Historic Northampton

​On the Grounds of Historic Northampton Arrive at 5:30 pm to meet the curators and explore Historic Northampton’s exhibit, Making it on Main Street. At 6:30 pm, settle in with your picnic for a concert of chamber music with musicians from the Pioneer Valley Symphony Orchestra. Bring your own picnic and lawn chair/blanket. This event is open to the public by donation to benefit both Pioneer Valley Symphony and Historic Northampton. Both organizations are 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organizations. Ra

Parsons Lawn Concert Series StompBox Trio StompBox Trio is the creative intersection between Evelyn Harris’s singular & magical voice, John Cabán’s haunting dobro & stompbox and David Rodriguez’s deep wood bass & foot tambourine... blending classic 20th-century American blues, funk & soul with some 21st-century mojo to create a soulful, foot stomping, hip shaking sound, not to be missed! Caravan Kitchen food truck will be on hand serving paninis. The lawn opens a 6 pm for picnicking. Music 7-9 p

Nature in Northampton: A Walking Tour with Laurie Sanders We'll look for every plant or animal species that survives in downtown, from the mosses and ants living in the cracks and margins to the larger plants and creatures that are able to survive in the wilder and untended pockets that occur in and around the heart of the city. Registration is required.  Space is limited to 20. $5 for members and donors $8 for non-members

Historic Northampton and the Fiddle Orchestra of Western Massachusetts (FOWM) invite you to an open rehearsal of the orchestra, followed by a special duet concert by music directors Annika Amstutz and Mia Friedman.

Hydro History - A Family Program Splash your way through history as you make your own water-powered devices! Discover how water has shaped the history of Northampton by creating your own miniature water wheels, participating in a bucket brigade, and looking at 1800s Fire Department gear. Outside on Parsons Lawn at Historic Northampton Kids are free - $5 per adult or $10 per family

Collections Spotlight - Main Street Undressed with Kelsy Sinelnikov, Collections Manager Historic Northampton Collections Manager Kelsy Sinelnikov will highlight some of the items that were common on Main Street during the 1800s, but hidden from view. Join her for a close up look at the corsets, stays, stockings and other undergarments worn and sold on Northampton’s Main Street and part of Historic Northampton’s remarkable clothing collection. Cost: $5 members & donors; $8 others

Explore the Barn ~ Meet our Experts ~ Amazing Artifacts Cool History ~ Fun Activities for Kids Free Herrell's ice cream, watermelon & cold drinks All welcome! Rain or Shine. Parking Information Only limited handicap-accessible parking is available at Historic Northampton. Guests may park along Bridge Street and in the lots for the Bridge Street School. Paradise East Open Mic Night Arts Night Out | Friday, August 11, 2023 | 6 to 8 pm | Free Event On the Grounds of Historic Northampton Christopher

Since the 1830s, when Sylvester Graham first championed the benefits of exercise, to the present, Northampton residents have promoted and participated in a wide variety of physical activities. This summer, join Hayley Spizz on Historic Northampton’s grounds for an hour of Shake Your Soul, a fluid and fun movement event. Experience the joy of dance, release tension, nurture your body and soul, and delight in this dynamic practice. Hayley Spizz is a Certified Instructor in Shake Your Soul: The Yog

Composed of musicians from across continents and cultures, Zikina creates new and beautiful music that will get you dancing, clapping, and connecting with the people around you.  The group is led by Uganda native Gideon Ampeire, who will draw you in with a variety of traditional East African instruments, including enanga (zither), adungu (harp), and kalimba (thumb piano) - all of which he builds himself.  Joining Ampeire is Northampton's Mike Cardozo on guitar, Roston Kirk on bass and Kade Parki

Sylvester Graham Olympics - A Family Program Embrace your inner Graham-ite - compete in a Graham cracker toss, build a Graham cracker tower, and challenge your Graham cracker-wielding dexterity. Learn about Sylvester Graham and how his philosophy influences the food on our plates, then participate in brain teasing events to put that knowledge to the test! Outside on Parsons Lawn, Historic Northampton Kids are free - $5 per adult or $10 per family

Set in the 1670s, Circling Suspicion by playwright Talya Kingston, brings us into the home and mind of Mary Bliss Parsons as she struggles with accusations of witchcraft. Rose, by Jasmine Rochelle Goodspeed, explores a moment in 1750 between famous minister Jonathan Edwards and Rose, who is enslaved by Edwards, as they face being forced to leave Northampton. Finally, The Optimist's Razor by Patrick Gabridge, shows abolitionists David and Lydia Maria Child in 1842 as they confront a situation tha

Paradise East Open Mic Night Northampton's Arts Night Out Follow-up your walking tour of Northampton’s Chalk Art Festival with an evening of music, poetry, story-telling….and a special performance by Mayor Gina-Louise Sciarra! Please join us to enjoy and/or share one of your talents: music, poetry, comedy, dance, name yours!  Bring a blanket, picnic, and friends.  Performance time is 5-10 minutes, and child performers are encouraged. Bonus: Chalk will be available all day at Historic Northampton

Ebony spleenwort in the mortar between the stones of two of the city's downtown bridge abutments.

At the newly renovated 1805 Shepherd Barn at Historic Northampton Music at the Museum is a Chamber Music Concert to benefit the Pioneer Valley Symphony Orchestra and Historic Northampton. Please join us in the 1805 Shepherd Barn or settle in on the nearby lawn to enjoy a concert of chamber music with musicians from the Pioneer Valley Symphony Orchestra. Come early to explore the exhibits in Historic Northampton's main gallery (12-5 pm) and in the barn (4-5 pm). Seats inside the barn are first co

Illustration of the seam of the lead mine by artist Nancy Haver. In 1678, a seam with lead ore was discovered not far from where today’s boundaries of Northampton, Easthampton, Westhampton, and Southampton meet. Nearly a century after the initial discovery, in 1765, a group of investors purchased the site, and with labor from three enslaved men—Cato, Cesar, and Tom—began actively mining. Wayne Perrea will lead a walking tour to the mine site where Cato, Cesar, and Tom worked and lived. Perrea, a

Sally Maminash in the Bridge Street Cemetery in Northampton. Photo by Margaret Bruchac

by Dr. Margaret Bruchac One of the most intriguing gravestones in Northampton’s Bridge Street Cemetery belongs to Sally Maminash (1765-1853), a Mohegan/Nonotuck woman identified as “The last of the Indians here. A niece of Occum. A Christian.”  Stories from the newspaper recount cryptically tragic details: her mother Elizabeth murdered; her father’s gravestone stolen; and Sally trapped in a lonely corner of the room, reading her Bible.  Dr. Margaret Bruchac revisits the writings of local town hi

Writing Indians Out of Existence by Dr. Jean M. O'Brien Professor Jean O'Brien (White Earth Ojibwe) will discuss how local historians in New England, writing between 1820 and 1880, promoted the myth of Indian extinction, if they wrote about the Indigenous population at all. Local historians erased Indians from the record by focusing on "firsting," which refers to the practice of listing the firsts of the proud English (e.g. first born, first settlement) and then "lasting," in which local histori

by Daniel Bullen In this Zoom lecture, Daniel Bullen will discuss his interpretation of Shays Rebellion (1786-87), which is the subject of his new book Daniel Shays’s Honorable Rebellion: An American Story. Telling the narrative from the people’s perspective, Bullen asserts that Shays, and thousands of other farmers, protested flagrantly unjust economic policies that forced some farmers off their land, while profiting financiers. Through five months of protests, the farmers kept the peace and la

Historic Court Cases of Hampshire County, 1654 - present A Presentation by retired Judge Mike Ryan Hampshire County Courthouse and Court Procession Detail from the Model of Northampton, 1847 Amherst Railway Society Join Mike Ryan, former Hampshire County District Attorney and retired judge, for a review of some of the most significant cases in Hampshire County's 400-year history -- from witch trials and executions to historic cases involving fashion, frauds, civil rights and protests. Registrati

7 pm: Magic Performance In the historic Shepherd Barn at Historic Northampton, 66 Bridge Street, Northampton, Mass. Reservations required. All proceeds benefit future programming in the Shepherd Barn. Teens: $15 - $20 Adults: $25 - $50 RESERVE YOUR SPACE Come celebrate our first full season in the Shepherd Barn, support Historic Northampton, and enjoy a night of disappearing ice cream and sophisticated close-up magic by sleight-of-hand artist Christopher McBride. During this special benefit for

Living History Series:  Celebrating the Work of Janet Adler, Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen, and Nancy Stark Smith and the 45 Year Heritage of Contact Quarterly Nancy Stark Smith and group in Helsinki, Finland Join us for a conversation of “Why Here, Why Then?” with renowned body movement teachers and performers Janet Adler, Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen, and Nancy Stark Smith as they explain the role that Northampton played on shaping and launching their careers. Registration: Pre-registration recommended.