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Collections

Historic Deerfield is home to one of the best public collections of art and antiques in America. Begun and formed in large part by founders Henry and Helen Flynt during a lifetime of collecting, the collection has been refined with hundreds of additions by professional staff since the mid-1970s.

Much of the collection is on display in historic houses, as well as in the Flynt Center of Early New England Life, home to both exhibitions and visible storage in the Museum’s Attic.  Information and images of many objects are also available though the Five College Museums/Historic Deerfield Collections Database.

The following list highlights strengths in Historic Deerfield’s collections:

Furniture:   As the core area of collecting by Historic Deerfield, the furniture collection focuses on pieces from the Connecticut River Valley. Also present are masterworks from seaport cities, many of which belong to The George Alfred Cluett Collection of American Furniture and Clocks currently on display in the exhibition Into the Woods: Crafting Early American Furniture.

Ceramics:  Consisting of several thousand objects, the ceramics collection at Historic Deerfield specializes in Chinese export porcelain; English ceramics, featuring The Alistair Sampson Collection of English Creamware; and Whately pottery (earthenware and stoneware).

Textiles, Clothing, and Embroidery:  Celebrating the Fiber Arts is a permanent exhibition with changing elements on display in The Helen Geier Flynt Textile Gallery is a permanent exhibition area in the Flynt Center of Early New England Life dedicated to the display of objects from the collections of textiles, clothing and embroidery. A testament to over 60 years of collecting, it organizes objects by the four natural fibers—silk, wool, cotton, and linen. Needlework is a particular strength, including samplers and pictures. The museum also holds several early and important quilts and bedrugs.

Paintings:  Numbering in the hundreds, and mostly on display throughout the rooms of the historic houses, the collection includes several portraits by Erastus Salisbury Field (1805-1900), and the only known portrait of American architect Asher Benjamin (1773-1845).

Maps and Prints:  Housed in the Flynt Center of Early New England Life and the Memorial Libraries, and the historic houses (particularly the Ashley House), the collection focuses on prints and maps known to have been owned in Deerfield and the Connecticut River Valley, the collection’s strengths include: portraits (New England), landscapes, political and allegorical prints, and depictions of historical events.

Silver and Metalware:  The Henry Needham Flynt Silver and Metalware Collection focuses on early American silver, especially from New England. The original collection of 92 pieces has grown to more than 4,000 objects of American and English silver, with a strength in local church silver including: the communion silver of the First Church of Deerfield and loans from the First Churches of Northampton, and the First Church of Sunderland, Massachusetts. The building features a silversmith’s workshop with many traditional tools, and a room devoted to pewter and other metalwares made and used in early America.

Glass:  This collection includes several hundred pieces of English and American glass, including examples from the Warwick, Massachusetts, Glass Factory.

Powder Horns:  Historic Deerfield is proud to be home to one of the finest assemblages of this indigenous and unique American art form, thanks in large part to the acquisition of The William H. Guthman Collection of Engraved American Powder Horns in 2005. The collection is currently on display in the exhibition Engraved Powder Horns from the French and Indian War and the American Revolution.  Click here to view or download a pdf of the article  “Revealing the Culture of Conflict: Engraved Powder Horns from The French & Indian War,” by Philip Zea, President, Historic Deerfield.

Folk Art:  Many objects in the collections, especially some furniture pieces and the engraved powder horns, can also be classified as folk art.

Transportation:  While not an active area of collecting, Historic Deerfield is home to The Frank Boyden Carriage Collection. Available by appointment only.

Books, Manuscripts, and Archival Documents:  The Memorial Libraries are home to several thousand volumes of rare books, manuscripts, and archival documents.

Historic Interiors:  Historic houses are the core of the museum’s public offerings, and include many authentically decorated and furnished interiors representing time periods from 1725 right up through 1850.

Architectural Restoration:  Historic houses are the core of the museum’s public offerings, and include many authentic exteriors representing time periods from 1730 right up through 1848.

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News

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    New "White Dove" Sampler Embroidery Kit to Debut at Historic Deerfield

    Join needlework experts and Historic Deerfield staff for a day of embroidery exploration and the launch of the new Marietta Stebbins sampler kit on Sat., Sept. 25.  Joanne Harvey, owner of The Examplarery, will guide participants in using her kit to recreate Stebbins’ sampler.

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    New Dinner is Served! Exhibition on the Menu at Historic Deerfield

Programs

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    Honey Harvest

    New!  Join museum educators in this fun family program to learn about bees and honey. Taste different kinds of honey, and make a beeswax candle to take home. Included with general admission.

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    New! Art of the Table Homeschool Program

    In conjunction with the exhibition Dinner is Served!, Historic Deerfield will offer a chance for homeschool families to discuss how changing history and material culture influenced the dinner table.

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    Following in the Stitches of Marietta Stebbins: The White Dove Sampler Embroidery Kit Workshop

    Join Joanne Harvey for a workshop focused on reproducing the Marietta Stebbins’ 1801 sampler.  Pre-registration required by September 17.  Download the Information and Registration Form, or please contact Julie Orvis Marcinkiewicz at (413) 775-7179 or jmarcinkiewicz [at] historic-deerrfield [dot] org.

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    What's Cooking?

    Historic Deerfield’s open hearth cooks will prepare select dishes that are on display in the Sheldon House, Hinsdale and Anna Williams House, and Stebbins House as part of the exhibition Dinner is Served!: Dining and the Decorative Arts. Come see “what’s cooking” and learn how these dishes were prepared in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Included with general admission.

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    Tea and a Tour - Saturday, September 25, 2010

    New! Join Historic Deerfield and the Deerfield Inn for a fun and educational opportunity to learn more about tea drinking in colonial Deerfield. Pre-registration is required by September 22. For more information or to register, please call 413-774-5587.

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    WGBY Appraisal Fair 2010

    Special fundraiser to support our local PBS station and WGBY. Gain access to experts from the Antiques Dealers’ Association of America (ADA).

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    New! History Detectives Live Show

    Come meet Tukufu Zuberi from the PBS hit series History Detectives at a special live show to benefit WGBY. Pre-registration required. For tickets and more information, please call WGBY at 800-781-9429, or log on to wgby.org.

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    Pots, Pans and Porridge: Children in the Colonial Kitchen

    The kitchen was the center of activity in the Colonial era. Food preparation took a great deal of time, and children were expected to help with the many chores of meal time. Families are invited to come to the History Workshop where they can learn about making a colonial dinner through role playing.

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    Songs of Home and Harvest with Cliff McGann

    Visitors of all ages are invited to attend a performance by musician and folklorist Cliff McGann who grew up outside of Boston with a strong connection to family in Nova Scotia. Today he continues to study, perform, and interpret music and folklore of both New England and Nova Scotia. He performs as a solo artist, and also regularly with The Boston Kiltics, a New England-based Celtic music and dance troupe. Included with general admission.

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    2010 ADA Historic Deerfield Antiques Show

    No matter your level of interest or ability to collect antiques, there will be something for everybody at the 2010 ADA/Historic Deerfield Antiques Show.  The two-day event will include more than 50 of the country’s leading antique dealers selling thousands of rare antiques—from furniture and carpets to books and quilts.

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    Colonial Tavern Night 2010

    Historic Deerfield will offer a Colonial Tavern Night on Saturday, October 9, focusing on the traditional New England harvest and featuring live entertainment by Bob Olsen as magician Mr. Potter and music by the Merry Players.  For Colonial Tavern Night reservations, please call 413-775-7179 or e-mail events [at] historic-deerfield [dot] org.

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    What's Cooking?

    Historic Deerfield’s open hearth cooks will prepare select dishes that are on display in the Sheldon House, Hinsdale and Anna Williams House, and Stebbins House as part of the exhibition Dinner is Served!: Dining and the Decorative Arts. Come see “what’s cooking” and learn how these dishes were prepared in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Included with general admission.

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    Archaeology Day 2010

    Join us for an Archaeological Walking Tour with Bob Paynter, Professor of Anthropology at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.  Enjoy a guided tour of the Old Burying Ground with a guide from Historic Deerfield at 11:30 a.m. Free and open to the public.

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    Supernatural Sunday 2010: Halloween in Deerfield

    Enjoy the fun of Halloween and the beauty of harvest during the fall season. Historic Deerfield presents seasonal hearth cooking, pumpkin decorating, wagon rides, mask-making, and face painting. Wear a costume and enjoy some early trick-or-treating at select historic houses. Included with general admission.

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    New! Cooking with The American Frugal Housewife

    Come learn about early 19th-century cookery as an open hearth cook makes dishes from “receipts” (or recipes) from The American Frugal Housewife written by Lydia Maria Child in 1829. This cookbook was one of the most widely used and reprinted cookbooks in American culinary history.  Included with general admission.

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    Holiday Gift Making

    Families will make a holiday gift to give to someone special. With thread and a needle museum educators will help visitors embroider a small design or initials on a cloth napkin. Make a unique napkin ring to go along with the napkin, and tie it up with a ribbon. Then decorate a card, and put it a gift bag. Included with general admission.

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    The Full Splendor of Beauty and Grace: Design and Proportion in Early American Architecture and Furniture

    Historic Deerfield will offer a symposium that explores design and proportion in early American furniture and architecture through lectures by international experts and hands-on workshops by master cabinetmakers.

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    Tea and a Tour - Saturday, November 13, 2010

    New! Join Historic Deerfield and the Deerfield Inn for a fun and educational opportunity to learn more about tea drinking in colonial Deerfield. Pre-registration is required by November 10. For more information or to register, please call 413-774-5587.

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    New! Algonkian Life

    Meet Jennifer Lee, Algonkian descendant, artist and re-enactor. Lee will be at Historic Deerfield to share material culture and customs as a historical Algonkian woman. Through basket-making demonstrations and conversation, she will help visitors understand the persistence of Native American life and culture into the present. Also enjoy open hearth cooking demonstrations, and craft a hand-made gift with the help of a museum educator. Included with general admission.

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    Season of Thanks

    Meet members of the Society of the 17th Century, a group of re-enactors who will bring our historic Hall Tavern building to life with an incredible array of period arts, crafts, and trades that represent 17th-century English life. Included with general admission.

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    Wreath Making 2010

    Help create beautiful natural wreaths to decorate the doorways of Deerfield. 

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    Members Trip: A Day of Connecticut Valley Needlework

    Join President Philip Zea on a trip to The Connecticut Historical Society and the Florence Griswold Museum to view two exhibitions, one of which features embroidery from Historic Deerfield’s collection: Connecticut Needlework: Women, Art, and Family, 1740-1840, and With Needle and Brush: Schoolgirl Embroidery From the Connecticut River Valley.

Exhibitions

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    Engraved Powder Horns from the French and Indian War and the American Revolution: The Guthman Collection [Winter Hours 2009]

    View 75 powder horns that offer a wealth of documentary information about the original owners and carvers who created them.

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    Engraved Powder Horns from the French and Indian War and the American Revolution: The William H. Guthman Collection [Winter Hours]

    View 75 powder horns that offer a wealth of documentary information about the original owners and carvers who created them.

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    Into the Woods: Crafting Early American Furniture

    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.

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    Dinner is Served!: Dining and the Decorative Arts in Early America [2010 Season]

    In collaboration with the Museums10 consortium and the region-wide partnership “Table for 10: The Art, History and Science of Food,” Historic Deerfield’s new exhibition will explore the social, cultural, and artistic importance of dining in early America with displays in the lobby of the Flynt Center of Early New England Life, as well as in three dining rooms of historic houses.

  • » Learn More
    Engraved Powder Horns from the French and Indian War and the American Revolution: The William H. Guthman Collection [2009]

    View 75 powder horns that offer a wealth of documentary information about the original owners and carvers who created them.

  • » Learn More
    Engraved Powder Horns from the French and Indian War and the American Revolution: The William H. Guthman Collection

    View 75 powder horns that offer a wealth of documentary information about the original owners and carvers who created them.

  • » Learn More
    Dinner is Served!: Dining and the Decorative Arts in Early America [Winter 2010-2011]

    In collaboration with the Museums10 consortium and the region-wide partnership “Table for 10: The Art, History and Science of Food,” Historic Deerfield’s new exhibition will explore the social, cultural, and artistic importance of dining in early America with displays in the lobby of the Flynt Center of Early New England Life, as well as in three dining rooms of historic houses.

  • » Learn More
    Engraved Powder Horns from the French and Indian War and the American Revolution: The William H. Guthman Collection [2010 Season]

    View 75 powder horns that offer a wealth of documentary information about the original owners and carvers who created them.

  • » Learn More
    Opening of New Exhibition Hadley Sampler: An Anniversary Celebration

    Settled in 1659, the nearby town of Hadley, Massachusetts, now celebrates its 350th anniversary. To recognize its important role in the Connecticut River Valley, Historic Deerfield has gathered together almost twenty objects in its collection connected to the rich history of Hadley.

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    Dinner is Served!: Dining and the Decorative Arts in Early America [2010 Season]

    In collaboration with the Museums10 consortium and the region-wide partnership “Table for 10: The Art, History and Science of Food,” Historic Deerfield’s new exhibition will explore the social, cultural, and artistic importance of dining in early America with displays in the lobby of the Flynt Center of Early New England Life, as well as in three dining rooms of historic houses.

  • » Learn More
    Into the Woods: Crafting Early American Furniture [2010 Season]

    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.

  • » Learn More
    Celebrating the Fiber Arts: The Helen Geier Flynt Textile Gallery [2010 Season]

    Examine one of the finest collections of early American textiles and costumes ever assembled!

Museum Store

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    The Woodworkers of Windsor

    A look at the distinctive styles and techniques brought by joiners from England to the town of Windsor’s early furniture.

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    The French and Indian Raid on Deerfield, Massachusetts, February 29, 1704

    A commemorative look at the 1704 raid on Deerfield, its cultural significance and its aftermath for native and English descendants.

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    Delftware at Historic Deerfield 1600-1800

    This collection catalogue introduces a wide range of topics pertaining to tin-glazed ceramics or delftware. Chapters organized by function rather than chronology or decoration, review the variety of delftware forms in the museum’s collection, that range from posset pots to punch bowls. The book’s introductory chapters explore the background of collecting delftware at Historic Deerfield, the history of delftware manufacturing, and its sale and consumption in the Connecticut River Valley.

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    Redware Chamber Stick

    Our redware candlestick is made locally by Stephen Earp. Dimensions are 4” round and about 2” high. Perfect for those long cold winters or for the relaxing candle-light evenings. Perfect for table or bedside use.

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    Wool Rug- Deerfield Village Scene

    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’.

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    Doorways of Deerfield Poster

    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”

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    Historic Deerfield Baseball Cap

    Support Historic Deerfield with this 100% cotton twill cap.

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    Old Deerfield Massachusetts

    80 pages of full color photos by Richard Cheek celebrating the four seasons in the historic village.

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