your hand at open hearth cooking? Now is the time — check out these great classes coming up next year. Historic Deerfield will offer instruction in open hearth cooking for those who are interested in historic foodways and hearth management. A series of seven one-day classes has been scheduled for Saturdays in February and March 2011. In the kitchen of the 1786 Hall Tavern, museum guides will demonstrate cookery techniques and lead discussions on 18th- and early 19th-century food preparation, preservation technology, seasonality, diet, and the availability of local and imported foodstuffs. A bibliography on open hearth cookery will be distributed.

Saturday, February 4, 10 a.m.-2:30 p.m. – Hearth Cooking Basics
Saturday, February 11, 10 a.m.-2:30 p.m. – Soups and Stews
Saturday, February 18, 10 a.m.-2:30 p.m. – A Winter Menu
Saturday, February 25, 10 a.m.-2:30 p.m. – 17th-Century Cooking
Please note that there will be no class on March 3.
Saturday, March 10, 10 a.m.-2:30 p.m. – On the Rise: Breads, Cakes and Biscuits
Saturday, March 17, 10 a.m.-2:30 p.m. – Pies
Saturday, March 24, 10 a.m.-2:30 p.m. – Cooking with Herbs

Registrants will participate in the process and assist hearth cooks in the tasks undertaken. We recommend that you dress comfortably, bring an apron, pen, and paper for notes. Participants will sample the foods prepared in the program or, if preferred, participants may bring a brown bag lunch. For program information, please contact Claire Carlson at ccarlson@historic-deerfield.org or 413-775-7217.

March 19, 2012 — Fran Gagnon presents “Women’s Work: Mary Pynchon to Rosie the Riveter”
Wistariahurst Museum, 238 Cabot St., Holyoke, 6 p.m.

From suspected witches and pioneer suffragists to social reformers and industrial executives, Fran Gagnon of the Springfield Museums will present a program focusing on area women and their varied roles in shaping Western Massachusetts.

March 19, 2012 — “From Valley to Reservoir: Quabbin’s Intriguing History”
Pelham Historical Society, Ramsdell Room, Pelham Community Center, 7 p.m.

Clif Read, Supervisor of Interpretive Services for the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation, will talk and show slides, combining information on the history of the metropolitan Boston water supply and the history of the Swift River Valley with a particular focus on Pelham.

The Public is invited to attend. For information, call Linda Campbell Hanscom at 323-7377.

March 18, 2012 — “Banbury, Succotash, and Bannocks: Transplants, Natives, and Universals in New England Cookery”
Deerfield Community Center, Deerfield, 2 p.m.

In 2012, the Historic Deerfield Open Hearth Cooking Program will enter its 25th year of service! To celebrate this special occasion, scholars and experts will come together on three Sundays this winter to delve into the savory and seductive world of food and gardening in a winter lecture series titled “Gathering, Gardening, Preserving: Exploring Local Food in New England.”

Sandra L. Oliver will present the lecture, “Banbury, Succotash, and Bannocks: Transplants, Natives, and Universals in New England Cookery,” on March 18. Oliver is an Independent Food Historian, and author of Food in Colonial and Federal America.

All of the lectures will be offered at 2 p.m. at the Deerfield Community Center (formerly known as the White Church Community Center), and are free and open to the public.

For more information visit www.historic-deerfield.org .

March 16, 2012 — “Rebels in Paradise: Sketches of Northampton Abolitionists”
History Bites Lecture Series
Simeon Strong House, 67 Amity St., Amherst, 12:15 p.m.

Professor Laurie will present his work on local abolitionists from the founding of the Old Hampshire Anti-Slavery Society in the late 1830s through the rise of political abolitionism during the 1840s. It features profiles of such movement stalwarts as Sylvester Judd, John P. Williston, Moses Breck, and David Ruggles. These men bridged the divide between the Garrisonian and anti-Garrisonian stages of the movement and did heroic work for the Underground Railroad. It also reveals their remarkably enlightened racial views and practices.

Bruce Laurie is Professor Emeritus of History at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and has been named a Distinguished Lecturer by the Association of American Historians. He is the author of a broader study of Massachusetts abolitionists entitled Beyond Garrison: Antislavery and Social Reform (Cambridge University Press,2005) and is now drilling down to abolitionism on the local level.

Join us with your lunch in hand. We will provide coffee, tea or cider for you as you listen to the presentations. The 30 minute program will begin promptly at 12:15 with seating and beverages ready just before noon. The lectures are free and everyone is welcome to attend. For updated information, check our website at www.amhersthistory.org.

March 16, 2012 — “Civil War History & Memory”
Film of the Talk by David Blight
Eric Carle Museum, Hampshire College, Amherst, 10 a.m.

Five College Learning in Retirement (5CLIR) presents a panel discussion following a film of the closing keynote talk by David Blight at the recent 5CLIR Sesquicentennial Symposium: Civil War Causes and Consequences. David Blight, Professor of History and Director, Gilder Lehrman Center for the Study of Slavery, Resistance & Abolition, at Yale University, formerly at Amherst College, spoke about “Civil War History and Memory” at the symposium. The panel (to respond to Dr. Blight’s talk and raise other Civil War issues):

* Joanne Pope Melish, Professor of History, University of Kentucky;
* Lynda Morgan, Professor of History, Mount Holyoke College;
* Bobbie Reitt, academic book editor, retired; PhD in American Studies (5CLIR member);
* Robert H. Romer, author of Slavery in the Connecticut Valley of Massachusetts and Professor Emeritus of Physics at Amherst College (5CLIR member);
* Charles Gillies, Project Director, 5CLIR Sesquicentennial Symposium, moderator.

This program is open-to-the-public and free-of-charge. Funded in part by Mass Humanities.

March 15, 2012 — “The Life of Martha Leonard: A First Woman of the Valley”
Hatfield Congregational Church Parlors, Hatfield, 7:30 p.m.

Williamsburg historian Ralmon Jon Black will present a program on Hatfield pioneer Martha Leonard (b. 1649) who, in 1677 was part of the group of Hatfield settlers captured by American Indians, taken to Canada with her three little girls, and sold. Much has been written about the men of this dangerous time – including Martha’s rescuer, husband Benjamin Waite, and Stephen Jennings – but what of the women?

For half a century, Ralmon’s been working to separate myth from reality about his eighth great-grandmother. Come listen as he pieces together the puzzle of this Valley heroine!

March 14, 2012 — “Peace Corps Voices”
Pioneer Valley Institute, Sloan Theater, Greenfield Community College, 7 p.m.

The Pioneer Valley Institute will present the program, Peace Corps Voices, on Wednesday evening, March 14, at the Sloan Theater on the main GCC campus. The program begins at 7 o’clock and is free and open to the public.

The Pioneer Valley becomes home to many Peace Corps volunteers when they return from service. In honor of the 50^th anniversary of the Peace Corps in 2011, Greenfield resident Amy Mayer produced Peace Corps Voices, an hour-long radio documentary aired here and on public radio stations around the country. After sharing an excerpt from the documentary, two of the local volunteers featured in it will speak about how their overseas service has influenced their lives and work in western Massachusetts.

Betsey Yetter of Leyden dreamed of serving in the Peace Corps and finally went to Ukraine once her son was grown and she needed a change from a career in social work and business. As a middle-age volunteer, she says she arrived with modest expectations about the impact she might have on the small city where she lived. She knew she wasn’t changing the world—and that at least as much transformation was likely to take place within herself as within her new community.

Franklin County Community Development Corporation executive director John Waite, of Deerfield, has a long history with the Peace Corps and never tires of sharing his experiences. He served as a volunteer in Burkina Faso, a recruiter in New York, a trainer in Albania and an associate country director in Uzbekistan. His work with small business owners in western Massachusetts, he says, closely resembles the work he did in Peace Corps.

Peace Corps Voices was made possible in part by a grant from Mass Humanities.

March 13, 2012 — “Digging Into Women’s History”
Chicopee Public Library, 449 Front St., Chicopee, 6:30 p.m.

The Chicopee Library celebrates Women’s History Month with this discussion of how to research the women in your ancestry. We may know the dates of their birth and death, but what kind of lives did they live? Sara Campbell will share a variety of sources that are valuable in genealogical research, especially for women. Learn how to ask the questions that will unlock their secrets in public records. Without knowing the maiden name of a married woman, her entire branch of the family tree may be missing. In her own family, Sara has researched the lives of her maiden aunts who don’t have children to retell their stories. Come and bring your questions and celebrate the women in our history.

March 13, 2012 — “Midnight Rising: John Brown & the Raid That Sparked the Civil War”
Tony Horwitz, 2012 UMass Writer in Residence
Cape Cod Lounge, UMass Student Union, 4 p.m.

The History Department of the University of Massachusetts Amherst is pleased to announce that its 2012 Writer in Residence is the celebrated journalist Tony Horwitz. Horwitz is the author of Midnight Rising: John Brown and the Raid that Sparked the Civil War, as well as the well-known book Confederates in the Attic: Dispatches from the Unfinished Civil War, and three other NY Times bestsellers (two others on history subjects, and his travel narrative, Baghdad Without a Map).

He worked for many years as a reporter, including a decade overseas in Australia, Europe, Africa, and the Middle East, mostly covering wars and conflicts as a foreign correspondent for The Wall Street Journal. He won the 1995 Pulitzer Prize for his coverage of working conditions in low-wage America. His website is at http://tonyhorwitz.com/.

His public lecture, based on his book on the Harper’s Ferry raid, will be at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday March 13th, in the Cape Cod Lounge of the UMass Student Union.

March 12, 2012 — Dennis Picard presents “Helen Storrow”
Wistariahurst Museum, 238 Cabot St., Holyoke, 6 p.m.

Helen Storrow, became acquainted with the Pioneer Valley early in her life and returned in the 1920s to head the “Home Department” at the Eastern States Exposition. Her legacy is seen in the “New England Village” she created on the Exposition’s grounds renamed in her honor. Storrowton Village curator and historian Dennis Picard will speak about the life and times of this amazing woman and all her social and charitable projects.

March 10 & 11, 2012 — Connecticut Spring Antiques Show
Young Building, Eastern States Exposition, West Springfield, MA

The 39th Connecticut Spring Antiques Show, which has been called the “grand dame” of New England antiques shows, will be conducted on Saturday and Sunday, March 10-11, at the Eastern States Exposition. The show will be held in the Young Building.

Admission is $10; show hours are Saturday, 10 am to 5 pm, and Sunday, 11 am to 4 pm.

Also described as “one of the most important antiques shows in the nation” by Antiques and The Arts Weekly, the show will be held this year for the first time in a setting that is outside of Hartford, but still in keeping with the history of the Connecticut River Valley, where many of the show’s furnishings and objects originated.

The nearly 40-year-old show features high-quality early American furniture and appropriate accessories as displayed by some of the country’s most respected dealers of antiques. Among the items on display will be outstanding and unique examples of early American furniture, porcelain and pottery, silver and pewter, fine art, brass and ironware, textiles, prints and more. The show attracts serious collectors, supports new collectors and brings both together with knowledgeable dealers and experts who share a passion for period American antiques and decorative arts. The show has earned a reputation not only as a destination show with quality merchandise but also as an educational experience for visitors.

March 7, 2012 — “An Evening Inspired by Dominic Daley & James Halligan”
Local History/Local Novelists Reading Series
Forbes Library, Northampton, 7 p.m.

In 1806, Dominic Daley and James Halligan were accused of murder and were tried in Northampton. The two were found guilty and hung before a crowd estimated at 15,000. Both men were Irish immigrants of Roman Catholic faith during a time when discrimination by a predominantly Protestant culture prevailed. This evening will explore the historical event through the voices of a novelist, a poet and a composer.

Michael C. White is the author of six novels, including The Garden of Martyrs, which is based on the Daley and Halligan incident. His latest novel, Beautiful Assassin, won the 2011 Connecticut Book Award for Fiction. He has also published over 50 short stories in national magazines and journals, and has won the Advocate Newspapers Fiction Award. He was the founding editor of the yearly fiction anthology American Fiction, as well as the magazine Dogwood. He is the founder and director of Fairfield University’s low-residency MFA Creative Writing Program and Professor of English at Fairfield.

Eric Sawyer has written an opera based on Michael White’s novel, The Garden of Martyrs, with libretto by Harley Erdman of the UMass faculty. It is in workshop with a full premiere expected in 2013. His opera Our American Cousin recently received its stage premiere from Boston Modern Orchestra Project and was released on the BMOP/sound label. Mr. Sawyer has received the Joseph Bearns Prize, awards from the Tanglewood Music Center and the American Academy of Arts and Letters, and a recent prize from the Ravinia Festival for his piano trio Lincoln’s Two Americas. He is on the music faculty at Amherst College.

James Francis Cahillane is a native of Northampton and a Korean-era Air Force veteran. Jim sold cars and managed at his family’s former dealership for five decades. A 1992 business sabbatical led to graduate school and a new writing career. His books include The Best Place of All: An Irish-American Memoir of Pluck, Luck and Automobiles and On History’s Front Steps: One Irish Clan’s Exploits in Northampton, Massachusetts, “The Paradise of America.”

This evening is part of the Local History/Local Novelists Series curated by Forbes Writer in Residence Susan Stinson. For more information, visit www.forbeslibrary.org or call 413-587-1017. All events are free and open to all. Books will be for sale by Broadside Bookshop.

March 4, 2012 — “Afternoon Delight: A Cabaret”
Salem Cross Inn, West Brookfield, 2 p.m.

With performances by: Deb Deschamps, Deb Cook, Jane Sterndale, Walter Lindsey, Rikki LaMonda, Barry Mongeon, Carol Zins, Russell Killough-Miller, A Trio of Women and Bill Lak.

$15 PERSON includes dessert and coffee (cash bar). TICKETS: 413-967-7223 or 508-867-7461

Tickets also available at the Ware Senior Center and the United Church of Ware

TICKETS SOLD IN ADVANCE ONLY. All proceeds benefit the Ware Center Meeting House and Museum Restoration

March 3, 2012 — “Exploring the 1704 Raid”
Deerfield Community Center, 16 Memorial St., Historic Deerfield

Historic Deerfield welcomes all interested in learning more about the stories of 1704 to participate in a one-day symposium on March 3, 2012, that will focus on what we know about the Deerfield Raid. Our program will bring together scholars with museum staff and interested public to investigate the context of the Raid itself and its outcomes.

Speakers will include: John Demos, Samuel Knight Professor of History Emeritus, Yale University; William M. Fowler, Jr., Northeastern University, Distinguished Professor of History; Alice Nash, Associate Professor at University of Massachusetts, Amherst; R. Scott Stephenson, Director of Collections and Interpretation, American Revolution Center; Kevin Sweeney, Professor of History at Amherst College; and Philip Zea, President of Historic Deerfield.

Participants will also receive a copy of a new “1704 Raid Walking Tour,” and may view the new exhibition “Furnishing the Frontier: The Material World of the Connecticut River Valley, 1680-1720.” Pre-registration is required.

School teachers can earn PDPs for attending this symposium. For information and phone registration, please contact Julie Marcinkiewicz, Special Events Coordinator, at 413-775-7179.

March 2, 2012 — “Lincoln, Emancipation & Race in America”
Film of the Talk by Eric Foner
Eric Carle Museum, Hampshire College, Amherst, 10 a.m.

5CLIR presents a panel discussion following a film of the keynote talk by 2011 Pulitzer Prize winner Eric Foner at the recent 5CLIR Sesquicentennial Symposium: “Civil War Causes and Consequences.” The panel (to respond to Dr. Foner’s talk and raise other Civil War issues):

* Bruce Laurie, Professor Emeritus of History, University of Massachusetts Amherst;
* Ousmane Power-Greene, Professor of History and Race and Ethnic Relations at Clark University;
* Robert H. Romer, author of Slavery in the Connecticut Valley of Massachusetts and Professor Emeritus of Physics at Amherst College;
* Tyll van Geel, Professor Emeritus of Education Law, University of Rochester;
* Charles Gillies, Project Director, 5CLIR Sesquicentennial Symposium, moderator.

This program is open-to-the-public and free-of-charge

Funded in part by Mass Humanities.

A similar program showing David Blight’s keynote will be held on March 16

Five College Learning in Retirement (5CLIR)
Mason Hall, Smith College, Northampton, MA 01063
413/585-3756
5clir@email.smith.edu

March 2, 2012 — “A Woman of Amherst: The Travel Diaries of Orra White Hitchcock, 1847 and 1850″
History Bites Lecture Series
Simeon Strong House, 67 Amity St., Amherst, 12:15 p.m.

Robert L. Herbert will tell us of the travel experiences of Prof. Hitchcock’s wife.

FEBRUARY

February 2012 — VISUAL (Ventures in Science Using Art Laboratory) Exhibit
Wistariahurst Museum, 238 Cabot St., Holyoke

During the month of February, images from VISUAL will be on display in the Wistariahurst Gallery. Graduate students from the Materials Research Science and Engineering Center have captured fascinating images as a direct experimental result from research conducted on the Amherst campus or at its partner institutions. The images project anything from pasta-shaped swirls in vibrant hues of purple and blue, aptly named “Angelo Hair Pasta” by Angelo Pedicini, to a leaf-like close up in blues amplified with neon yellow sprays of color in “Storm” by Sam Fakhouri. Accompanying each of the images in the gallery is a description, in non-technical terms, that explains the science behind the picture. VISUAL is an outreach program at the University of Massachusetts Amherst based on the premise that the visual arts provide an effective means to educate and stimulate the general public as well as students of all ages on the importance of scientific research in our everyday lives. Works on view through February.

On Thursday, February 2 from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. join us to learn more about the art in our February gallery at Wistariahurst for the opening reception of VISUAL (Ventures in Science Using Art Laboratory) Admission to gallery $3

February 28, 2012 — “Women Reflect On: Aging, Death & Care-Giving”
Five College Women’s Studies Research Center, 83 College St., Mt. Holyoke College, South Hadley, 4:30

With Betty Sharpe, Five College Women’s Studies Research Associate and Independent Scholar.

This presentation investigates 19th century women’s writing about aging and end-of-life experiences. With dramatic readings of letters and journals of ordinary and notable women, including Harriett Beecher Stowe and Ellen Tucker Emerson,it explores the intersection of the physical and emotional needs of aging women and the obligations of their daughters, particularly unmarried ones, to provide care and to ensure a natural death. For 19th century women, the caregiving role was a source of pride and an opportunity for spiritual instruction, as well as a burden. The paper will explore how the skills an attitudes about caring and death were passed from one generation to the next and how the most intimate mother-daughter experiences occurred when the traditional roles of caregiver and recipient were reversed.

February 26, 2012 –”Slow Food/Sustainable Gardens”
Deerfield Community Center, Historic Deerfield, 2 p.m.

“Slow Food/Sustainable Gardens,” will be delivered by John Forti on February 26. Forti is Curator of Historic Gardens and Landscapes at Strawbery Banke Museum, and co-author of American Household Botany: A History of Useful Plants, 1620-1900.

All of the lectures will be offered at 2 p.m. at the Deerfield Community Center (formerly known as the White Church Community Center), and are free and open to the public.

For more information visit www.historic-deerfield.org .

February 25 & 26, 2012 — Commemoration of the 1704 Raid on Deerfield
Indian House Museum, Old Main St., Old Deerfield

Join us on Saturday, February 25 & Sunday, February 26, 2012. The Indian House Children’s Museum, located on the upper end of Old Main Street in Old Deerfield, will come alive with historical re-enactors representing English settlers, French soldiers, and their Native American allies who were involved in the raid. There will be demonstrations, displays and hands-on activities for families. On Saturday at 2:00, a battle reenactment will be held on the Deerfield Academy soccer fields located at the end of Old Albany Road. The First Church of Deerfield (Brick Church), located just up the street on Old Main Street, will feature a program each day of period music and historical presentations. Admission is free to all of these events!

For complete information see http://pvma.wordpress.com/ or the attachment on this email.

Learn about the 1704 Raid http://1704.deerfield.history.museum/index.html

February 26, 2012 — “Paris…Dreams and Memories”
Schoen Books, Old Firehouse (7 Sugarloaf St.), South Deerfield

Charles Rearick, Professor Emeritus in the Department of History at UMass/Amherst will read from & discuss his book Paris Dreams, Paris Memories: The City and its Mystique . . . A slideshow of Paris, too!

Why have visitors and locals raved about Paris for centuries in such exalted terms?–as an earthly paradise, the “City of Lights,” “Queen of Cities,” “Capital of Pleasures,” and even the “Capital of the World.” And what effects have these high reputations and expectations had on the city’s development? This book offers answers.

Paris Dreams, Paris Memories guides readers through several distinct facets of the city that have given the whole its magic appeal. Those different versions of Paris are not only keys to its extraordinary attractiveness and fame, but also keys to understanding the city that visitors and residents can experience today. Rearick’s account includes imagery coming from Parisian popular culture as well as the images propagated by official and cultural elites. Attention is also given to the seamier side of the city–from the slums and dives (historically a source of entertainment for some) in the central city to the troubled housing projects in the suburbs.

This book on modern Paris builds on Rearick’s two previous books: Pleasures of the Belle Époque (1986) and The French in Love and War (1997), and a special (2004) issue of French Historical Studies devoted to Paris, which he co-edited. It also reflects what he has learned from more than forty years of annual trips to Paris, exploring the city from one end to the other.

Come for an inspired and inspiring afternoon event.

Paris Dreams, Paris Memories: The City and its Mystique (Stanford Univ.Press, 2011) will be available for purchase for $25 (including tax). Credit cards, checks and cash accepted.

NO snow date! Space is limited; please come on time. Parking available in front, at the bank next door, and in the public parking lot in the town center. Contact: Ken Schoen, Schoen Books (413) 665-0066 www.schoenbooks.com

February 20, 2012 — “History of Mortality in the Valley”
Historical Lecture Series
Wistariahurst Museum, 238 Cabot St., Holyoke, 6 p.m.

Professor emeritus Alan C. Swedlund will share his research into diaries, letters, newspapers, and other sources to tell the story of mortality in the Connecticut Valley. He will identify epidemics, causes of death and mourning rituals from the 18th and 19th centuries. The lecture will be accompanied by historical images from the area. Suggested donation $5

February 17, 2012 — “Amherst in the Era of the American Revolution: A Social History”
History Bites Lecture Series
Simeon Strong House, 67 Amity St., Amherst, 12:15 p.m.

In this first talk in the series, Martha Noblick will introduce you to Amherst in the 1770s. Streets you walk and drive everyday were the streets used over 200 years ago.

February 11, 2012 — “Victorian Valentines Workshop”
Wistariahurst Museum, 238 Cabot St., Holyoke, 12:30 – 2:30 p.m.

Come to Wistariahurst Museum for this fun and creative program that will inspire the artist in everyone! View antique valentines for inspiration, and make some of your own valentines to send to special friends, family and sweethearts.

Valentine’s Day has a long history. Although named after St. Valentine, the holiday’s origins seem more firmly rooted in pagan celebrations. Valentine’s Day traditions range far and wide. At one time the celebration of the holiday involved the exchange of a token gift of love, including a hand-made valentine card, especially during 18th century England and North America. Home-made cards were widely replaced by commercially produced valentine cards in the 19th century when valentines were sent not only to one special valentine, but often to a wider circle of friends and relations. Join us for a fun and festive program. You won’t want to miss it! Reservations for the workshop are suggested. $5 per person.

February 5, 2012 — “Cantabile” 10th Anniversary Performance
Wistariahurst Museum, 238 Cabot St., Holyoke, 2 p.m.

On Sunday, February 5 at 2:00 p.m., name that tune! The music on the Cantabile’s program is a mixture of the sacred and secular, combining mass movements and the secular tunes they were based upon. Composers include Josquin, Ockeghem, Isaac, Palestrina and many other masters of the Renaissance. The members of Cantabile will be joined by special guests playing an array of Renaissance-style string and wind instruments, for a sound and texture treat.

Cantabile is a self-directed vocal ensemble based in the Pioneer Valley of western Massachusetts that specializes in a cappella performances of vocal chamber music from the European Renaissance of the fifteenth through seventeenth centuries.

Cantabile was founded as an octet in 2001 and made its concert debut in January 2002 at the Wistariahurst Museum in Holyoke, Massachusetts with a program of a cappella Venetian Renaissance works. Since 2005 the group has performed as a sextet. The current members are Diana Brewer, Dorie Goldman, James Mead, David Olsson, Peter Shea, and Kayla Werlin.

Now it’s Cantabile’s 10th Anniversary and we want to celebrate with them! Join us in marking this milestone on Sunday afternoon, February 5 at 3:00 p.m. at Wistariahurst Museum in Holyoke. Tickets $15

September 17, 2011 thru February 5, 2012 — “Curators’ Choice: A New Look at Old Objects”
Flynt Center, Historic Deerfield

A new exhibition, Curators’ Choice: A New Look at Old Objects, will display some 22 selections from Historic Deerfield’s sizeable decorative arts collection starting Saturday, Sept. 17. Ranging from well-loved favorites and overlooked gems to recent acquisitions and objects with new stories to tell, the show offers a diverse assemblage drawn from the museum’s collection of furniture, silver, ceramics, glass, silver, base metals, prints, maps, paintings, and textiles.

“The show includes objects where new research has come to light and completely changed our view of it,” said Amanda Lange, Curatorial Department Chair and Curator of Historic Interiors at Historic Deerfield. “A scratch-decorated jug made by Thomas Crafts (1781-1861) of Whately, Massachusetts, is a good example of this.”

Peter Heslip, a student from Bates College, took the opportunity to study the unusual, scratch-decorated jug during his participation in the Historic Deerfield Summer Fellowship Program. The jug features decoration, which runs around the shoulders, depicting a fort flying the British flag from which four rowboats have been launched full of men with firearms heading towards the anchored steamship inscribed Carolina; the ship has her crew on deck, a bellowing smoke stack, and a 28-star American flag flying from the bow; to the left of the ship are fish in the water, a great waterfall, and a small domed island below the falls.

To previous researchers and curators, the scratched scene proved inexplicable and mysterious. But dogged pursuit by Heslip discovered that Crafts’ simply misspelled the name of the ship-the Carolina should have been the Caroline-thus creating the initial confusion and solving the mystery.

It turns out that the jug commemorates the attack on the American steamship Caroline by Canadian militiamen while the ship was lying at port in the Niagara River on December 29, 1837. This ship transported provisions and recruits to Navy Island where William MacKenzie’s Canadian rebels and American sympathizers had retreated after the abortive 1837 Upper Canadian Rebellion. On the night of December 29th, Canadian militia, led by Commander Andrew Drew, Royal Navy, boarded the Caroline, killed one of her crew, and destroyed the ship by sending it over Niagara Falls.

Thomas Crafts may have learned of this incident from accounts published in the Greenfield Gazette and Mercury on January 9, 1838. Why Crafts created this commemorative jug is still unknown. Some mysteries yet remain to be solved.

Other highlights of the exhibition include: a gown which was worn for three weddings in the Hopkins-Worthington-Dwight families between 1759 and 1824; A New and Exact Map of the Dominions of the King of Great Britain on ye Continent of North America by Herman Moll, c. 1735; and a tall case clock by Richardson Miner of Stratford, Connecticut, c. 1760.

The exhibition was organized by several Historic Deerfield staff members. These “curators” included: Philip Zea, President; Ned Lazaro, Collections Manager; David Bosse, Librarian and Curator of Maps; Joshua Lane, Curator of Academic Programs and Curator of Furniture; and Amanda Lange, Curatorial Department Chair and Curator of Historic Interiors.

Curators’ Choice: A New Look at Old Objects will be on view in Historic Deerfield’s Flynt Center of Early New England Life through February 5, 2012. For more information about Historic Deerfield, please call 413-775-7214 or log on to www.historic-deerfield.org.

JANUARY

January 25, 2012 — “Daddy Moonshine: The Story of Marvin “Popcorn Sutton”
Coolidge Room, Forbes Library, Northampton, 7 p.m.

Sky Sutton is a New England historian raised in Massachusetts. Researching her paternal genealogy for over a decade, she discovered her biological father was a notorious – and quite famous – backwoods moonshiner from the Appalachian mountains of Tennessee and North Carolina. “Daddy Moonshine” is the story of Sky Sutton’s journey to uncover a family history so different from her own experience, and to understand her ornery, sometimes brilliant, and often quite dangerous renegade father; the one and only Marvin “Popcorn” Sutton.

“Daddy Moonshine” is the story of Sutton’s father, moonshine and mountains- and of the culture and people who have lived in those wild, beautiful heights for generations. From finding possums in the mash to dancing in the hollers, Marvin “Popcorn” Sutton led the life of a true Appalachian moonshiner. As the last of a dying breed Sutton lived close to the earth and on his own terms as few other modern Americans would dare.

Books will be available for sale for $25. They may also be ordered via mail or paypal. See the author’s blog for more information. http://popcornsutton.blogspot.com/2008/04/popcorn-book.html

Refreshments will be served.

January 22, 2012 –”Enough is Not Enough: 19th Century Food Preservation”
Deerfield Community Center, Deerfield, 2 p.m.

The first lecture, titled “Enough is Not Enough: 19th-Century Food Preservation,” will be given on January 22 by Debra Friedman, Head of Interpretation, Old Sturbridge Village.

All of the lectures will be offered at 2 p.m. at the Deerfield Community Center (formerly known as the White Church Community Center), and are free and open to the public.

For more information visit www.historic-deerfield.org .

January 22, 2012 — “New Israel/New England: Jews & Puritans in Early America”
Old Firehouse Museum, South Deerfield, 2 p.m.

Fitchburg State Univ. professor, Michael Hoberman will read from & discuss his new book New Israel/New England: Jews and Puritans in Early America. (UMass Press, Oct. 2011). This reading will take place on Sunday, January, 22, 2012 at 2:00 PM at the Old Firehouse (7 Sugarloaf St.) in South Deerfield Center. It is co-sponsored by the Jewish Historical Society of Western Massachusetts & Schoen Books.

The New England Puritans’ fascination with the legacy of the Jewish religion has been well documented, but their interactions with actual Jews have escaped sustained historical attention. Hoberman shows that the Puritans often thought and wrote about Jews in order to resolve their own theological and cultural dilemmas.

Among the intriguing episodes that Hoberman investigates is the recruitment and conversion of Harvard’s first permanent instructor of Hebrew, the Jewish-born Judah Monis. Later chapters describe the ecumenical friendship between Newport minister Ezra Stiles and Haim Carigal, an itinerant rabbi from Palestine. Also covered is the life and career of Moses Michael Hays, the prominent freemason who was Boston’s first permanently established Jewish businessman, a founder of its insurance industry, an early sponsor of the Bank of Massachusetts, and a personal friend of Paul Revere.

Come for a most stimulating afternoon!

This will be the first local public reading. Book will be available for purchase. Hoberman’s earlier book, How Strange It Is, on Jewish life in Western Massachusetts will also be available. Refreshments served! NO snow date! Parking available in front, at bank next door, and in the public parking lot in town center.

Contact: Ken Schoen, Jewish Historical Society of Western Massachusetts and Schoen Books Old Firehouse, 7 Sugarloaf St. South Deerfield, MA 01373 (413) 665-0066

www.schoenbooks.com and www.jhswm.org

January 18, 2012 –”Learning from the Sanford Tavern: An Exhibition and Report on the Archeological Excavation at Hawley’s Old Town Common”
Federated Church, Charlemont, 7 p.m.

Students from Darren Elwell’s archeology course at Mohawk Trail Regional High School will speak about their experiences and display the artifacts they discovered during their archeological dig this past Fall at the site of the Sanford Tavern, a part of Hawley’s Old Town Common Historic Site. The Sanford Tavern stood next to Hawley’s town common from about 1798 until the 1840s and played a significant role in the community’s social, civic, and economic life. Alexander Keim, the archeologist who directed the project, and Darren Elwell will also speak about the results of the students’ work. Those attending the event will have an opportunity to examine the artifacts the students found and to discuss with the students the conclusions they have drawn from their discoveries about life at the Sanford Tavern. The excavation of the Sanford Tavern site is a joint project of the Mohawk Trail Regional High School and the Sons & Daughters of Hawley and is funded by a grant from MassHumanities. Refreshments will be served.

January 16, 2012 — 28th Annual Martin Luther King Jr., Day Celebration
Sojourner Truth statue (intersection of Pine and Park Streets), Florence, 9 a.m.

The American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) of Western Massachusetts is having it’s 28th annual celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King’s birthday on Monday, January 16, 2012! Our theme is Non-violent Youth Organizing, to tie together events from MLK’s life to present day actions like the Occupy movement.

This year’s event will begin at 9:00am at the Sojourner Truth statue (intersection of Pine and Park Streets) in Florence with Steve Strimer who will lead a walk of the homes of Sojourner Truth, Basil Dorsey, and David Ruggles.

The rest of the event will start at 11 a.m. at Edwards Church, 297 Main Street, Northampton where we will have workshops for all ages, hosted by local organizations like OutNow, Jobs with Justice, and Community Action. We will have speakers discuss their experience as youth activists from the civil rights era to the foreclosure movement here in Springfield. Speakers include Professor John Bracey of UMass Amherst, Kalima Dunwell from Springfield No One Leaves, and others. Please join us for local bands, local food and great discussion!

January 11, 2012 — “Genealogy Gathering”
Carnegie Library, Turners Falls, 6 p.m.

I have scheduled the history room on the first floor of the Carnegie Library in Turners Falls for a meeting on Wednesday, January 11 at 6 p.m. Please come and share your research and get tips from others who are eager to help. We are actively uploading cemetery records to FindaGrave.com either individually or as a group. I have enjoyed exploring the small cemetery behind Camp Keewanee in Greenfield recently. I have uploaded half of the photos and have to get back to that.

I can’t say it often enough – there are new FREE resources to find on the internet every day. Shari found the Turners Falls Reporter images on Google here: http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=4EsMycecMEYC

We have put one of the Jean Baptiste books found at the Rendezvous up on our blog at http://genealogygathering.blogspot.com/ and will add another one soon. There are many local French names to be found there. Check out the images linked there. We will schedule a meeting specifically to detail the inventory of material in that collection soon – likely at the bank on a Saturday morning. This project was funded by the Montague Cultural Council.

I have been having a good time reading the Greenfield Annual Reports for the 1880s. You don’t have to have an ancestor who was a Selectman to find family info there. There are lists of jurors, teachers, construction workers, and very detailed records about the poor receiving aid. The reports of building roads or sewers may include residences near the construction.

There is a lot of controversy (yes, genealogy controversy!) surrounding the government’s intention to limit access to the Social Security Death Index. This is so valuable to our research. Have you heard about it? Or the demise of Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness due to the death of the administrator? I find the latest news from Dick Eastman http://blog.eogn.com/eastmans_online_genealogy/ or from my contacts on Facebook.

I hope to see you next month at the library.

Sara Campbell
http://genealogygathering.blogspot.com/
http://rememberingancestors.blogspot.com

January 4, 2012 — “An Evening Inspired by Grace Coolidge”
Forbes Library, Northampton, 7 p.m.

Grace Coolidge considered Northampton her home and was a well-known figure in the community, frequenting the shops and community events with friends and neighbors. She taught at the Clarke School for the Deaf as a young woman, and remained active in her support of the school over the years. Grace had a sense of fun and was publicity shy. Come find out more about Northampton’s First Lady and hear a reading from a raucous, irreverent, politically inspired novel set, not in the world of the Coolidges, but in the 1960s.

Speakers:
Julie Bartlett Nelson, the archivist of the Calvin Coolidge Presidential Library & Museum, will present an illustrated talk on Grace Coolidge’s domestic and social life: Grace Coolidge at Home in the Valley.

Rita M. Bleiman, who has worked for Senator Walter F. Mondale and the Carter White House, will read from her novel DIRTY TRICKS, an irreverent look at politics and love. Rita now lives in The Beeches, a former home of Grace and Calvin Coolidge.

Valija Evalds, an art historian with an interest in the history of dress and textiles, will talk about Grace Coolidge’s clothing.

September 15, 2011 to January 3, 2012 — “Saturday’s Rivals: Football Memories from the ‘Aggie Eleven of 1879′ to the MAC of 2012″
Lower Level, W.E.B. DuBois Library, UMass, Amherst

The UMass Amherst Libraries host an exhibit, “Saturday’s Rivals: Football Memories from the ‘Aggie Eleven of 1879’ to the MAC of 2011,” September 15, 2011 to January 3, 2012, on the Lower Level, Du Bois Library, UMass Amherst. The exhibit highlights posters, programs, brochures, artifacts, and photos of the UMass football team in action. An online exhibit will include additional programs, photos, listings of games and scores for the first several decades, and written histories. A reception will be held on Thursday, October 6, 2011, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Football began on campus in 1878 at what was then known as Massachusetts Agricultural College (M.A.C.). In 1947, the Yankee Conference was formed by the six land grant institutions in New England; University of Connecticut, University of Maine, Massachusetts State College (later UMass Amherst), Rhode Island State College, University of New Hampshire, and the University of Vermont. In 1997 the Yankee Conference was taken over by the Atlantic 10 Football Conference, with UMass Amherst having won more league titles (17) and games (160) than any other conference member.

In the 1990s the Yankee Conference was split in two, placing UMass Amherst in the New England Division. Beginning in 2012 the team will be playing in the Mid-American Conference (MAC).

For more information, contact Anne Moore (amoore@library.umass.edu, 413-545-6888). The exhibit is open the same hours that the library is open: http://www.library.umass.edu/hours.html.

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– Past Events 2012

MAY

March 28-May 20, 2012 — “Frazar is Killed: Emily Dickinson, Amherst, and the Civil War” An Exhibit at Frost Library, Amherst College Available for viewing during Frost Library Open Hours

Thursday, May 17, 2012 — “Finding Home” Opening Reception Hatfield Historical Society, Hatfield Congregational Church Parlor, 7:30 p.m.

Monday, May 14, 2012 —”The Great Lawrence Textile Strike of 1912: Why it Matters 100 Years Later” Wistariahurst Museum, Holyoke, 6 p.m.

Monday, May 14, 2012 — “Researching Your Real Estate Roots” Ware Historical Society Ware Senior Center, 2 Robbins Rd., Ware, 2 p.m.

Saturday, May 12, 2012 — “200th Anniversary of 1st Flag-Raising Over an American School” Colrain Historical Society, 79 North Catamount Hill Rd., 11 a.m.

Saturday, May 12, 2012 — The Little White House Project: Opening Reception Emily Dickinson Museum, Amherst, 1 p.m.

Saturday, May 12, 2012 — “Finding Home” Opening Hatfield Historical Museum, Hatfield Public Library, 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Saturday, May 12, 2012 — Opening Day Stone House Museum, Belchertown, 9 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Saturday, May 12, 2012 — “Nature’s Resilience: Life in Our Rivers After Irene” Pioneer Valley Institute Field Trip

Friday, May 11, 2012 — “Simeon Strong’s Material Life” History Bites Lunchtime Lecture Series Simeon Strong House, 67 Amity St., Amherst, 12:15 p.m.

Monday, May 7, 2012 — Remarkable Women Series: “Orra White Hitchcock” Wistariahurst Museum, Holyoke, 6 p.m.

Saturday, May 5, 2012 — “Tea & Etiquette” Wistariahurst Museum, Holyoke, 1-3 p.m.

Friday, May 4, 2012 –”Strike, Dip and Draw,” Opening Reception Wistariahurst Museum, Holyoke, 6 p.m.

APRIL

Saturday, April 28, 2012 –”Stoneworking & Stoneworking Tools” Spring Meeting, Western New England Chapter, Association for Gravestone Studies Westfield Athenaeum, Westfield, 10 a.m.

Saturday, April 28, 2012 — Encampment of the 22nd Massachusetts: A Living History Day with a Civil War Regiment Emily Dickinson Museum, Amherst, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Saturday, April 28, 2012 — “Farm & Garden Tool Workshop” Wilder Homestead, Rt. 112, Buckland, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Friday, April 27, 2012 — Wistariahurst Spring Gala: A Black & White Masquerade Wistariahurst Museum, Holyoke, 6 to 9 p.m.

Friday, April 27, 2012 — “Black Soldiers, White Officers: Amherst College and the Town of Amherst in the Civil War” History Bites Lunchtime Lecture Series Simeon Strong House, 67 Amity St., Amherst, 12:15 p.m.

Thursday, April 26, 2012 — “New Israel/New England: Jews and Puritans in Early America” Pelham Historical Society & Pelham Library, 2 South Valley Rd., Pelham, 7 p.m.

Tuesday, April 24, 2012 — 1940 Census Class Forbes Library, Northampton, 1:30 p.m.

Monday, April 23, 2012 — 1940 Census Class Forbes Library, Northampton, 7 p.m.

April 19, 2012 — Hatfield’s Antiques Appraisal Night Hatfield Historical Society, at the Hatfield Congregational Church, 7:30 p.m.

April 18, 2012 — Franklin County Genealogists & Historians Meeting Carnegie Library, Turners Falls, 6 p.m.

April 17, 2012 — “Printing Processes and the Museum of Printing” Renaissance Center, 650 East Pleasant St., Amherst, 4 p.m.

Saturday, April 14, 2012 — East Meets Western Mass.: an exploration of our region’s unique history with China Great Falls Discovery Center, Turner’s Falls, 9 a.m. to 2:45 p.m.

April 14, 2012 — “Whose Freedom Is It, Anyway?” Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association, Indian House Memorial, Deerfield

April 13, 2012 — “Frederick William Strong, Union Navy Officer, 1861-1865″ History Bites Lecture Series, Strong House, 67 Amity House, Amherst, 12:15 p.m.

April 12, 2012 — “Patchwork House in Shelburne Falls” Colrain Historical Society, home of Joan McQuade, 7 Main Rd., Colrain, 7 p.m.

April 11, 2012 — “Old Maps of Sunderland” Sunderland Public Library, Sunderland, 7 p.m.

April 11, 2012 — “Princess Adelaide Has the Whooping Cough”: 19th Century Reform & the Transformation of Society UMass History Dept., 601 Herter Hall, Amherst, 4:30 p.m.

April 9, 2012 — “Flora Changes From 1860 – 2010″ Pelham Historical Society, Ramsdell Room, Pelham Community Center, 7 p.m.

April 9, 2012 — “Martha Leonard & Her Life in the Valley” Wistariahurst Museum, 238 Cabot St., Holyoke, 6 p.m.

April 7, 2012 — “Celebrate Erastus Hopkins’ 202nd Birthday” Historic Northampton, 46 Bridge St., Northampton, 10:30 a.m.

April 4, 2012 — “Fight Town: Sport & the Growth of an Urban Community” Pioneer Valley Institute, Sloan Theater, Greenfield Community College, 7 p.m.

April 4, 2012 — “Human & Natural History of the Meadows” Coolidge Room, Forbes Library, Northampton, 6:30 p.m.

April 4, 2012 — Western Mass. Genealogical Society Meeting Family History Center at 584 West Street in Ludlow, 6 – 8 p.m.

April 2, 2012 — “Lewis Hine Project: Tracking Down the Lives of Child Laborers” Wistariahurst Museum,238 Cabot Street, Holyoke, 6 p.m.

April 1, 2012 — “American Tourist Attractions in the 19th Century” Old Firehouse Museum, South Deerfield, 2 p.m.

MARCH

March 2012 — “East to West: Stories, Games & Festivals” Exhibit of Student Art inspired by Chinese Traditions Great Falls Discovery Center, Turners Falls, MA Fridays & Saturdays thru March 31

March 30, 2012 — “Mary Rowlandson and Other Captives During King Philip’s War” History Bites Lecture Series Simeon Strong House, 67 Amity St., Amherst, 12:15 p.m.

March 29, 2012 — How the Civil War Came to Amherst: A Panel Discussion Frost Library (first floor), Amherst College, 4:30 pm

March 28, 2012 — PVHN Gathering & 2012 Annual Meeting Deerfield Community Center (formerly the White Church), Historic Deerfield, 9:30 a.m.

March 26, 2012 — Terry Allen on “Seeing New Englandly” — Emily Dickinson Wistariahurst Museum, 238 Cabot St., Holyoke, 6 p.m.

February 4 thru March 24, 2012 — “Open Hearth Cooking Classes” Hall Tavern Kitchen, Historic Deerfield, 10 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.

March 19, 2012 — Fran Gagnon presents “Women’s Work: Mary Pynchon to Rosie the Riveter” Wistariahurst Museum, 238 Cabot St., Holyoke, 6 p.m.

March 19, 2012 — “From Valley to Reservoir: Quabbin’s Intriguing History” Pelham Historical Society, Ramsdell Room, Pelham Community Center, 7 p.m.

March 18, 2012 — “Banbury, Succotash, and Bannocks: Transplants, Natives, and Universals in New England Cookery” Deerfield Community Center, Deerfield, 2 p.m.

March 16, 2012 — “Rebels in Paradise: Sketches of Northampton Abolitionists” History Bites Lecture Series Simeon Strong House, 67 Amity St., Amherst, 12:15 p.m.

March 16, 2012 — “Civil War History & Memory” Film of the Talk by David Blight Eric Carle Museum, Hampshire College, Amherst, 10 a.m.

March 15, 2012 — “The Life of Martha Leonard: A First Woman of the Valley” Hatfield Congregational Church Parlors, Hatfield, 7:30 p.m.

March 14, 2012 — “Peace Corps Voices” Pioneer Valley Institute, Sloan Theater, Greenfield Community College, 7 p.m.

March 13, 2012 — “Digging Into Women’s History” Chicopee Public Library, 449 Front St., Chicopee, 6:30 p.m.

March 13, 2012 — “Midnight Rising: John Brown & the Raid That Sparked the Civil War” Tony Horwitz, 2012 UMass Writer in Residence Cape Cod Lounge, UMass Student Union, 4 p.m.

March 12, 2012 — Dennis Picard presents “Helen Storrow” Wistariahurst Museum, 238 Cabot St., Holyoke, 6 p.m.

March 10 & 11, 2012 — Connecticut Spring Antiques Show Young Building, Eastern States Exposition, West Springfield, MA

March 7, 2012 — “An Evening Inspired by Dominic Daley & James Halligan” Local History/Local Novelists Reading Series Forbes Library, Northampton, 7 p.m.

March 4, 2012 — “Afternoon Delight: A Cabaret” Salem Cross Inn, West Brookfield, 2 p.m.

March 3, 2012 — “Exploring the 1704 Raid” Deerfield Community Center, 16 Memorial St., Historic Deerfield

March 2, 2012 — “Lincoln, Emancipation & Race in America” Film of the Talk by Eric Foner Eric Carle Museum, Hampshire College, Amherst, 10 a.m.

March 2, 2012 — “A Woman of Amherst: The Travel Diaries of Orra White Hitchcock, 1847 and 1850″ History Bites Lecture Series Simeon Strong House, 67 Amity St., Amherst, 12:15 p.m.

FEBRUARY

February 2012 — VISUAL (Ventures in Science Using Art Laboratory) Exhibit Wistariahurst Museum, 238 Cabot St., Holyoke

February 28, 2012 — “Women Reflect On: Aging, Death & Care-Giving” Five College Women’s Studies Research Center, 83 College St., Mt. Holyoke College, South Hadley, 4:30

February 26, 2012 –”Slow Food/Sustainable Gardens” Deerfield Community Center, Historic Deerfield, 2 p.m.

February 25 & 26, 2012 — Commemoration of the 1704 Raid on Deerfield Indian House Museum, Old Main St., Old Deerfield

February 26, 2012 — “Paris…Dreams and Memories” Schoen Books, Old Firehouse (7 Sugarloaf St.), South Deerfield

February 20, 2012 — “History of Mortality in the Valley” Historical Lecture Series Wistariahurst Museum, 238 Cabot St., Holyoke, 6 p.m.

February 17, 2012 — “Amherst in the Era of the American Revolution: A Social History” History Bites Lecture Series Simeon Strong House, 67 Amity St., Amherst, 12:15 p.m.

February 11, 2012 — “Victorian Valentines Workshop” Wistariahurst Museum, 238 Cabot St., Holyoke, 12:30 – 2:30 p.m.

February 5, 2012 — “Cantabile” 10th Anniversary Performance Wistariahurst Museum, 238 Cabot St., Holyoke, 2 p.m.

September 17, 2011 thru February 5, 2012 — “Curators’ Choice: A New Look at Old Objects” Flynt Center, Historic Deerfield

JANUARY

January 25, 2012 — “Daddy Moonshine: The Story of Marvin “Popcorn Sutton” Coolidge Room, Forbes Library, Northampton, 7 p.m.

January 22, 2012 –”Enough is Not Enough: 19th Century Food Preservation” Deerfield Community Center, Deerfield, 2 p.m.

January 22, 2012 — “New Israel/New England: Jews & Puritans in Early America” Old Firehouse Museum, South Deerfield, 2 p.m.

January 18, 2012 –”Learning from the Sanford Tavern: An Exhibition and Report on the Archeological Excavation at Hawley’s Old Town Common” Federated Church, Charlemont, 7 p.m.

March 28-May 20, 2012 — “Frazar is Killed: Emily Dickinson, Amherst, and the Civil War”
An Exhibit at Frost Library, Amherst College
Available for viewing during Frost Library Open Hours

Thursday, May 17, 2012 — “Finding Home” Opening Reception
Hatfield Historical Society, Hatfield Congregational Church Parlor, 7:30 p.m.

Monday, May 14, 2012 —”The Great Lawrence Textile Strike of 1912: Why it Matters 100 Years Later”
Wistariahurst Museum, Holyoke, 6 p.m.

Monday, May 14, 2012 — “Researching Your Real Estate Roots”
Ware Historical Society
Ware Senior Center, 2 Robbins Rd., Ware, 2 p.m.

Saturday, May 12, 2012 — “200th Anniversary of 1st Flag-Raising Over an American School”
Colrain Historical Society, 79 North Catamount Hill Rd., 11 a.m.

Saturday, May 12, 2012 — The Little White House Project: Opening Reception
Emily Dickinson Museum, Amherst, 1 p.m.

Saturday, May 12, 2012 — “Finding Home” Opening
Hatfield Historical Museum, Hatfield Public Library, 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Saturday, May 12, 2012 — Opening Day
Stone House Museum, Belchertown, 9 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Saturday, May 12, 2012 — “Nature’s Resilience: Life in Our Rivers After Irene”
Pioneer Valley Institute Field Trip

Friday, May 11, 2012 — “Simeon Strong’s Material Life”
History Bites Lunchtime Lecture Series
Simeon Strong House, 67 Amity St., Amherst, 12:15 p.m.

Monday, May 7, 2012 — Remarkable Women Series: “Orra White Hitchcock”
Wistariahurst Museum, Holyoke, 6 p.m.

Saturday, May 5, 2012 — “Tea & Etiquette”
Wistariahurst Museum, Holyoke, 1-3 p.m.

Friday, May 4, 2012 –”Strike, Dip and Draw,” Opening Reception
Wistariahurst Museum, Holyoke, 6 p.m.

Saturday, April 28, 2012 –”Stoneworking & Stoneworking Tools”
Spring Meeting, Western New England Chapter, Association for Gravestone Studies
Westfield Athenaeum, Westfield, 10 a.m.

Saturday, April 28, 2012 — Encampment of the 22nd Massachusetts: A Living History Day with a Civil War Regiment
Emily Dickinson Museum, Amherst, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Saturday, April 28, 2012 — “Farm & Garden Tool Workshop”
Wilder Homestead, Rt. 112, Buckland, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Friday, April 27, 2012 — Wistariahurst Spring Gala: A Black & White Masquerade
Wistariahurst Museum, Holyoke, 6 to 9 p.m.

Friday, April 27, 2012 — “Black Soldiers, White Officers: Amherst College and the Town of Amherst in the Civil War”
History Bites Lunchtime Lecture Series
Simeon Strong House, 67 Amity St., Amherst, 12:15 p.m.

Thursday, April 26, 2012 — “New Israel/New England: Jews and Puritans in Early America”
Pelham Historical Society & Pelham Library, 2 South Valley Rd., Pelham, 7 p.m.

Tuesday, April 24, 2012 — 1940 Census Class
Forbes Library, Northampton, 1:30 p.m.

Monday, April 23, 2012 — 1940 Census Class
Forbes Library, Northampton, 7 p.m.

April 19, 2012 — Hatfield’s Antiques Appraisal Night
Hatfield Historical Society, at the Hatfield Congregational Church, 7:30 p.m.

April 18, 2012 — Franklin County Genealogists & Historians Meeting
Carnegie Library, Turners Falls, 6 p.m.

April 17, 2012 — “Printing Processes and the Museum of Printing”
Renaissance Center, 650 East Pleasant St., Amherst, 4 p.m.

Saturday, April 14, 2012 — East Meets Western Mass.: an exploration of our region’s unique history with China
Great Falls Discovery Center, Turner’s Falls, 9 a.m. to 2:45 p.m.

April 14, 2012 — “Whose Freedom Is It, Anyway?”
Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association, Indian House Memorial, Deerfield

April 13, 2012 — “Frederick William Strong, Union Navy Officer, 1861-1865″
History Bites Lecture Series, Strong House, 67 Amity House, Amherst, 12:15 p.m.

April 12, 2012 — “Patchwork House in Shelburne Falls”
Colrain Historical Society, home of Joan McQuade, 7 Main Rd., Colrain, 7 p.m.

April 11, 2012 — “Old Maps of Sunderland”
Sunderland Public Library, Sunderland, 7 p.m.

April 11, 2012 — “Princess Adelaide Has the Whooping Cough”: 19th Century Reform & the Transformation of Society
UMass History Dept., 601 Herter Hall, Amherst, 4:30 p.m.

April 9, 2012 — “Flora Changes From 1860 – 2010″
Pelham Historical Society, Ramsdell Room, Pelham Community Center, 7 p.m.

April 9, 2012 — “Martha Leonard & Her Life in the Valley”
Wistariahurst Museum, 238 Cabot St., Holyoke, 6 p.m.

April 7, 2012 — “Celebrate Erastus Hopkins’ 202nd Birthday”
Historic Northampton, 46 Bridge St., Northampton, 10:30 a.m.

April 4, 2012 — “Fight Town: Sport & the Growth of an Urban Community”
Pioneer Valley Institute, Sloan Theater, Greenfield Community College, 7 p.m.

April 4, 2012 — “Human & Natural History of the Meadows”
Coolidge Room, Forbes Library, Northampton, 6:30 p.m.

April 4, 2012 — Western Mass. Genealogical Society Meeting
Family History Center at 584 West Street in Ludlow, 6 – 8 p.m.

April 2, 2012 — “Lewis Hine Project: Tracking Down the Lives of Child Laborers”
Wistariahurst Museum,238 Cabot Street, Holyoke, 6 p.m.

April 1, 2012 — “American Tourist Attractions in the 19th Century”
Old Firehouse Museum, South Deerfield, 2 p.m.

March 2012 — “East to West: Stories, Games & Festivals”
Exhibit of Student Art inspired by Chinese Traditions
Great Falls Discovery Center, Turners Falls, MA
Fridays & Saturdays thru March 31

March 30, 2012 — “Mary Rowlandson and Other Captives During King Philip’s War”
History Bites Lecture Series
Simeon Strong House, 67 Amity St., Amherst, 12:15 p.m.

March 29, 2012 — How the Civil War Came to Amherst: A Panel Discussion
Frost Library (first floor), Amherst College, 4:30 pm

March 28, 2012 — PVHN Gathering & 2012 Annual Meeting
Deerfield Community Center (formerly the White Church), Historic Deerfield, 9:30 a.m.

March 26, 2012 — Terry Allen on “Seeing New Englandly” — Emily Dickinson
Wistariahurst Museum, 238 Cabot St., Holyoke, 6 p.m.

February 4 thru March 24, 2012 — “Open Hearth Cooking Classes”
Hall Tavern Kitchen, Historic Deerfield, 10 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.

March 19, 2012 — Fran Gagnon presents “Women’s Work: Mary Pynchon to Rosie the Riveter”
Wistariahurst Museum, 238 Cabot St., Holyoke, 6 p.m.

March 19, 2012 — “From Valley to Reservoir: Quabbin’s Intriguing History”
Pelham Historical Society, Ramsdell Room, Pelham Community Center, 7 p.m.

March 18, 2012 — “Banbury, Succotash, and Bannocks: Transplants, Natives, and Universals in New England Cookery”
Deerfield Community Center, Deerfield, 2 p.m.

March 16, 2012 — “Rebels in Paradise: Sketches of Northampton Abolitionists”
History Bites Lecture Series
Simeon Strong House, 67 Amity St., Amherst, 12:15 p.m.

March 16, 2012 — “Civil War History & Memory”
Film of the Talk by David Blight
Eric Carle Museum, Hampshire College, Amherst, 10 a.m.

March 15, 2012 — “The Life of Martha Leonard: A First Woman of the Valley”
Hatfield Congregational Church Parlors, Hatfield, 7:30 p.m.

March 14, 2012 — “Peace Corps Voices”
Pioneer Valley Institute, Sloan Theater, Greenfield Community College, 7 p.m.

March 13, 2012 — “Digging Into Women’s History”
Chicopee Public Library, 449 Front St., Chicopee, 6:30 p.m.

March 13, 2012 — “Midnight Rising: John Brown & the Raid That Sparked the Civil War”
Tony Horwitz, 2012 UMass Writer in Residence
Cape Cod Lounge, UMass Student Union, 4 p.m.

March 12, 2012 — Dennis Picard presents “Helen Storrow”
Wistariahurst Museum, 238 Cabot St., Holyoke, 6 p.m.

March 10 & 11, 2012 — Connecticut Spring Antiques Show
Young Building, Eastern States Exposition, West Springfield, MA

March 7, 2012 — “An Evening Inspired by Dominic Daley & James Halligan”
Local History/Local Novelists Reading Series
Forbes Library, Northampton, 7 p.m.

March 4, 2012 — “Afternoon Delight: A Cabaret”
Salem Cross Inn, West Brookfield, 2 p.m.

March 3, 2012 — “Exploring the 1704 Raid”
Deerfield Community Center, 16 Memorial St., Historic Deerfield

March 2, 2012 — “Lincoln, Emancipation & Race in America”
Film of the Talk by Eric Foner
Eric Carle Museum, Hampshire College, Amherst, 10 a.m.

March 2, 2012 — “A Woman of Amherst: The Travel Diaries of Orra White Hitchcock, 1847 and 1850″
History Bites Lecture Series
Simeon Strong House, 67 Amity St., Amherst, 12:15 p.m.

February 2012 — VISUAL (Ventures in Science Using Art Laboratory) Exhibit
Wistariahurst Museum, 238 Cabot St., Holyoke

February 28, 2012 — “Women Reflect On: Aging, Death & Care-Giving”
Five College Women’s Studies Research Center, 83 College St., Mt. Holyoke College, South Hadley, 4:30

February 26, 2012 –”Slow Food/Sustainable Gardens”
Deerfield Community Center, Historic Deerfield, 2 p.m.

February 25 & 26, 2012 — Commemoration of the 1704 Raid on Deerfield
Indian House Museum, Old Main St., Old Deerfield

February 26, 2012 — “Paris…Dreams and Memories”
Schoen Books, Old Firehouse (7 Sugarloaf St.), South Deerfield

February 20, 2012 — “History of Mortality in the Valley”
Historical Lecture Series
Wistariahurst Museum, 238 Cabot St., Holyoke, 6 p.m.

February 17, 2012 — “Amherst in the Era of the American Revolution: A Social History”
History Bites Lecture Series
Simeon Strong House, 67 Amity St., Amherst, 12:15 p.m.

February 11, 2012 — “Victorian Valentines Workshop”
Wistariahurst Museum, 238 Cabot St., Holyoke, 12:30 – 2:30 p.m.

February 5, 2012 — “Cantabile” 10th Anniversary Performance
Wistariahurst Museum, 238 Cabot St., Holyoke, 2 p.m.

September 17, 2011 thru February 5, 2012 — “Curators’ Choice: A New Look at Old Objects”
Flynt Center, Historic Deerfield

January 25, 2012 — “Daddy Moonshine: The Story of Marvin “Popcorn Sutton”
Coolidge Room, Forbes Library, Northampton, 7 p.m.

January 22, 2012 –”Enough is Not Enough: 19th Century Food Preservation”
Deerfield Community Center, Deerfield, 2 p.m.

January 22, 2012 — “New Israel/New England: Jews & Puritans in Early America”
Old Firehouse Museum, South Deerfield, 2 p.m.

January 18, 2012 –”Learning from the Sanford Tavern: An Exhibition and Report on the Archeological Excavation at Hawley’s Old Town Common”
Federated Church, Charlemont, 7 p.m.

January 16, 2012 — 28th Annual Martin Luther King Jr., Day Celebration
Sojourner Truth statue (intersection of Pine and Park Streets), Florence, 9 a.m.

January 11, 2012 — “Genealogy Gathering”
Carnegie Library, Turners Falls, 6 p.m.

January 4, 2012 — “An Evening Inspired by Grace Coolidge”
Forbes Library, Northampton, 7 p.m.

September 15, 2011 to January 3, 2012 — “Saturday’s Rivals: Football Memories from the ‘Aggie Eleven of 1879′ to the MAC of 2012″
Lower Level, W.E.B. DuBois Library, UMass, Amherst