Library

The libraries of Deerfield’s two museums, Historic Deerfield and the Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association, are housed together in one building, known as the Memorial Libraries.


The Henry N. Flynt Library serves primarily as a research center for Historic Deerfield’s collections and programs. Holdings are particularly strong in the decorative arts, architecture, and material culture of early New England, and include approximately 22,000 printed volumes, numerous periodicals, and more than 2,000 microforms accessible through an online catalog.  The Stephen L. Wolf Collection of books on paint, varnish, and the history of color provide a remarkable degree of depth on those subjects.

The Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association Library collections document the life and thought of Deerfield from the close of the 17th century to the 20th. The library’s 24,000 books, many with histories of local ownership, include literature, sermons, history, travel, biography, and works on agriculture, animal husbandry, and domestic economy. The library also has an extensive manuscript collection, rich in material on families and local history.

Research Policy:
Priority is given to assisting researchers who use the library in person, making it advisable to do so whenever possible.  For those unable to visit the library, limited research assistance is available by phone, email, or US mail, as time permits, according to the following fee schedule:

  • Questions answered in 30 minutes or less: $5.00 + $0.25 per photocopy (limit 25 copies)

  • Longer questions: $25 per hour + $0.25 per copy (limit 25 copies)

When contacting us regarding your research question, please specify all sources you have already consulted, including titles and authors of books when applicable.  This will ensure the most efficient use of our time, thus helping to minimize the cost to you.

 

Searchable Resources:
The following finding aids are available online: Champney Papers,  Colton Family Papers, Dwight Family Genealogy Papers, Mary Earle Gould Papers, William H. Guthman Papers, Julia D.S. Snow Papers, Taylor Family Papers, the Women’s History Sourcebook, the A.L. Avery General Store Records, the Reginald and Rachel French Collection, and the Pease-Hyde Papers. View transcriptions of 18th-century Deerfield probate records, wills, and related documents.

 

Hours:
Tuesday–Friday, 9 a.m.–12 p.m., and 1-5 p.m.  Closed Friday, November 29, 2013.  Closed all state and federal holidays.

Location:
6 Memorial Street in Deerfield, Massachusetts.

Contact:
(413) 775-7125; library [at] historic-deerfield [dot] org; or P.O. Box 53, Deerfield, MA  01342.