New! Doorways of Deerfield features 16 historic houses and buildings throught the village of Old Deerfield. Under each doorway is the name of the house or building. Photographer Dan Dougherty. Poster comes rolled ready for you to frame. 18” x 24”
About Us
Welcome to the Historic Deerfield website—the next best thing to visiting our museum of history, art and architecture along a mile-long street laid out in 1671 and still lined with 18th- and 19th-century houses on their original sites. This quintessential New England village is surrounded by working farms and rolling cornfields along the Deerfield River. Here in western Massachusetts, Historic Deerfield’s museum houses range in date from the 1730s to the 1840s. Inside you will find one of the best public collections of art and antiques in America while you explore the lifestyle of early New England in a working village of endless beauty. And after touring, take time to relax at the 1884 Deerfield Inn. For now, enjoy our website and use it to plan your trip to see us in Deerfield!
Philip Zea
President
Mission Statement:
Historic Deerfield, Inc., is dedicated to the heritage and preservation of Deerfield, Massachusetts and the Connecticut River Valley. Its museums and programs provide today’s audiences with experiences that create an understanding and appreciation of New England’s historic villages and countryside.
Organizational History:
Historic Deerfield was incorporated in 1952 to sustain the work of Mr. and Mrs. Henry Flynt of Greenwich, Connecticut. In 1936, the Flynts enrolled their son at Deerfield Academy, a nationally-known college preparatory school founded in 1797, located in the center of Deerfield, Massachusetts. With the encouragement of Deerfield Academy’s headmaster, Frank Boyden, they began to purchase and restore the old houses along The Street to carefully restore them. Today, 11 historic houses and the Flynt Center of Early New England Life display collections of more than 25,000 objects made or used in America between 1650 and 1850.
Contact Us:
Click here for a staff directory and address information.
Employment:
Assistant Director of Development (Posted 9/22/2011)
Facility Rentals:
Historic Deerfield offers meeting and event rentals at the Deerfield Community Center. For more information, please contact Julie Orvis Marcinkiewicz, Special Events Coordinator, at (413) 775-7179 or events [at] historic-deerfield [dot] org.
News:
Click here for recent news and press information.
Publications Program:
From time to time, Historic Deerfield publishes books and electronic documents that support our mission and highlight our collections. For more information, please contact David Bosse, Librarian and Curator of Maps, at (413) 775-7126 or dbosse [at] historic-deerfield [dot] org.
Annual Report:
Our 2011 Annual Report is now available.
Accreditation:
Historic Deerfield is accredited by the American Association of Museums (AAM).
Acknowledgements:
A portion of Historic Deerfield’s operating funds is provided through a grant from the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency.
Institutional Links:
American Revolution Center (http://www.americanrevolutioncenter.org/)
Deerfield Attractions (http://www.deerfieldattractions.com/)
Franklin County Chamber of Commerce (http://www.franklincc.org/)
Greater Springfield Convention and Visitors Bureau (http://www.valleyvisitor.com/)
Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism (http://www.massvacation.com/)
MassHumanties (http://www.masshumanities.org/)
Museums10 (http://www.museums10.org)
Outdoor History Museum Forum (http://www.outdoorhistory.org/)
Pioneer Valley History Network (http://www.pioneervalleyhistorynetwork.org)
Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association (http://www.deerfield-ma.org/)
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News
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.
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.”
Programs
The Flynt Center of Early New England Life is open Saturdays and Sundays, December 3, 2011–April 8, 2012, 9:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m. (except December 24-25). Historic Deerfield’s museum houses are closed to the public during the winter months (December–mid-April), although pre-arranged tours-by-appointment, school tours and group tours can still be scheduled. For more information, please call (413) 775-7132 or e-mail lmiskinis [at] historic-deerfield [dot] org. The museum will reopen for the 2012 season on Saturday, April 14.
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 2012. For program information, please contact Claire Carlson at ccarlson [at] historic-deerfield [dot] org or 413-775-7217.
Homeschool families are invited for a special program for ages 8 and up. Participants will work cooperatively to prepare a simple lunch that they will eat together, enjoy learning about natural fibers and how they were used to produce useful and decorative textiles, and participate in handwork as they make a project to take home. A visit to a historic building is also included in the day. Pre-registration by February 1 is required.
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 2012. For program information, please contact Claire Carlson at ccarlson [at] historic-deerfield [dot] org or 413-775-7217.
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 2012. For program information, please contact Claire Carlson at ccarlson [at] historic-deerfield [dot] org or 413-775-7217.
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 2012. For program information, please contact Claire Carlson at ccarlson [at] historic-deerfield [dot] org or 413-775-7217.
The second lecture in the 2012 Winter lecture series 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.
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. Click here to view the agenda.
ick up a free copy of this new walking tour aimed at interpreting village sites connected to the Deerfield Raid of 1704 at the Flynt Center of Early New England Life. At 4:30 p.m. the public is invited to attend a free scholarly talk by Kevin Sweeney, Professor of History at Amherst College, entitled “The 1704 Deerfield Raid and Its Aftermath.” Pre-registration for this talk is required.
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 2012. For program information, please contact Claire Carlson at ccarlson [at] historic-deerfield [dot] org or 413-775-7217.
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 2012. For program information, please contact Claire Carlson at ccarlson [at] historic-deerfield [dot] org or 413-775-7217.
Sandra L. Oliver will present the third and final lecture, “Banbury, Succotash, and Bannocks: Transplants, Natives, and Universals in New England Cookery,” closing out the 2012 Winter Lecture Series. Oliver is an Independent Food Historian, and author of Food in Colonial and Federal America.
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 2012. For program information, please contact Claire Carlson at ccarlson [at] historic-deerfield [dot] org or 413-775-7217.
In Spring 2012, Amanda Lange, Curatorial Department Chair and Curator of Historic Interiors at Historic Deerfield, will offer a three-week course introducing the new collector, student, or the curious to the fascinating area of 18th-century English earthenwares and stonewares.
Exhibitions
Be one of the first to visit this new exhibition features objects drawn from Historic Deerfield’s collection, many with local histories. On view through February 17, 2013.
Examine one of the finest collections of early American textiles and costumes ever assembled!
View 75 powder horns that offer a wealth of documentary information about the original owners and carvers who created them.
Be one of the first to visit this new exhibition features objects drawn from Historic Deerfield’s collection, many with local histories. On view through February 17, 2013.
Explore over 20 highlights from Historic Deerfield’s collection ranging from well-loved favorites and overlooked gems to recent acquisitions and objects with new stories to tell. Included with general admission.
Explore a dazzling array of masterworks by famous American cabinetmakers including Duncan Phyfe and Honoré Lannuier, Samuel McIntire, John and Thomas Seymour, and John Townsend. Included with general admission.
Museum Store
Support Historic Deerfield with this 100% cotton twill cap.
80 pages of full color photos by Richard Cheek celebrating the four seasons in the historic village.
Hand hooked wool rug depicting 7 of our village buildings in Springtime. Taken from a painting by Anne Bell Robb, a MA artist. 2’ x 3’.
